WAVE Statement of Compassion for Homosexual Brothers and Sisters

I would like to thank you for this opportunity to support the homosexual people I love and those I don’t know who need our support now and always.

Bonnie Flint
Fruit Heights 6th Ward
Fruit Heights Stake
Fruit Heights, Utah

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?… Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come. Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord.” (Rom. 35, 37-39)

You are valued. You are loved. And nothing will separate you from the love of your Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

Kirsten Campbell
Mishawaka Ward
South Bend, Indiana Stake

I hope there will come a time where EVERYone is comfortable going to the church that they feel brings them closer to God by serving their brothers and sisters.

There is so much that we don’t know. But what we DO know, that God gave us all life and wants us to be happy and to love and be loved, is all we really need to know.

Courtney Cooke
Blue Meadows Ward
Meridian Idaho Amity Stake
Boise

100% support!!

Provo, Utah

I fully support this loving, Christlike message.

Sam Christensen
Edmonds, WA

At least I know someone,somewhere supports me.It is like finding a pearl of great price.
Thank you.
Peter Williams.

Kenmore Ward
Centenary Stake
Brisbane
Australia

I voice my support by sharing my new 165-page book, “Homosexuality: A Straight BYU Student’s Perspective.” https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B1u3K43P-3JoYTUzNjYwMGEtNzNmYi00ODkwLTllMzYtNjRlOTVlMWUwYTM2&hl=en

Summary: The book has two parts: 1) homosexuality (chapters 1-3) and 2) same-sex marriage (chapters 4-7).

In chapter 1, I argue that church members should have great compassion for homosexually oriented members of the church because of the personal difficulties they experience as a result of their orientation and how the Mormon community typically responds to that orientation. I quote a number of studies and give voice to the experiences of many LDS homosexually oriented people.

In chapter 2, I explore causation, detailing both the religious voice and the scientific consensus. Elder Oaks noted how appropriate this type of an inquiry is: “The Church does not have a position on the causes of any of these susceptibilities or inclinations, including those related to same-gender attraction. Those are scientific questions — whether nature or nurture — those are things the Church doesn’t have a position on.” I detail 60 statements by church leaders on what causes homosexuality. On the scientific side, I discuss 32 separate subjects to juxtapose two opposing hypotheses for the causation of homosexual orientation: 1) biological factors such as genes and pre-natal hormones, and 2) factors such as infection, molestation, and choice. Some examples of the evidence addressed: homosexual men have, on average, measurably and significantly different ratios of the second to fourth digit of their hands than their heterosexual counterparts. The anterior commissure of their brains is gender shifted away from the heterosexual male norm and toward the heterosexual female norm. Their limb:trunk ratio is similarly gender-shifted, as is their performance on visio-spatial tasks, third interstitial nucleus (a region of the brain thought to be directive of male-type sexual behavior) size and density, left:right brain hemisphere ratio, brain response to sex pheromones, cochlear sound production, thalamic response to female faces, verbal abilities, physical aggressiveness, expressiveness, and childhood gender conformity to name just a few.

In chapter 3 I examine how changeable sexual orientation is by considering relevant church doctrines and looking at the empirical evidence on both sides.

In chapter 4 I show why homosexuals can reproduce, contrary to popular belief, and note that they are no different from inherently infertile heterosexual couples as to their reproductive capacity.

In chapter 5 I argue why there’s a strong moral case in support of LDS same-sex marriage. For instance, I show how important family is to mortal experience and point out that celibacy does not provide a family experience, while same-sex marriage does.

Chapter 6 contains rebuttals to common anti- same-sex marriage arguments, many of which are deeply flawed.

Chapter 7 applies Elder Oaks’s recent speech on the Constitution. Many church members have said that Judge Walker should not have heard the Perry v. Schwarzenegger (Prop 8) case, but instead should have let the voice of the people of California decide the matter. I show why this view is antithetical to our constitutional system of governance.

In closing, I explain my motivations for writing and make invitations to the reader.

Amen!!…I am thrilled to add my name to this list!

Alicia McLean
Stevensille 2nd Ward
Stevensville, MT Stake

Christ is love, we are followers of Christ devoted to the idea that he loves each one of us. Sex is only a small part of who we are. The more we encourage women and men to love everything about themselves the stronger we become.
I don’t want to know about your sex life I want to know you as a child of God. I accept you as a child of God and only desire you to love yourself and love your life. There is no mold for male and female traits if there was most of us wouldn’t fit into any of them.
Father bless us all to love one another.

Umm see the thing is that GOD made homosexuals gay. If it was a choice then why are animals gay. Even the bible states that the difference between man and beast is our ability to decide for ourselves…… if those animals did decide to be gay then that means they made that choice (according to religion) and thus negating the fact that there is a difference between man and beast. It is scientifically proven that parts of the brain that are enlarged in hetero females compared to hetero males. If you look at a gay male brain those same parts of the brain are enlarged and engaged exactly how they are in hetero women. Im sorry guys but no one needs to change and no one needs to be forgiven. You dont tell mentally challenged people that were born that way if they strive hard enough they can be forgiven for being mentally challenged when they meet their maker. Doesnt happen that way. What i would like to be clarified for myself is this: when religion cant explain something, people state “its what GOD intended”. Why cant you say the same about homosexuality? Why would God want us to all be the same? even if you acknowledge the fact that he doesnt make us the same, why would you think there are certain ways that have to be forgiven. If thats the case God seems pretty hypocritical and has a dark sense of humor. Also, the bible is meant for interpretation. When you take it and apply it literally to this day and age it is extremely outdated to the point that its crippling the members of that religion. Why not learn from outside religion as well and apply it to the religion…. Im all for faith but when faith leads to someone telling another that the way they were born is wrong, it does far more damage than good. I hope this is a group that embraces who gays really are, and not one that tries to sabotage someone for being who they really are. I think if someone can truly not be afraid and love themselves, God will have plenty of love to return. Because i think God’s grand scheme is not having us trying to tell others what right and wrong, instead one that if truly interpreted and lived shows the entire planet how we can all accept one another regardless of what ANYone believes. Only then will we find peace, only then will we find God.