I grew up Mormon and also happened to be gay. Church leaders like Monson made my life a living hell. I grew up thinking God hated me and wasted decades of my life trying to be something I was not.

If there is any justice, Monson will have to face the many LGBT people that killed themselves.

So no Thomas Monson, you will not be missed. I suspect in time, you will be forgotten by even the most devout Mormons.

I'm glad you are a survivor in more ways than one from TSCC.

Thanks Amyjo. What a joke that church is.

It has wrought more heartache on individuals and their families over the anti-gay policies and homophobia incorporated through many generations.

It was easy to distance myself from this ugly reality until I learned at least two of my cousins were gay and Mormon, living in the Morridor.

They both endured a living hell for being homosexual.

It wasn't personal to me before that happened. Now it is.

I grew up in the Morridor of mostly Idaho, where sexuality was seldom discussed not even at school. By the 8th grade we still weren't having sex ed in health class. Whatever I learned was through what I could read from library books and encylopedias (seriously.)

From parents, teachers, church leaders, you name it - it was such a taboo subject we were left in the dark. Coming of age in the 1960's and 70's was a dangerous time to leave any children in the dark on sex ed. That's how ill informed our elders were on the topic.

My mom's upbringing in Utah was worse than mine, comparatively. She believed women got pregnant from kissing. And when she had her first menstrual cycle she thought she was bleeding to death because her own parents hadn't sat down with her to explain how things work. She was their oldest.

I hope your cousins are happy! And I am sorry about your mom. It is sad that sex and our sexual organs are so taboo. Anyway, thanks for the kind words.

Thomas Monson remembered is not the same as Thomas Monson missed.

But considering the number of threads running on him as the subject OP, he made quite an impact.

When I started to realize my attraction towards females (my family hardly ever spoke of sex despite having nine other sibs from the same parents) I was mortified at first. How could this happen? Why would God have me be told that I'd marry a man if a woman was so much more intriguing? I knew it wasn't curiosity, I never EVER saw myself in the temple with a man. Hell, I never saw myself married but it may be possible. Just with a woman.

I started to hate myself, and while other things were happening I started to feel less and less worthy, which is what they WANT you to feel.

I am over it now and out of the closet. If people don't know, hey, I just tell them I have a GF (which I do) and they don't really say much else. My family took my removal and reveal pretty well. It makes me sick how twisted the leaders tell others to love the gays, but oh! they cannot marry in the church and are considered apostates.

Sadly there are many stories like ours. I am very happy you got out and found happiness!

They made my life a living hell as well and i was straight. There are a lot of straight guys that killed themselves that he has to face as well i promise you that. Any guy that did not fit in and did not serve a mission or want to serve a mission was in a living hell and treated like dogsh#t by their family and church members. There is no forgiveness for what my friends and i went through, i am still paying for it to this day.

Very good point! My younger straight brother opened up to me that he hated himself because he masturbated. I told him it is completely natural and healthy. The church does a number on everyone.

Wow, I didn't even know he died.I just googled it after reading a lot of different post on here mentioning him like he's not here anymore.

I think the longer we're out, the less of an impact it has on us. If not for being on RfM and another ex-Mormon site, I wouldn't be discussing it at all.

It was less of a headline in the national news this go around, from prior church presidents also. Which signals to me the church import isn't what it used to be on a national front.

It gathers some attention.

But again, church profits do not a pope make.

But ... the ear wiggling! That makes up for so much!

Totally makes up for it. Haha