This is a timeline of LGBTQ Mormon history in the 2010s, part of a series of timelines consisting of events, publications, and speeches about LGBTQ individuals, topics around sexual orientation and gender minorities, and the community of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).
Timeline
2010
2010 – The 2010 edition of the Church Handbook noted that the records of adult members who have participated in "repeated homosexual activities" would be permanently annotated. It also advised that those who have "participated in homosexual activity during or after the last three teenage years will not normally be considered for missionary service." The Handbook 2 also states if members who "feel same-gender attraction but do not engage in any homosexual behavior" may receive church callings and hold temple recommends and serve full-time proselytizing missions. 2010 – A queer-straight alliance, USGA, began meeting on BYU campus to discuss topics relating to homosexuality and the LDS Church. January – The documentary 8: The Mormon Proposition on LDS involvement with California's 2008 Proposition 8 debuts at Utah's Sundance Film Festival. May – Mormon Doctrine by Bruce R. McConkie went out of print. First published in 1958, the book described homosexuality as a tool used by Lucifer to lead souls to hell. August – Proposition 8 was ruled unconstitutional by a federal court in Perry v. Schwarzenegger. The decision was upheld by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in February 2012 and later upheld again by the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2013. September – Keith B. McMullin of the Presiding Bishopric addressed the 20th Evergreen International annual conference on September 18 and counseled that if someone says they are homosexual, lesbian, or gay that they should be corrected since it is "simply not true" and God "doesn't speak of His children this way". He further teaches that the "such limitations" as same-gender attraction won't exist after death, though it is not "in and of itself ... neither evil nor sinful". September – In a special meeting for some Oakland, California members it was reported that church Seventy and historian Marlin K. Jensen apologized to straight and gay members for their pain from the California Proposition 8 campaign and some other church actions around homosexuality. September – John Donald Gustav-Wrathall published Why Theology Can't Save Us, And Other Essays on Being Gay and Mormon, a collection of writings exploring his experience as both an active Latter-day Saint and a man in a committed same-sex relationship. October – Boyd K. Packer delivered an October conference address stating that The Family: A Proclamation to the World "qualifies according to the definition as a revelation". Immediately after referencing "Satan's many substitutes or counterfeits for marriage", he states "some suppose that they were pre-set and cannot overcome what they feel are inborn tendencies toward the impure and unnatural. Not so! Why would our Heavenly Father do that to anyone? Remember, he is our father." His characterization of same-sex physical attractions as "impure and unnatural" tendencies that can be "overcome" sparked a protest of thousands of individuals on October 7 which surrounded Temple Square. Packer later altered his words in the print version of his speech to say "Some suppose that they were preset and cannot overcome what they feel are inborn temptations toward the impure and unnatural. Not so! Remember, God is our Heavenly Father". His written talk was also altered to refer to the Family Proclamation as a "guide" instead of a "revelation". October – On the 24th, First Presidency member Dieter F. Uchtdorf stated on the origin of homosexuality that "Many questions in life, however, including some related to same-gender attractions, must await a future answer, even in the next life." October – In response to a petition from the Human Rights Campaign after the suicides of several bullied gay young men the church released a statement condemning unkindness towards those attracted to the same sex.
2011 2011 – The church website Mormon.org published a member profile with the headline, "I'm Gay. I'm a Mormon" The profile was mentioned in this 2015 article. as part of its 2010 "I'm a Mormon" campaign. Members were encouraged to create Mormon.org profiles. The profile disappeared from the archives, however, after early 2015. 2011 – A recording of a committee meeting of top church leaders was leaked by MormonLeaks in which leaders were discussing WikiLeaks and Chelsea Manning's diplomatic cable leaks, apostle Ballard asked if Manning was a "confirmed homosexual", apostle Oaks expressed his suspicion that the "news media cover up anything involving homosexuals when it would work to the disadvantage of the homosexual agenda". 2011 – The ninth version of the "For the Strength of Youth" pamphlet was released adding to the paragraph on homosexuality that "lesbian behavior" is also a "serious sin" and that the youth should speak to their parents and bishop if they "are being persuaded to participate in inappropriate behavior". January – The 28-year-old Mormon John Joe Thomas stated that he had beaten a 70-year-old man to death with rocks because God had told him to, citing scripture on stoning homosexual men in the Bible's Old Testament. He alleged that the mentally-delayed Murray Seidman had made sexual advances on him. Earlier, Thomas had befriended Seidman, and baptized him into the local Philadelphia LDS congregation, and eventually became the sole beneficiary of Seidman's will. January – A BYU law student published the book Homosexuality: A Straight BYU Student's Perspective containing arguments in favor of same-sex marriage for which he stated he was threatened with expulsion. Republished at Splinter News. February – The church's BYU Honor Code was