Marginalized Groups

People are marginalized for various reasons within religious spaces. From my own experience, Mormonism has actively othered people for their political beliefs, marital status, and level of "worthiness" based on their adherence to the Church's commandments. The most glaring identifiers for those who are marginalized are based on one's race, gender, and sexuality. This marginalization occurs within Mormon scripture, the teachings of Mormon leaders, and Mormon culture. In my research, I surveyed 115 people, interviewed 19 and held two focus groups of three people each and found that most participants had a lot to say about race, gender, and sexuality. Some had been hurt personally, others recognized their own role in hurting others, and the majority of participants recognized the hurt inflicted had a direct connection to the teachings of the Church.

On this page, I introduce examples of the Church's role in othering people based on their race, gender, and sexuality. I also provide findings in my research that show how research participants currently interpret the things they were taught when they were active members. Lastly, I provide some quotes from participants to illustrate just how pervasive the messages were and currently are. In the future, I plan to release more of my findings surrounding these topics because they illustrate how damaging this type of messaging can be to those affected directly and indirectly.

Race

White supremacy is not something that is always hidden in the shadows. It is something that has implicitly and explicitly dictated how the world operates. Sometimes it is blatant and other times it harder for especially white folks to recognize. It should be no surprise that many religions across the world carry with them racist undertones, including Mormonism. We currently live in a time when people immediately get defensive when called out for racist rhetoric. Instead of apologizing and making amends, they have an emotional response in the form of yelling or crying. They may also deny or gaslight in defense of themselves because they equate racism with "being a bad person." I argue that the Mormon Church has had a similar response. Instead of acknowledging their own racism, they leave it untouched or try to justify it some way. While they have made strides in some of their policies, there is plenty more work to be done. One interview participant, who said her family was one of only five Black families in her stake, described her own experience with Church's response to racism, "[The] stake presidency called me up during Black Lives Matter and wanted me to be part of a panel... that basically said the Church wasn't racist. We were like, okay, we're done [with the Church]."

" The negro... should serve the seed of Abraham; he should not be a ruler, nor vote for men to rule over me nor my bretheren. The Constitution of the Deseret is silent upon this, we meant it should be so. The seed of Canaan cannot hold any office, civil or ecclesiastical... The decree of god that Canaan should be a servant of servants unto his bretheren (i.e. Shem and Japhet [sic]) is in full force. The day will come when the seed of Canaan will be redeemed and have all the blessings their bretheren enjoy. Any person that mingles his seed with the seed of Canaan forfeits the right to rule and all the blessings of the Priesthood of God; and unless his blood were spilled and that of his offspring he nor they could not be saved until the posterity of Canaan are redeemed."

- Brigham Young, Mormon Prophet 1835-1847
(Brooks, 2020, p. 32)

Were you taught harmful messages about race?

113 participants responded to the question, "Were you taught harmful messages about race"?. Eighty-seven people responded yes, 13 responded no, and 13 people selected "other" and explained their responses. I went through their answers and coded them as yes or no, based on what they said. After coding, I found that 85 percent (96 people) leaned yes and 15 percent (17 people) leaned no.

3 people coded as no said they were either too young to learn about old racist teachings or those teachings were hidden away from them.
1 coded as no noted "but I was surrounded by white men."
4 coded as yes said they were not taught harmful messages explicitly, but instead by implied racist views, or described the Church itself as "feeling racist."
2 coded as yes noted they were taught harmful messages at church, but not by their parents at home.
2 coded as yes said they were taught harmful messages, but they never believed them.
1 coded as yes said harmful teachings "popped up here and there, but it was sort of nervously dismissed as 'we don't believe that anymore.'"

"I was taught that Black people had 'the curse of Cain.' It's horribly racist and the adults who said that to me as a child should have known better. I definitely don't believe that. I also used to look at the 1978 'revelation' that allowed people of color to have the priesthood as an inspired revelation. Now I see that the Church was just trying to do PR for decades of racism." - Survey Respondent

Gender

Mormonism insists on very strict gender roles as it treats gender as a binary rule dictated by one's sex at birth. Women cannot hold any leadership positions in the Church without oversight by the men because only men can hold the priesthood. Additionally, women are only allowed to hold leadership positions that oversee programs for women or children, never men. Men and women are encouraged to marry young and have children early, and mothers are encouraged to stay home with children while the fathers work or complete their schooling (Hard-to-Find Mormon Videos, 2016). Young girls often receive instruction on dressing modestly to protect the impure thoughts and actions of young boys. Boys as young as 11 are given the priesthood and can participate in distributing the Sacrament bread and water, but girls are never able to participate.

The restrictions are even greater for transgender folks. In 2020, the Church published an update to its general handbook for policies and procedures that included an extensive section on their policies regarding the participation of those who are transgender (Stack & Noyce, 2020). Transgender individuals are invited to participate in church services and even hold callings, but they cannot receive priesthood or temple ordinances that do not align with their assigned sex at birth (Stack & Noyce, 2020). Further restrictions are placed on them should they receive medical or surgical transition services or even choose to dress or act as the gender opposite of their assigned birth sex, including changing their name or pronouns (Stack & Noyce, 2020). This is presumptively based on the Church's view that "God created 'male and female,'" which concept is "essential to the plan of salvation" (Ring, 2019, para. 3). Leaders of the Church apparently fail to recognize the science that recognizes that not all people born are assigned male or female at birth (Amnesty International).

