Queer Gnosis

By Troy Williams

Oh Joseph.  Who knew that when you had that first affair with young Fanny Alger you would be creating a mess we would still be sorting out today? Despite what the mainstream LDS Church might desire, Mormon polygamy just won’t go away.  And I can’t be too put out because I myself am a descendant of Mormon polygamists.  It’s a strange thought, but if Joseph Smith hadn’t been so horny, I wouldn’t exist today! So I guess that’s why I feel strangely defensive when I see polygamists maligned in the media.  It’s a strange, sticky paradox.  I’m a devout feminist.  I loathe patriarchy.  I think the god of the Old Testament is a misogynistic dick.  I find the practice of plural marriage archaic.  And yet, this very same Mormonism created me.  My great great grandfather had many wives.  Oh, and I’m also gay, which further complicates everything. 

Queers know what it’s like to be the outsider. There are millions of people around the world who find our lifestyle repugnant.  People are repulsed by the idea of two men having sex.  They don’t believe that two women can adequately raise children.  Christians believe children should be protected from queers.  In Utah, gay couples can’t even adopt.  Conservatives hate and despise us.  So who am I then to turn around and disparage another person whose lifestyle I don’t agree with?  Who cares if I don’t care for polygamy?  That’s my problem.  I get fed up when radical right-wingers try to cram their uptight worldview down my throat.  I certainly don’t want to impose my belief system on anyone.

Living in Utah, I’ve had the opportunity to meet several polygamists. In fact, several years ago I took one of Warren Jeff’s nephews to a rave and gave him two hits of ecstasy and a Vix inhaler.  I thought we could put the fun back in fundamentalism.  His life has never been the same.

Now I want to make it clear that I do not condone abuse.  I believe Warren Jeffs is a narcissistic control freak. And a false prophet. If parents and priesthood leaders are forcing under-age girls into sex then yes, the state needs to move in and protect them.  Absolutely.  However it is a gross error to assume that all polygamists are abusers.  It’s simply not true.  The Christian Right watch leather queens at San Francisco pride and assume all gay men like gag-balls and harnesses (not that there is anything wrong with that!).  But we all know that’s not entirely accurate.  It’s very dangerous to lump everybody into one category. 

Just like gays, there is great diversity in the polygamist community.  I have met very few polygamists who believe in blind obedience.  They often scoff at mainstream Latter-day Saints for their unquestioning devotion to their prophets.  And I have never met a Mormon fundamentalist who would allow their young daughters to be abused.  I have on the other hand met many who deeply love and care for the welfare of their children. 

The Texas police, on a spurious tip, swept in and kidnapped 400 children from their parents.  If that is the new standard, then I recommend police also storm every Catholic parish and rescue every innocent alter boy from the hands of their pedophile priests.  Abuse exists in every culture and in every faith.  It’s foolish to think that somehow it is worse within polygamous communities. 

The Texas debacle will drive the FLDS further underground.  This all happened before during the infamous Short Creek Raids in the 1950’s.  Children were separated from their parents for over two years.  Did this stop the practice of plural marriage?  Not at all.  It actually created greater distrust of the outside world and strengthened their religious convictions.  Mormons believe that persecution is a sign that Satan is trying to destroy them.  It reinforces their testimony that they are being true to their god’s work. 

Utah attorney general, Mark Shurtleff has wisely worked to establish “safety nets” for fundamentalist Mormon women and children who are victims of abuse.  They know they can go and get help with no fear of criminal prosecution.  They know they have friends in the outside world.  That is the key.  Openness.  A first step to solving the so-called polygamy problem is to decriminalize polygamy.  Bring everything and everyone out in the open.  We need to allow polygamists to be part of our communities.  We need to open up our arms in fellowship.  We need to love the stranger and the outsider as surely as we queers seek tolerance and acceptance from the world.  I believe the abuse in these isolated compounds will decrease as they come to recognize they can trust and more importantly live as neighbors among us.

The Mormon god commanded the Saints to be a “peculiar” people to the “the world”.  The FLDS are certainly living up to that.  So they dress strange. Who cares?  People think queers dress strange too.   The dictionary definition of “peculiar” actually reads: “strange, odd or unusual.” Flip forward in that same dictionary and you find that the definition of “queer” reads: “Strange, odd.”  So yes, we actually have a lot in common.  We’re oddballs. People hate us for being different.  I think we have a lot to teach
Mormon polygamists.  We can show them how to come out and be more open and authentic about their
lives.  We can teach them to develop polygamy pride.  And maybe in time we’ll be able to also help them with their hair and fashion choices.  I’m already envisioning fundamentalist couture on the runway. 

And one more important point — if it wasn’t for Mormon polygamy, not only would I not exist, but I also wouldn’t be able to enjoy HBO’s Big Love.  Is it any coincidence that a show about Mormon polygamy is created and written by gay men?  Who else can better understand such a queer and peculiar world?