Exploring the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Mormon experience through stories.
This will be our first interview with an LGBT person from another denomination that has a strong social structure and leads to similar challenges. In this interview Amiad talks about his Orthodox Jewish experience, about Zionism and his wartime military service in Israel, his faith crisis, coming out, dealing with the death of his parents.…
In part 3 of 3 Adam and Bryan discuss the different ways they have resolved their Mormonism, and their different ways of participating, their hopes about relationships, bridge building, forming community, and their desire to maintain their Mormon identities. Podcast: Play in new window | Download
In part 2 of 3 Bryan and Adam discuss the process of coming out, working with Evergreen, North Star, as well as non-LDS support groups, and how they each developed different stances on where they place their Mormonism. Podcast: Play in new window | Download
In part 1 of 3 Bryan and Adam discuss their friendship that extends back to their teen years, growing up Mormon, serving missions, attending BYU, and independently taking their first steps out of the closet. Podcast: Play in new window | Download
In part 2 or 2 Tina Richerson talks about her exploration of Buddhism, how this exploration brought her back to Mormonism, how she embraces her spirituality as a buddhist leaning Queer Mormon, and about her life as a musician in NYC. Podcast: Play in new window | Download
In part 1 of 2 Tina Richerson on growing up a lesbian Mormon, resolving this with her family, her important same-sex relationships, trying out Pentacostalism and becoming a professional musician. Podcast: Play in new window | Download
In part 2 of 2, David Baker talks about recovering from his suicidality, and moving forward, receiving a surprising confirmation from God that he should pursue same-sex marriage, and his ongoing participation in the Church. Podcast: Play in new window | Download
In part 1 of 2 David Baker talks about his mormon upbringing, how confessing same sex feelings led to expulsion from BYU, how he had a profound spiritual confirmation that led to his conversion, but how his newfound testimony lead him to attempt suicide. Podcast: Play in new window | Download
In part 3 or 3 Josh and Lollie talk about a variety of LGBT issues including marriage equality and their desire to advocate for change within mormonism to benefit its LGBT members. Podcast: Play in new window | Download
On part 2 of 3 Josh and Lollie talk about their experience in a mixed-orientation , the motivation and events that led to their public coming out and their concerns about being held up as role models. Podcast: Play in new window | Download
In part 1 of 3 Josh and Lolly describe their long history together that included a close friendship as adolescents, how Josh coped with his sexual orientation and the bullying he faced, and how they fell in love and decided to marry. Podcast: Play in new window | Download
In part 4 of 4 Brett discusses his perspectives on Mormonism and his view of recent changes in the churches approach to LGBT people, his own value system, his career as an activist for social justice, and his views on tolerance and equality. Podcast: Play in new window | Download
In part 3 of 4 Brett talks about his decision to get married, and his journey toward parenthood, the joys and difficulties of raising a daughter as a same-sex couple and the values that they have as a family. Podcast: Play in new window | Download
In part 2 of 4 Brett discusses how he explored his identity and values as a gay man, the process of coming out to his family and how his parents faced that journey, talks about the importance of sexuality and his feelings about the best way to approach sexuality in the context of healthy and…
In part 1 of 4 Brett, who is the son of long-time LGBT allies Marge and William Bradshaw, discusses his Mormon upbringing that was both very traditional but also unique considering his parents progressive politics, his faith crisis that began on his mission, his gradual coming to terms with his orientation and how his first…
In part 2 of 2 Alex discusses his frustration around ongoing same sex attraction and finally accepting his homosexuality, realizing his wife’s unhappiness and deciding with her to end the marriage, learning to relate to his family as a gay man and finding a relationship that fits. Podcast: Play in new window | Download
In part 1 of 2 Alex talks about his normal childhood and adolescence becoming less normal when he starts trying to overcome same sex attractions. This shapes his late adolescence, college and mission years as he repeatedly attempts different efforts of reparative therapy, and finally decides to get married. Podcast: Play in new window |…
This series continues with Nathan and Jefferson’s father Curtis Cloward. In this episode, pt. 2 of 2 with Curtis, he discusses his on-going battle to overcome homosexuality, following counsel of Bishops and BYU therapists to marry as a means to do this, his marriage to his best friend Rea, how his shattered self-esteem fueled self-destructive…
This series continues with Nathan and Jefferson’s father Curtis Cloward. In this episode, pt. 1 of 2 with Curtis, he discusses how his happy childhood rolled over into a very troubled adolescence marked by shame and fear about his sexuality, learning to compartmentalize to survive, making a strong commitment to “fight the gay”, serving a…
This series continues with Nathan and Jefferson’s mother Rea Walton. In this episode, pt. 3 of 3 with Rea, she discusses coming to terms with her ex-husbands homosexuality, raising her children, having a successful marriage and a blended family, watching her children leave the church and then having her own faith crisis, and finding resolution, reconciliation…
This series continues with Nathan and Jefferson’s mother Rea Walton. In this episode, pt. 2 of 3 with Rea, she discusses her decision to marry her best friend, and their initial struggles, how the marriage became increasingly difficult as her husband became more and more self-destructive, how she found out about his homosexuality and tried to…
This series continues with Nathan and Jefferson’s mother Rea Walton. In this episode, pt. 1 of 3 with Rea, she discusses being raised Mormon in the 1960′s and how she developed a deep shame about her sexuality that pervaded and overwhelmed her self-esteem, how she had happy times in spite of this in mormon youth…
The next few podcast interviews at Gay Mormon Stories will featurea gay man, his ex-wife and 2 of their adult sons. The first installment is a 2 part interview with brothers Jefferson and Nathan Cloward. In part 2 they talk about coming to terms with their father’s homosexuality, developing a meaningful relationship with him and becoming…
The next few podcast interviews at Gay Mormon Stories will feature a gay man, his ex-wife and 2 of their adult sons. The first installment is a 2 part interview with brothers Jefferson and Nathan Cloward. In part 1 they talk about how their father’s homosexuality impacted their childhood and adolescence, including how they both…
In part 3 or 3 Cary Crall talks about his last year of BYU where dating was dangerous, watching his other gay friends succeed or fail, and noting the role that family acceptance plays, starting medical school at Harvard, and engaging in activism at Harvard and through Point Foundation. Podcast: Play in new window |…
In part 2 of this 3 part series Cary Crall talks about meeting other gay men while at BYU, developing his gay identity, coming out to friends and family, dealing with Prop 8, and writing a letter to the editor that put him in the spotlight and ledto unexpected consequences (including a Mormon Stories interview before…
In part 1 of this 3 part series, Cary Crall discusses his trouble-free childhood, his adolescence where he turned his internal turmoil into a drive for achievement and acceptance, his mission, and his BYU experience where he tried to make dating work while gaining better understanding of his orientation. Podcast: Play in new window |…
In part 4 of 4 John discusses two surprising turns in his life: returning to Mormonism as an gay man in a gay marriage, and his unexpected role as a foster father to a gay teen. Podcast: Play in new window | Download
In part 3 of 4, John talks about embarking on his life as an openly gay man, dating, finding love and living in a gay marriage, completeing his dissertation on the YMCA, and finding love and acceptance from his believing Mormon family. Podcast: Play in new window | Download
In part 2 of 4, John talks about his suicidal intention, how that got side-tracked, how God intervened in his life and helped him find new hope outside of the church, and his new quest to find his path. Podcast: Play in new window | Download
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