updated to remove the ban on any "advocacy of homosexual behavior" defined as "promoting homosexual relations as being morally acceptable". March – Celibate gay Mormon Drew Call was denied his temple recommend renewal and fired from his LDS church printing office job for refusing to give up his gay friends. March – The Book of Mormon debuted on Broadway. Among other church teachings, the musical satirized church teachings on gay people being able to suppress their feelings. August – The Mormon Mental Health Podcast is launched by LDS sex therapist Natasha Helfer. The podcast includes many episodes relating the experiences of LGBTQ Latter-day Saints. August – Voices of Hope: Latter-Day Saint Perspectives on Same Gender Attraction – An Anthology of Gospel Teachings and Personal Essays, compiled by Ty Mansfield, is published by Deseret Book. The book is a collection of writings by Latter-Day Saint scholars, and it features stories by gay members. September – Mitch Mayne receives media coverage for being an out gay men serving in a high-profile position as secretary to the bishop. September – Affirmation held its annual international conference in the Kirtland, Ohio historic Mormon temple which was reported by many as an important moment. September – In a devotional for young adults at BYU, Dallin H. Oaks gave a talk titled “Truth and Tolerance”, in which he talked about how “evil acts that used to be localized and covered up like a boil are now legalized and paraded like a banner.” November – The first annual, 3-day Circling the Wagons conference was held in Salt Lake City as a nexus for sharing LGBTQ Mormons experiences, drawing over 300 attendees of diverse religious views. The conference was repeated in 2012, 2014, 2015, and 2016, with 2012 regional conferences held in D.C. and San Francisco. November – BYU fired a gay broadcasting department faculty member. The employee stated that BYU had become an increasingly hostile work environment and that being gay played into his being fired. November – Arizona LDS LGBTQ (All), a support group for people navigating both Latter-day Saint and LGBTQ identities, was founded in Arizona.
2012 2012 – An anonymously authored article was published on the church's website in which a man describes how he lived a "homosexual lifestyle" (engaged in same-sex dating) for a time, but then through counseling with Family Services and local bishop he was able to manage his burden, or struggle, with same-sex attraction. He stated that he was blessed with an alleviation of the intensity of feelings and knows of some people whose burden was lifted and "overcame" same-sex attraction, and no longer experience those feelings. He later married a woman, but states that marriage is not a "cure" for the challenge of same-sex attractions.
2012 – Mormons Building Bridges was founded. January – An edition of the church's New Era magazine for teens addressed a question on whether having friends with homosexual feelings was okay. It advised members to choose friends carefully who have similar values since homosexual behavior violates God's commandments, and that the church condemns the immoral behavior but not the person. March – The BYU LGBTQ group USGA published a series of videos titled It Gets Better. The videos feature LGBTQ students sharing their experiences. May – The church released a statement approving the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) administration's decision to remove the ban on homosexual youth (which had been made an official policy in 1991). The church's release stated, "sexual orientation has not previously been—and is not now—a disqualifying factor for boys who want to join [LDS] Scout troops", and that "young men ... who agree to abide by Church standards" (which bar any sexual activity) are allowed to participate. The church's policy, however, remains unclear for young men participating in any same-sex dating without sexual activity. The church's agreement with the BSA policy change was important because Mormon scouts constituted the largest group of young men in the BSA (21% in 2010). June – Josh Weed a licensed therapist from Seattle married to a woman came out as gay in a widely publicized blog post. He and his wife came out in support of same-sex marriage in 2015 when quotes from them were used without permission in an amicus brief opposing it ahead of the oral arguments in the Supreme Court Obergefell v. Hodges case. June – The Family Acceptance Project published the first evidence-based guide for Mormon parents wanting to support their LGBTQ children. October – The apostle Oaks stated that members should assume that children of same-sex couples face the same disadvantages of single and unmarried parents. He also said that youth "struggling with any exceptional condition, including same-gender attraction" need loving and understanding. November – North Star launched the Voices of Hope video series. Each video features the story of a gay Latter-Day Saint who chooses to remain in the church and not pursue a same-sex relationship. November – Companions (Nich’ooni) was published by Jed Bryan. The book tells the fictional story of two homosexual companions who are called by the church to preach to Navajo people in Arizona. Two sequels were later published. November – The Hero’s Journey of the Gay and Lesbian Mormon was published by Carol Lynn Pearson. The book discusses the journey of development and growth experienced by LGBTQ people and their loved ones. November – The Reconciling Faith and Feelings Conference, sponsored by the Association of Mormon Counselors and Psychotherapists (AMCAP), Evergreen, Foundation for Attraction Research, and North Star, was held in Provo. It was repeated in November 2013.
December – Jim Dabakis, a former Mormon who had attended BYU in the 70s, and came out at as gay at the age of 23, was elected to the Utah State Senate.