HRC Claims its Advocacy Made the Mormon Church Less Anti-Gay; Mormon Church Says, That's 'Simply Absurd'
The Mormon Church is disputing a press release sent out by the Human Rights Campaign earlier this week suggesting that the group's advocacy work had led the LDS Church to remove same-sex attraction from its "list of sins."
“The new guidelines clearly show that advocacy efforts pay off with real change,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese in a press release. “We spoke out against the harms of so-called ‘reparative therapies’ on LGBT young people. Church leaders heard us and responded by dropping their recommendation that such discredited interventions be forced on LGBT and questioning youth.”
“We continue to disagree with the Mormon Church about fundamentally important issues like full respect for the marriages of same-sex couples, but we are encouraged that our advocacy has paid off with real movement that will help save young lives,” added Rev. Harry Knox, director of HRC’s Religion and Faith Program.
The LDS Church responded to HRC's claims, according to FOX13: "The HRC's representations of the changes in the new handbook are simply absurd."
Blogger 'Pride in Utah' agreed with the LDS church, expressing anger at HRC's press release.
"I am furious (about HRC's press release)...Unfortunately this is completely untrue, did no one at the HRC bother to actually read the new handbook? I did. And as I posted yesterday, they still compare homosexuality to: Attempted Murder, Forcible Rape and Spouse Abuse (pg 57). Also, while they did remove one reference to pushing LGBT people into therapy, that doesn’t mean they removed it completely. In another section, they still push for “counseling,” (pg 165). The Mormon church should be receiving absolutely no credit for their changes. They are as bigoted, dangerous and harmful as ever."
Watch FOX13's report, AFTER THE JUMP...
So the HRC is oppupying its time (and donors money) negotiating with the Mormon Church - which no self-respecting gay person would want to be a part of.
Meanwhile, HRC dithers ineffectively while LGBT people continue to be fired from their jobs, both civilian and military.
Posted by: Hank | Nov 19, 2010 9:13:34 AM
HRC desperately wants to become relevant... but it won't because they're as completely out of touch with mainstream Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning citizens, as GOFuck yourselves.
It'll be a beautiful day when groups like this are no longer able to live for their own relevance.
Posted by: Jubal Harshaw | Nov 19, 2010 9:23:17 AM
If HRC were 1/10th as effective as Joe Solmonese's ego is large, it would be an awesome organization.
Maybe he should demand something of LDS, that totally works. (CUE: Crickets)
Oh, meanwhile, LDS members tend to be spookily inbred and believe an insane set of "covenants" so, frankly, I can do without their acceptance.
And that magic underwear isn't flattering on anyone, regardless of what Latter Days suggests.
Posted by: Rebel | Nov 19, 2010 9:27:27 AM
HRC is not only worthless, it is a joke. Too bad they have such a fantastic logo.
Posted by: Critifur | Nov 19, 2010 9:29:23 AM
HRC has a long history of this kind of crap--they don't do their homework Lazy bunch of self-important fakes/lobbyists. And you know what THAT mean. They don't even ask the people involved in an issue, relying instead on their "experts."
I stopped giving them money 15-20 years ago when they endorsed Alphonse D'Amato for senate in New York--when any gay person who actually lives here could have told them about D'Amato.
This is the same buncha' shit on a different day. Fuck the HRC.
Posted by: Danny | Nov 19, 2010 9:36:30 AM
HRC is the Devil.
Posted by: MeaCulpa | Nov 19, 2010 9:42:58 AM
I never thought I'd be saying this, but I agree with the Latter Day Saints. HRC has lost all credibility, and it's obvious they had absolutely nothing to do with the softening of the church's stance on LGBT. It's time for HRC to die on the vine.
Posted by: Keith | Nov 19, 2010 9:46:22 AM
The fact that the church abandoned their more harsh wordings regarding homosexuality in the midst of social and political pressure is mere coincidence. Just like when polygamy was abandoned in the midst of threats from the federal government: Total coincidence.
I mean, it HAS to be a coincidence, right? After all, this is a gospel that 'never changes', as it's proponents so gleefully boast.
Posted by: Sam | Nov 19, 2010 9:52:51 AM
A battle of wits between HRC and a religious cult. That one will end in a scoreless tie for sure.
Posted by: justiceontherocks | Nov 19, 2010 9:53:47 AM
HRC is becoming irrelevant. It needs to learn to listen to the GLBT community.
Posted by: CGD | Nov 19, 2010 9:54:52 AM
Anyone who gives HRC money is as ignorant and fucked up as the magic underwear, golden tablet believing idiots. Like DANNY, I stopped supporting them when they endorsed Sen Pot Hole D'Amoto over our current democratic senator.
Posted by: patrick nyc | Nov 19, 2010 9:59:40 AM
The history of the Mormon church is filled with instances where they have had to abandon their more extreme practices in order to more easily integrate into modern society. This wasn't always a concern of theirs; Back in the early days, when the church was a small, alienated sect of people living thousands of miles from modern society, they had the luxury of following these twisted practices to their heart's content, whilst maintaining a 'be in the world but not of the world' stance.
Then things began to change. The wild west became federal property and territories were being divided into states with all kinds of federal benefits hat the church just could not pass up. So they started to play by the rules. When their status as a federally-backed state was threatened, they gave up polygamy (or, in their words, "God decided that the practice was no longer needed").
Again, in the 70's, under immense social and political pressure (and under the threat of not being accepted by modern society), they begrudgingly allowed non-white people to wield their church's 'priesthood'.
