Queer Gnosis

by Troy Williams
originally printed in the Salt Lake Tribune, July 15, 2007


Despite Mitt Romney’s passionate
efforts to denounce polygamy and demonstrate his devotion to Jesus
Christ, his Mormon faith remains subject to vicious campaign attacks.

    The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has also come
under harsh public scrutiny as it has once again been forced to prove
that it is, indeed, Christian and not some strange cow-mutilating
satanic cult.

    With all of the political ugliness, I thought maybe Romney and
his fellow Saints might benefit from my unsolicited "queer eye"
perspective on the situation. And though I don’t have skills in
interior design, fashion or culinary arts, I do understand bigotry.
Many protesters who shout, "God hates fags" most certainly believe that
"God hates Mormons" as well.
    I write this from the perspective of a gay Mormon. I was born
and raised in the faith, served a mission and eventually left the
church to live an authentic life congruent with my sexuality. But,
nonetheless, Mormonism is my heritage.
    The early Latter-day Saints took pride in being a "peculiar"
people who were ostracized and driven across frontier America. This was
due in part to their commitment to a counter-culture lifestyle.
Polygamy was a relic of barbarism and newspapers reviled such families
as a threat to traditional American values. Sound familiar?
    Ironically, my Mormon heritage taught me how to stand strong
when people say horrible things about gays – and to stand taller when
those same people vote against my civil liberties.
    What, then, can a queer teach a Saint? First, you will never
win over people who hate you on their terms. My gender-bending friend,
Mattilda, recently laid it out for me: "The Christian right doesn’t
care if you are a nice, smiling, gay person like Rosie O’Donnell or if
you’re a transgender hooker. To them, we are all the same." And
likewise you Saints.

    Raging Mormonphobes will never accept you, either. You can be
Donny Osmond or Warren Jeffs and they will still believe that you
belong to the same satanic cult. The best public relations firm in the
world won’t make the Evangelicals love you. Sacrificing your core
identity to pass in mainstream America will always fail.

     Celebrate the fact that you are a biblically identified "peculiar people" and go big! Normal is overrated anyhow.

    With that, be humble. You can’t complain when people don’t
believe you are Christian if you teach that all other Christian faiths
are apostate. That never goes over well at interfaith functions. And
remember, "as ye sow, so shall ye reap."

    If you continually attack the LGBT community, then karma will
eventually come back around to bite. Nobody likes a bully. And Mormons,
of all people, know what it’s like to be a persecuted minority.
Imagine, instead, if the Latter-day Saints were to rally to the defense
of the poor, marginalized and oppressed – wow. You could so change the
world.


   
I like to think that Joseph Smith would have been cool with
the queers. He, too, lived on the fringe of respectable society. And,
like Mitt, he loved this country enough to run for president.

   
I love our country, too. In grade school I stood daily before
the flag, hand over heart, as a queer Mormon American to pledge " with
liberty and justice for all." That phrase still inspires me today.

   
Liberty and justice is the promise to Mormons, gays and every
peculiar queer misfit who loves this nation. We don’t have to be the
same to protect one another’s freedom. We can all be beautiful,
patriotic oddballs.

    I will gladly stand up and defend Mormon civil liberties. Will you stand in defense of mine?

by Troy Williams
originally printed in the Salt Lake Tribune, July 15, 2007


Despite Mitt Romney’s passionate
efforts to denounce polygamy and demonstrate his devotion to Jesus
Christ, his Mormon faith remains subject to vicious campaign attacks.

    The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has also come
under harsh public scrutiny as it has once again been forced to prove
that it is, indeed, Christian and not some strange cow-mutilating
satanic cult.

    With all of the political ugliness, I thought maybe Romney and
his fellow Saints might benefit from my unsolicited "queer eye"
perspective on the situation. And though I don’t have skills in
interior design, fashion or culinary arts, I do understand bigotry.
Many protesters who shout, "God hates fags" most certainly believe that
"God hates Mormons" as well.
    I write this from the perspective of a gay Mormon. I was born
and raised in the faith, served a mission and eventually left the
church to live an authentic life congruent with my sexuality. But,
nonetheless, Mormonism is my heritage.
    The early Latter-day Saints took pride in being a "peculiar"
people who were ostracized and driven across frontier America. This was
due in part to their commitment to a counter-culture lifestyle.
Polygamy was a relic of barbarism and newspapers reviled such families
as a threat to traditional American values. Sound familiar?
    Ironically, my Mormon heritage taught me how to stand strong
when people say horrible things about gays – and to stand taller when
those same people vote against my civil liberties.
    What, then, can a queer teach a Saint? First, you will never
win over people who hate you on their terms. My gender-bending friend,
Mattilda, recently laid it out for me: "The Christian right doesn’t
care if you are a nice, smiling, gay person like Rosie O’Donnell or if
you’re a transgender hooker. To them, we are all the same." And
likewise you Saints.

    Raging Mormonphobes will never accept you, either. You can be
Donny Osmond or Warren Jeffs and they will still believe that you
belong to the same satanic cult. The best public relations firm in the
world won’t make the Evangelicals love you. Sacrificing your core
identity to pass in mainstream America will always fail.

     Celebrate the fact that you are a biblically identified "peculiar people" and go big! Normal is overrated anyhow.

    With that, be humble. You can’t complain when people don’t
believe you are Christian if you teach that all other Christian faiths
are apostate. That never goes over well at interfaith functions. And
remember, "as ye sow, so shall ye reap."

    If you continually attack the LGBT community, then karma will
eventually come back around to bite. Nobody likes a bully. And Mormons,
of all people, know what it’s like to be a persecuted minority.
Imagine, instead, if the Latter-day Saints were to rally to the defense
of the poor, marginalized and oppressed – wow. You could so change the
world.


   
I like to think that Joseph Smith would have been cool with
the queers. He, too, lived on the fringe of respectable society. And,
like Mitt, he loved this country enough to run for president.

   
I love our country, too. In grade school I stood daily before
the flag, hand over heart, as a queer Mormon American to pledge " with
liberty and justice for all." That phrase still inspires me today.

   
Liberty and justice is the promise to Mormons, gays and every
peculiar queer misfit who loves this nation. We don’t have to be the
same to protect one another’s freedom. We can all be beautiful,
patriotic oddballs.

    I will gladly stand up and defend Mormon civil liberties. Will you stand in defense of mine?