In accordance with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Mormons Building Bridges is a community of Latter-day Saints dedicated to conveying love and acceptance to all those who identify as LGBTQI+ and to those who feel they experience same-sex attraction or gender dysphoria. The MBB community asserts that all our LGBTQI+ sisters and brothers are inherently worthy of love and belonging in our homes, congregations, and communities – no matter where their life path may take them.
It is the Christ-centered faith of queer and straight Latter-day Saints that compels the MBB community to build bridges of understanding — because of their faith, not in spite of it.
Any Latter-day Saint who believes LGBTQI+ people are worthy of love and belonging, is a Mormon building bridges. Therefore, the MBB community does not center itself around a single leader or organizational structure and instead embraces and amplifies all thoughtful innovation and collaboration that helps LGBTQI+ people to thrive.
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The following are a just a few of the many admonitions from leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that inspire us to engage in this work of building bridges. Not all of the following quotes may feel “safe and welcoming” to everyone. We acknowledge the dissonance that some may experience in trying to reconcile the current teachings of the The Church of Jesus Christ with the lived realities of LGBTQ/SSA people and their families. The most important work of MBB is in helping to mitigate these conflicts and the distress they create.
“We need to listen to and understand what our LGBT brothers and sisters are feeling and experiencing. Certainly, we must do better than we have done in the past so that all members feel they have a spiritual home where their brothers and sisters love them and where they have a place to worship and serve the Lord.”
— Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
“If we are truly disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, we will reach out with love and understanding to all of our neighbors at all times… The Lord expects a great deal from us. Parents, please teach your children and practice yourselves the principle of inclusion of others and not exclusion because of religious, political, or cultural differences.”
— Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
“We can stand firm in our beliefs and have a loving relationship with those who hold differing opinions. Let us not forget that the plan of salvation offers the love and mercy of our Savior Jesus Christ to all.”
— Elder Dale G. Renlund
“This [LGBT rights] movement arose after centuries of ridicule, persecution and even violence against homosexuals. Ultimately, most of society recognized that such treatment was simply wrong, and that such basic human rights as securing a job or a place to live should not depend on a person’s sexual orientation. […] God is loving and merciful. His heart reaches out to all of His children equally and He expects us to treat each other with love and fairness.”
— Sister Neill Marriott Second Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency and member of the Church’s Public Affairs Committee
“We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.”
— The Family: A Proclamation to the World – The First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
“Our doctrine—not just belief, but doctrine—that sexual relations are only appropriate and lawful in the Lord’s eyes between man and woman legally and lawfully married is unchanged and will never change.”
—Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve
“What is changing — and what needs to change — is to help church members respond sensitively and thoughtfully when they encounter same-sex attraction in their own families, among other Church members, or elsewhere.”
—Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (MormonandGay.LDS.org)
“As a church, nobody should be more loving and compassionate. Let us be at the forefront in terms of expressing love, compassion and outreach.”
– Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (MormonandGay.LDS.org)
“…we should be persons of goodwill toward all, rejecting persecution, including persecution based on race, ethnicity, religious belief or non-belief and differences in sexual orientation.”
— Elder Dallin H. Oaks, October 4, 2014 LDS General Conference