Even the Mormon church is changing on gay issues

In 2008, a Utah Mormon couple, Wendy and Tom Montgomery, campaigned door to door in California for the passage of the anti-gay marriage proposition 8.    The LDS Church was one of the leading supporters of Prop8.

But since then, they have learned that their son is gay.  In a Huffington Post article by Brady McCombs, Wendy says her reaction to learning about her son made her question everything.   "I'm looking at this 13-year-old boy who is totally innocent and pure and an amazing kid and I think, 'Either everything I know about homosexuality is wrong, or my son is not really gay. And, he's obviously gay.' I kind of had to unlearn everything I had learned."

The Montgomerys stayed in the church but changed to another congregation that was less condemning, and they have started an organization that works with conservative religious families "to help them navigate their doctrines while accepting their gay children."

The LDS church has also softened its stance since 2008.  This year, church leaders backed the Boy Scout's revised policy of allowing gay boys to join.

The steps are small -- a change from total condemnation to saying that same-sex attractions are not a sin but succumbing to them is.  Nevertheless for long-time Mormons it is a big change.  And that is especially true for gay and lesbian people who suffered that condemnation or who left the church because of it.

With Pope Francis in the Vatican, and with the Mormons softening their anti-gay doctrines -- along with the avalanche of states approving gay marriage and the federal government recognizing all same-sex marriages for benefits . . . .  the battle seems over.   Just a mopping up operation.

The Westboro Baptist Church protesters probably won't change, but they are small and increasingly irrelevant.  

It's a new day that I never thought would happen.

Ralph