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LGBT Mormons Ask in Historic Temple: “If they could just see us, don’t you think they would change their minds?”

By Joanna Brooks

…gay LDS man who had travelled all the way from London just to take part in the conference, wept openly. His mind was on the leadership of his Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in Salt Lake City. “Don’t you think, if they could just see us”—Liam wiped his face and swallowed hard—”if they could just see us here, don’t you think they would change their minds?”…

Conservative Bishops Headed For Synod Victory?; Indonesian Sharia Official Says Gay Caning Law Meant To ‘Safeguard Human Dignity’; Slovenian Court OK’s Referendum on Marriage Equality Law; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…ivists with their counterparts from around the world, gathers next week in Salt Lake City, Utah, the first time one of its annual summits has been held in the U.S. WCF officials have responded to sharp criticism about the anti-gay work carried out by its partners and participants by declaring themselves committed to respect and civil dialogue. That claim does not stand up to the clear record of WCF partners, allies, and speakers, many of whom have…

The Sacred and the Dead: Truckin’ as a New American Pilgrimage

By Varun Soni

…e that literally spent their lives following them from concert to concert, city to city, state to state, and country to country. Known as Deadheads, the devotees of the Grateful Dead collectively formed an intentionally itinerant community numbering in the tens of thousands, with their own customs, vernacular, art, and economy. In his explanation of the lure of the Grateful Dead to thousands of Deadheads around the country, Garcia ruminated, “mayb…

Hajj Journal: Tawaf: How I Fell in Love…

By Amina Wadud

…ar, was doing next to me. We were all a part of this mighty river, rushing round and around the Ka’abah, the House of God. Nothing else mattered—well, except the roommate. We stayed linked at the arm until we hit the corner with the black stone. In order for me to wave, I had to get my arm out of her left arm link. I was conscious then not to get separated. But we managed the pause, the wave and kiss; and with each circuit, we got closer. Not surp…

Why We’ve Opened Our Doors for Polygamy USA

By Claude Cawley

…ir services available to those who need them, and second, the debacle that Colorado City and the FLDS have become in the public eye. We do not wish to be portrayed with the broad-brush picture taken from coverage of the FLDS. [See RD’s coverage of the FLDS here –Eds.] We realize that, to overcome stereotypes associated with the activities in Colorado City and general attitudes toward practicing plural marriage, something must be done to portray th…

Mormonism’s “9/11 Mosque Moment”

By Joanna Brooks

The Salt Lake Tribune has published a terrific article describing the federal inquisition of Utah Senator Reed Smoot in 1903 as Mormonism’s “9/11 Mosque Moment,” reminding us of a time when the mayor of New York City (no Bloomberg, he) banned Mormon missionaries and when Mormon elders were tarred and feathered in the South. It’s a timely and necessary reminder. Because from the chatter around the Mormon blogosphere, I’m gathering that politically…

Pride Month & Prejudice; ‘Worrisome Time’ For LGBT People; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…reports the Royal Gazette. The marriage ceremony of Bermudian lawyer Julia Saltus and her fiancée, Judith Aidoo, was conducted at the Registry-General on Wednesday, followed by a reception at Café Lido, Elbow Beach, according to one guest who attended. The nuptials came less than a month after the landmark Supreme Court ruling of May 5 which enabled gay people to marry on the island. Romania: Opposition leader steps down over party’s opposition to…

Like Azusa Street Baptized into Bureaucracy: Mexico’s Flourishing LLDM Church Loses its Apostle

By Michael Schulson

…non-Catholic religious institution. The 2010 Mexican census reported only around 200,000 members, but that number may well be low (the Mormon church in Mexico has argued that the religious count was inaccurate). Independent scholarly estimates for LLDM’s worldwide population range as high as seven million. Still: LLDM is big. And it’s not easy to classify the church that has emerged. In terms of theology and ritual, its flavor is firmly pentecosta…

Four Reasons for Optimism in the Wake of Tragedy—Insights from a Sikh and a Unitarian Minister

By Erik Martinez Resly

…1. Life contains both joy and sorrow. Bandana: The Oak Creek massacre, the Aurora shooting, the burning of the mosque in Joplin: all these events are understood by Sikhs through the concept of hukam—an Arabic term that refers to the invisible workings of the Creator. Just as the darkness of winter makes leaves wither in the cold only to sprout new life in the spring, tragedy is woven into the continuous process of life, death, and renewal. In the…

More Than Big Hair and Money: Jim, Tammy Faye and the Media “Holy Wars” of the 80s

By John Wigger

…d. One cast member threw up in the dog costume he was wearing as they spun round and round, all on live television. At the time it all seemed fresh and, for many, exciting. The sex and financial shenanigans were only interesting because of the size of PTL’s cultural footprint. Did you have a specific audience in mind when writing? I have written dense academic works, but this is aimed at a broader audience. It’s a story full of human drama. Many o…