The Salt Lake Tribune published an article over the weekend that detailed an LGBT event for LDS-oriented people. Apparently one self-invited speaker–Bishop Kevin Kloosterman–gave an inspiring talk that the Trib has titled “Mormon bishop says church responsible for gays’ emotional wounds“.

Some commentators are saying that the Trib is making too much of this and has missed the gist of his comments. To those, I submit a transcript of his remarks.

For me, these were the most confirming:

And as I read these stories and as I learned more about these issues, I began to see the emotional wounds and the scars that many of you still have today. And I seem to ask the question, “Where did you get these wounds?” and unfortunately the answer was, “In the house of my friends.”

A new friend-of-a-friend on Facebook has posted a couple of photos of himself dressed in female temple clothes: white robe, veil and green fig leaf-embroidered apron.

He did this in protest to his recent excommunication from the Mormon church. In June of this year, he wrote a letter to his local authorities requesting to have his name removed from the church rolls. They responded by inviting him to a church court, wherein he was excommunicated in absentia within days for “apostasy”.

And yet, the 2010 edition of Church Handbook of Instructions specifically states:

6.14.1 Name Removal and Suspected Transgression

A request for name removal should be acted upon whether or not priesthood leaders suspect or have evidence of transgression. Any allegations or evidence of unresolved transgressions are noted on the Report of Administrative Action form so priesthood leaders may resolve such matters in the future if the individual applies for readmission into the Church.

So here we have a young man and returned missionary, who clearly stated that he wanted to resign his membership and they disregarded church policy and said effectively, “You can’t quit; you’re fired”.

Não mexe com o ex-Élder Dias

Chatting with a friend this week and I noted a couple of interesting things: I always remember the date of my baptism (08 September 1973), but barely the date of my excommunication (sometime in early 2001). One was significant in my life and the other, not so much.

I guess by that time in my life, I was pretty much done and the fight had gone out of me.

Being rejected for being myself is more a badge of honor than a symbol of shame.