Back in my football-playing days we used a term: "running interference." This referred to a teammate accompanying a receiver downfield to get between said teammate and one or more defenders, which would help the receiver catch a pass and gain yardage. The helper, who was not the quarterback's target, was "running interference," and would often collide or become entangled with the defender while the receiver remained untouched.

It occurs to me as a straight man and inactive/exmo that my gay brothers and sisters often "run interference" for me and our straight brethren. By getting hit with the church's ignorance and condescension, you deflect a lot of it from my shoulders. By exposing the church's duplicity and arrogance, you help open my eyes. And I know that it's only a matter of happenstance, of some combination of nature/nurture, that's put me in my shoes instead of in yours. Were it not for fate I could be the one taking the hits.

Anyway, props to my gay brothers and sisters, whether exmo or not. Y'all rock, IMO.

What an interesting perspective, thanks. Perhaps part of a healthy coming-out is the realization that you've been running interference. Like, you've been passively taking their crap because you've been conditioned to think you deserve it. When you decide come out, you finally realize you don't.

Thanks for the recognition, but to be fair, there's plenty of submissive crap-taking going on among the church's straight folks who would all benefit from coming out in a different way.

Atheist exmos are doing the same for theist exmos.


You're welcome.

Possibly. But some theists might argue that they are getting tackled by both Mormons AND some Atheist Exmos.

Nice and thoughtful post. Very appreciated.

There are a lot of people taking some pretty tough hits from that church. The costs are heavy. Yea, even suicides and families torn to shreds all for the greater good of the brethren who's collective ego is the Alpha and the Omega.

In regards to the Mormon church I often use the Song by Jack White on the Album "Rome" as a way to cut through the thick of the Mormon modus operandi to identify their deceptive agenda.

The song is "Two Against One" and the lyric goes " two against one--you and me against me." Very profound lyric. I thought of the Mormon church instantly the first time I heard it.

The Mormon church teaches you, enlists you, from a very young age to be your own worst enemy and act against your own best interest. What a useful tool is the phrase, "The natural man is an enemy to God!" You are broken. You need to be fixed and only we can do it. And before you know it, it is the Mormon church and you against----you.

That is what it was for me. Teaching me to despise myself, to feel weak and sinful all so I would need them more than ever to save me.

I am glad--for me personally only--that as a gay person I was the Mormon church's enemy du jour for several decades. If not, I may not have seen through their lies since I left the church long before Google with no "anti" material at my fingertips.

When I read that one chapter in the MoF and instantly knew the truth finally, it was because I could see that SWK was indeed trying to recruit me to be against me. I got it.

The Mormon church and you against you. That is the real deal. Always.

Before they started attacking the LGBTQI community (whether Mo or Ex-Mo [prop 8, voting against SSM in HI, etc...]).

It pointed out to me that I should be thinking of and thanking those Blacks who weren't allowed to hold the priesthood, the racist historical view of "Lamanites" (it's pure bigotry to believe that Native Americans couldn't of created Machu Picachu or the Mayan/Aztec civilizations without being white "Nephite" or having their Jewish past).

There's also the Women who had to suffer under the yoke of polygamy, priesthood holders, etc... without ever getting a say in church.

So yes, the Gay community is Enemy du'jour, but before that there was Blacks, Feminists, Hippies (counter culture), whistle blowers, etc... That showed great courage and wisdom, yet Utah and AZ and ID were able to hide those away or use them as examples of Satan's Army (i.e. Saturday's Warriors, Half of the Seminary films, etc...).

Now, I have to take blame and admit that I held and promoted certain bigoted ideas and creeds when I was Mormon, even though I knew they didn't sound Christ like or love-filled.