Last November, the LDS Church made policy changes that deeply affected LGBT members and their families. It labeled people in same-sex marriages as apostates subject to discipline and said children living with an LGBT parent would be barred from sacred rituals like baptism. Wednesday, in the first of two conversations on the policy’s anniversary, we’re asking how these changes came to be, why they took so many people by surprise, and what it says about LDS leadership and faith today.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints declined to join us today. However, they sent the following resources that they published following the handbook policy change.
- Elder D. Todd Christofferson's interview about the policy changes.
- President Russell M. Nelson's description of the process.
- Former Church Spokesman Michael Otterson's commentary about the policy change.
Guests:
- Kendall Wilcox, Documentary Filmmaker and LGBT Activist
- Gregory Prince, Independent Historian
- Richard Holzapfel, Professor of Church History, Brigham Young University