"Mormon and Queer at the Crossroads" released!

The Spring 2011 issue of Dialogue:  A Journal of Mormon Thought was released this week, and as
promised, here's a

copy of my 32-page article "Mormon and Queer at the Crossroads."

(Yay!)

 

AI-generated summary:

This article analyzes the evolving and often contradictory relationship between The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS/Mormon) and homosexuality. Williams uses the theoretical framework of queer theorist Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick to explain how LDS discourse on sexuality, while attempting to be distinct, is fundamentally shaped by the same modern logic of "sexual orientation" it seeks to resist. The article traces this dynamic from the mid-20th century through the Church's 2009 support for Salt Lake City's nondiscrimination ordinances.

Key Arguments

1. The Central Paradox: The article's core argument is that the Church is caught in an inescapable paradox. By using terms like "same-gender attraction" and focusing on behavior rather than identity, it tries to avoid the label "homosexual." However, Sedgwick's framework shows that using "homosexual" as an adjective (to describe feelings/acts) is intrinsically linked to its use as a noun (to describe a type of person). You cannot have one without the other. Therefore, the Church's attempts to "universalize" same-sex desire (as a temptation anyone might face) are always in tension with its need to "minoritize" it (as a unique affliction for a specific group).

2. Sedgwick's Framework: Minoritizing vs. Universalizing: Williams applies Sedgwick's concepts directly to Mormonism:

   • Minoritizing: The view that there is a distinct "homosexual" minority. This is evident when Church leaders acknowledge that some people have a unique "susceptibility" or "inclination" towards the same sex.

   • Universalizing: The view that same-sex desires are potential feelings or choices for anyone. This is evident in the Church's focus on "same-gender attraction" as a feeling to be controlled, akin to anger or other temptations.

   • The Dialectic: These two views are not separate but are always in play. The Church's "mercy" (weeping for those who struggle, acknowledging their unique pain) is minoritizing. Its "wrath" (disciplinary stance, insisting on control and adherence to eternal gender) is universalizing. This binary, Williams argues, forecloses a livable middle ground for queer Mormons.

3. "Eternal Heterogender" as the Foundation: The Church's stance is rooted in its cosmology of "eternal gender," as articulated in "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" (1995). This doctrine holds that gender is an essential, eternal characteristic and that opposite-sex marriage is ordained of God. This theological commitment is the non-negotiable principle against which all sexual ethics are measured. It explains why the Church can support non-discrimination in housing and jobs (minoritizing mercy) while fiercely opposing same-sex marriage (a threat to universal eternal gender).

4. Historical Evolution of LDS Discourse: Williams traces the shifts in LDS thought:

   • 1950s-60s: Homosexuality was condemned as a freely chosen, sinful act.

   • 1970s-80s: As sex for pleasure within marriage became accepted (moving beyond purely procreative purposes), the wrongfulness of homosexuality was reframed around gender, leading to its conflation with "gender dysphoria." Therapists like the Pritts promoted "reparative therapy" to align individuals with their "true" inner heterogender.

   • 1980s-90s: The failure of cures and the AIDS crisis led to a "compromise" of sorts. The focus shifted from "curing" the orientation to neutralizing desire in service of a viable, celibate or mixed-orientation marriage. The terms "same-gender attraction" became official.

   • 2000s: The rise of the internet, queer visibility, and faithful activism (e.g., Evergreen, North Star, Ty Mansfield) created new pressures. Leaders like Jeffrey R. Holland and Dallin H. Oaks refined the "merciful" but ultimately "wrathful" dialectic, urging members not to identify as "gay" but as "sons or daughters of God" who struggle.

5. The 2009 Crossroads: The Church's support for the Salt Lake City nondiscrimination ordinances is presented as a perfect example of this dialectic in action. It was a "minoritizing" act of mercy and public relations, acknowledging that a group exists and deserves basic protections. However, it was balanced by a reaffirmation of the "universalizing" doctrine of eternal gender, which underpins the Church's continued opposition to same-sex marriage.

Conclusion

Williams concludes that Mormonism disrupts a simple narrative of American sexual history. It fully subscribed to the heterosexual/homosexual binary only when sex for pleasure was normalized and gender roles became the central theological battleground. Looking forward, he suggests that the "closet" is becoming less relevant for younger generations, both in and out of the Church. The future debate may shift from the specifics of sexual orientation to the broader question of how the traditional Mormon family model can remain sociologically coherent in a world of diverse family structures.