Yet again, in the early 1990's, rumblings were starting to spread about the bizarre secrecy oaths taken by church members in the LDS temples (complete with secret handshakes, unintelligible chanting and promises to keep these rituals secret under the punishment of brutal death). You see, the grip of the old religions was loosening and absolute servitude to one's religion was falling out of fashion. A more liberal view of spirituality was evolving within modern society, and in order to keep up with the modern society they claimed to not be 'of', they re-wrote the oaths and took out the death threats.
So, here we are in 2010 and the LDS church is once again showing signs of abandoning (or at least sugar-coating) it's more unfavorable beliefs in order to integrate into a society that is constantly leaving them behind. They have to. They are not living in an alienated commune separate from the world. Young mormons are becoming increasingly ok with venturing out into the world and enjoying what it has to offer. Some are even starting to embrace modern culture. If the church wishes to keep it's grip on these increasingly educated and liberal members, it will have to compromise itself and keep gradually abandoning everything that made is such an exclusive religion in the first place.
In other words, the Mormon Church is very close to full implosion. Grab the popcorn and enjoy the show!
Posted by: Hyrum | Nov 19, 2010 10:27:33 AM
i don't ever agree with the mormon church but on this one i have to, the hrc can't get out of it's own way so them claiming to had caused this to happen is absurd. they are about claiming all that benefits the glbt community while all they do is seek donations that allow them to overpay the executives of the organization.
Posted by: lk | Nov 19, 2010 11:39:38 AM
LOL @ HRC
Posted by: Chitown Kev | Nov 19, 2010 11:54:00 AM
Joe Salmonese will do anything to make himself sound effective, I guess.
Posted by: Joey Y | Nov 19, 2010 12:03:12 PM
All this media hooplah about the LDS church presidency 'changing' it's stance on homosexuality is quite curious to me, as an ex-Mormon. I've been hearing "official church policy" regarding the issue my whole life, and I personally see absolutely NO difference in what they are saying now. Still just a bunch of old men trying to tell you politely that they think you are despicable and to have fun in Hell.
Posted by: Joseph | Nov 19, 2010 12:08:31 PM
PatrickNYC, I have no interest at all in defending HRC on this topic (they deserve the criticism they're getting here) but Chuck Schumer did not deserve HRC's endorsement in 1998. I would have preferred that they endorse no one but was glad that they did not endorse Schumer. He's come around but his vote for DOMA was shameful, far, far moreso than Clinton's signature of it. The political risks to Schumer were far less. Not that he's ever needed my vote but I still haven't voted for him all these years later. I voted the Green Party line in his race earlier this month.
Posted by: Patric | Nov 19, 2010 12:54:59 PM
You know, the HRC is definitely delusional and drunk on arrogance for thinking they could change Mormon policy like this, but they are far more delusional for thinking that getting the Mormon church to basically repeat what they've ALWAYS been saying about homosexuality is somehow equatable to them changing their policies.
Posted by: Nathan | Nov 19, 2010 2:09:08 PM
Geez, people, don't you realize this is one of the fundamental tactics in public relations? You claim credit for things that look like changes -- even if they aren't real changes and even if you had little to do with them -- in order to increase public pressure on an organization.
The last thing the Mormons want is the public discussing their views about us. This forces them to say something. Is it a real change or is it not a real change? If not, booo on them! If so, WHY the change? If it wasn't HRC, who was it? Etc., etc., etc.
"Again, in the 70's, under immense social and political pressure (and under the threat of not being accepted by modern society), they begrudgingly allowed non-white people to wield their church's 'priesthood'."
I don't think it was public pressure at all. I think it was a marketing decision. Just like the early Christians (Jews) deciding to let in gentiles. They can dress it up with theological niceties, but it's all about expansion.
Posted by: BobN | Nov 19, 2010 2:24:28 PM
"Still just a bunch of old men trying to tell you politely that they think you are despicable and to have fun in Hell."
You're right, of course, but things are changing in the pews (do Mormons have pews?). It's like the Catholic Church. After killing us for 1500 years, they now insist that their message is "compassion and whatever". Certainly the CURRENT hierarchy would gladly be rid of us, but in parishes across the world, we're winning hearts and those words are letting people change the church from the bottom up.
[Personally, I wish all the religious stuff would go away, but reality is not doing as I wish.]
Posted by: BobN | Nov 19, 2010 2:28:39 PM
If HRC were tactful enough to play the game, this gambit would prompt an bigoted outburst of homophobic intolerance from the cult of latter day...it has...revealing this change in policy to be about appearance rather than anything to do with lessening their shrill, evil homophobic bigotry. However, HRC isn't tactful, because if they were, they'd respond with something like, "OH, we thought you weren't on board with teen suicides, bigotry and appartheid politics...apparently you are a hateful cult by your own admittance," parallels to the mormon "church" and the KKK, etc. However, that hasn't happened...so I can only assume that anyone sending them money is daft.
Posted by: TANK | Nov 19, 2010 2:36:51 PM
@BOBN - the Mormons allowed Blacks to enjoy the priesthood because the feds threatened to cut off $$$$ if they didn't. If you really think the rank and file KoolAid drinking Mormons are more accepting of gays, I'd encourage you to meet some of them.
This is another shell game by HRC, claiming victory where they have none so they can keep the fundraising machine running.
Posted by: justiceontherocks | Nov 20, 2010 9:17:25 AM