Of Murder and Suicide

[Ed. The following was stolen from flattopSF]

One of Matthew Shepard's murderers was a Mormon. Was he influenced by the cult's teachings? Who knows. Let's just say the cult, unlike other religious organizations, did not publicly decry the tragedy. Nope, From them there was only dead airspace. Maybe a bit of static...and this:

Of particular concern is the recent re-release of the pamphlet "To Young Men Only" which admonishes young LDS men to "protect themselves" by physically assaulting gays when confronted with their homosexuality. This was re-released at the same time as the Matthew Shepard murder trials. Very few people in the LDS Church are aware that one of the two young men convicted of Matthew Shepard's beating death was a young Mormon Priesthood holder. As parents of gay children, it is difficult for us to understand why the Church, in the face of the national attention surrounding Matthew Shepard's beating death, would re-release something as inflammatory, insensitive and troubling as this.

The Mormon church member who they are referring to was Russell A. Henderson. After his conviction, the cult decided to excommunicate him. What a gesture: create and use the tool, then discard it!

[Ed. Back to JNOV ]

The pamphlet they're referring to contains this language, written by Boyd K. Packer:

After patient encouragement he finally blurted out, "I hit my companion."

"Oh, is that all," I said in great relief.

"But I floored him," he said.

After learning a little more, my response was "Well, thanks. Somebody had to do it, and it wouldn't be well for a General Authority to solve the problem that way."

I am not recommending that course to you, but I am not omitting it. You must protect yourself.

There is a falsehood that some are born with an attraction to their own kind, with nothing they can do about it. They are just "that way" and can only yield to those desires. That is a malicious and destructive lie. While it is a convincing idea to some, it is of the devil. No one is locked into that kind of life. From our premortal life we were directed into a physical body. There is no mismatching of bodies and spirits. Boys are to become men—masculine, manly men—ultimately to become husbands and fathers. No one is predestined to a perverted use of these powers.

"To Young Men Only," General Conference Priesthood Session, October 2, 1976.



Henry Stuart Matis (1967-2000) killed himself at the Los Altos, CA LDS chapel in response to the Mormon church's involvement in Prop 22.

Affirmation has created a memorial to GLBTQ Mormons who have committed suicide. Their memorial was created in response to "four gay Mormons kill[ing] themselves within four weeks" in March 2000 "while leaders of the LDS Church were engaged in a costly anti-gay crusade in California...." They have compiled a list of church members who should never be forgotten.

This is what it all boils down to: Real people are simply trying to live their lives the best way they can. Being gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual, queer, intersex or asexual is not a crime, and it's certainly not a crime against nature. It is nature in all its beauty and splendor and diversity.

It's time to stop worrying about who's putting what where, because it's nobody's damned business. And it's time religions STOP PREACHING HATE. So many religions foment violence against innocents who are just. trying. to. be. These religions also shame adherents into believing that they are other. That they are less than. That they are not worthy. That they are damned. That they must change the fiber of their beings to reach exaltation. Well, you know what? That's some bullshit right there. As soon as I can stop being brown (oh, wait), my GLBTQI brothers and sisters will start being straight.

No one chooses to be straight. No one chooses to be GLBTQI. It's just how we are. It's part of who we are, but it's not what defines us, no matter how hard the bastards try to box us in.

Human beings are lovely, complex and beautiful in their diversity and in their individuality. We are whom we are, and we love whom we love, and at the end of the day, we should be pleased that some of us are able to find meaningful and lasting love. That is the meaning of life.