In accordance with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Mormons Building Bridges is a community of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints dedicated to conveying love and acceptance to all those who identify as LGBTQI and those who identify as experiencing same-sex attraction or gender dysphoria.
The MBB community asserts that all our 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.
The Mormons Building Bridges community is not a movement built around a single leader – instead it is a community for thoughtful dialogue and innovation that is available to all LDS people as they approach the question of how to help LGBTQ/SSA people to thrive. Any Mormon who wants LGBTQI/SSA people to feel that they are loved and belong, is a Mormon building bridges.
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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.
“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
“Few topics are as emotionally charged or require more sensitivity than same-sex attraction. This complex matter touches on the things we care about most: our basic humanity, our relationship to family, our identity and potential as children of God, how we treat each other, and what it means to be disciples of Christ.”
— MormonsandGays.org
“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 (MormonsandGays.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 (MormonsandGays.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