Being gay and Mormon may once have seemed like an impossible combination. Today, it is becoming less unusual—but acceptance within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) still comes with a significant condition. Here’s what the church’s teachings say, how members’ views are shifting, and why growing up queer and LDS can remain difficult.
Can you be gay and Mormon?
Technically, yes: a person can be gay and LDS, provided they do not pursue or act on same-sex relationships. The LDS General Handbook states, “Feeling same-sex attraction is not a sin.” It adds that members who experience those feelings but do not pursue or act on them are living in accordance with Heavenly Father’s plan for his children and with church doctrine.
For many LGBTQ+ people, that distinction is a deeply troubling compromise. The church may not condemn someone simply for experiencing same-sex attraction, but its teaching still places limits on how gay members can live and form relationships.
The contrast has long drawn attention from outside the faith. In 2015, TLC’s My Husband’s Not Gay offered a glimpse into the lives of LDS men who described themselves as “SSA,” or “same-sex attracted,” and were married to women. Many non-Mormon gay viewers found the premise bewildering. Recognizing that queer feelings alone are not grounds for persecution is a step in a more accepting direction—but it falls far short of full inclusion.
Mormon views on LGBTQ+ acceptance are changing
There is some encouraging evidence of a shift among Latter-day Saints. In a 2024 Pew survey, 565 Latter-day Saint respondents were asked about homosexuality in society. Only the most devout believers said society should “discourage” acceptance of queer people.
Other respondents—including people who follow some, but not all, of the faith’s teachings, as well as those who identify as “culturally” Mormon—overwhelmingly felt that society should accept LGBTQ+ people for who they are. Support for acceptance also rose sharply compared with the same research conducted in 2007.
Those figures point to a potentially meaningful change in how many people connected to the faith view LGBTQ+ communities. They may also suggest that rigid positions on modern identities are alienating members. But a more accepting attitude among some Latter-day Saints does not mean that queer people’s experiences inside the church have become easy.
Storytelling and the Visibility of Queer LDS Experiences
The unique struggles of this community are gaining increased visibility through modern media and documentary storytelling. In 2024, Star Trek icon Wilson Cruz announced Not Part of the Plan, a compelling documentary series following the lives of queer LDS youth over a two-year period. A few years prior, ABC's Mormon No More captured the lived experiences of queer individuals who ultimately decided to walk away from the church to live authentically.
These stories highlight a vital question: are we moving toward a future where queer individuals no longer have to leave their faith community behind entirely?
While full doctrinal inclusion still feels like a long shot, the fact that acceptance numbers remain positive—even during politically polarized eras—points to an undeniable truth. As young people raised within any restrictive religious tradition grow older, they naturally find ways to adapt their belief systems in practical, common-sense ways, or they choose to leave the fold altogether.
That mass departure is precisely what church leaders want to avoid. Yet, leadership may ultimately have to confront the hard truth famously voiced in Twin Peaks: an institution or individual that fails to "fix their heart" risks becoming entirely extinct.
What it can mean to grow up queer and LDS
Media projects have brought some of those experiences into public view. In 2024, Star Trek icon Wilson Cruz announced Not Part of the Plan, a forthcoming documentary series following queer LDS young people as they grow up over two years. A few years earlier, ABC’s Mormon No More followed queer people who had left the church.
These stories raise a larger question: could the future hold a place for queer people in the church without requiring them to leave?
That possibility remains a long way off. Still, the survey results are striking, especially in the current political climate. They reflect a broader pattern: as young people raised in restrictive religions grow older, they often find ways to adapt their beliefs to what feels reasonable—or decide to leave those traditions behind.
That flexibility may be welcomed by individual believers, but it presents a challenge for church leaders who want to preserve established doctrine. If the church cannot respond to changing views about identity and belonging, it risks losing the very people it hopes to keep.
The idea echoes a lesson David Lynch explored years ago in Twin Peaks: a church—or a person—that refuses to “fix [their] heart” may ultimately face extinction. For queer Mormons, the stakes are personal: the possibility of belonging without denying who they are. What do you think the future should look like for LGBTQ+ people in the LDS Church? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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