For those who have felt marginalized based on their gender, leaving the Mormon Church can often feel like a relief as many feel they are finally able express who they are. One survey respondent details it this way, "I'm trans and in a lesbian relationship where we contribute according to our abilities and needs rather than stereotypes."

"The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners."

- The Family: A Proclamation to the World

(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, n.d.-b, para. 7)

Were you taught strict gender roles as a member of the Church?

115 participants responded to the question, "Were you taught strict gender roles as a member of the Church"?. Ninety-nine people responded yes, zero responded no, and six people responded "other," explaining their responses. I coded their responses as yes or no after reading through their answers. After coding, I labeled approximately 98 percent (113 people) as saying yes and 2 (2 people) percent saying no.

1 person coded as no said they were too young to learn about gender roles.
1 person coded as no said the subject was never really talked about.
3 people coded as yes noted that the church taught strict gender roles, but they were taught differently by their parents at home.
1 person coded as yes said they were taught strict gender roles, but that they never "internalized that or lived that way."

"I was told the sundress my 2 year old daughter was wearing at church was immodest and inappropriate for men to see." - Survey Respondent

Sexuality

This section on sexuality includes topics related to sexual identity and sexual activity. In hindsight, it should have been broken into two different topics. I also did not collect information about the survey participants' sexual identity. These are both things I have made note of to change for potential future research.

The Mormon Church teaches that sexual sin is ranked second in severity behind murder, and that it is "an abomination in the sight of the Lord" (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, n.d.-c). Sexual sin is defined as sexual activity outside of heterosexual marriage, including premarital sex, adultery, and homosexual activity. In their For The Strength of Youth pamphlet, which is given to all members ages 11-18, there is an entire section on "sexual purity" with advice for how the youth can avoid sexual sin. They caution against:

passionate kissing
lying on top of another person
touching private parts of another person (clothed or unclothed)
masturbation
pornography or any media that "arouse sexual feelings"
conversations that "arouse sexual feelings"
homosexual behavior (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2001, p. 36)

Nowhere in the pamphlet does the Church define or address consent, but does state that "victims of sexual abuse are not guilty of sin and do not need to repent" (p. 36). This is inconsistent with some teachings that have been preached from the pulpit by prominent church leaders. In 1992, Elder Richard G. Scott spoke about sexual abuse and stated:

The victim must do all in his or her power to stop the abuse. Most often the victim is innocent because of being disabled by fear or the power of authority of the offender. At some point in time, however, the Lord may prompt a victim to recognize a degree of responsibility for abuse. Your priesthood leader will help you assess your responsibility so if needed, it can be addressed. Otherwise the seeds of guilt will remain and sprout into bitter fruit. Yet no matter what degree of responsibility, from absolutely none to increasing consent, the healing power of the atonement of Jesus Christ can provide a complete cure. Forgiveness can be obtained for all involved in abuse. (Thinker of Thoughts, 2016, 0:14)

This is incredibly harmful messaging to those who have been abused. It is especially harmful when heard in conjunction with the guidance in the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet, as the pamphlet instructs youth that if they remain sexually pure, they will know true happiness, meaning that if they engage in any sexual activity, especially with a member of the same assigned sex, they will not. Those who are abused should never feel guilty for what happened to them, but this narrative definitely sets that tone for them.

Additionally, LGBTQ+ folks are made to feel guilty for being who they are. Every General Conference, at least one general authority speaks against homosexuality, which strengthens the stigma against LGBTQ+ individuals that exists in Mormonism. Not all Mormons internalize the messages, however. As you will find on the Why People Leave page, the Church's treatment of LGBTQ+ people was found to be one of the most common reasons survey respondents chose to leave Mormonism. Many participants cited the Church's response to Proposition 8 in California and the Church's changing policy on baptizing the children of gay parents as evidence of the religion's mistreatment of LGBTQ+ people.

"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is required by God to oppose social and legal pressure to retreat from his doctrine of marriage between a man and a woman, and to oppose changes that confuse or alter gender or homogenize the differences between men and women."

- Dallin H. Oaks, First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
(Walch, 2022, para. 6)

Were you taught harmful messages about modesty, sexuality, or consent?

115 participants responded to the question, "Were you taught harmful messages about modesty, sexuality, or consent"?. Ninety-two people responded yes, two responded no, and four selected "other" and offered an explanation. I coded the "other" responses to yes or no, depending on their answers. After coding, I found that all six had yes answers, so approximately 98 percent (113) said yes and two percent (2) said no.

1 said their "parents did really good at balancing it out"
1 said the "absolutism was harmful, but a positive side affect [sic] was that I avoided the safety and psychological issues involved with it all."
2 wrote about specific ways that they were taught the harmful messages.

"Now I have an LGBT daughter, and I'm really glad I'm out of the Church now because that part of the culture would have been awful. It's just not a safe space." - Focus Group Participant

Marginalized Groups

Race

Gender

Sexuality

Read more about my research: