This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
I am a transplant from Washington, D.C. For the past 14 years, I have been defending, and even praising, the LDS Church for its family- and community-oriented culture. I've been impressed by the joy I've seen at the airport as missionaries come home to balloons and signs and loving relatives — in one case, a mother actually racing up the down escalator to embrace her returning son. I've seen people reach out to their neighbors with food and prayers and love.
Well, it's over for me, guys. Now you are telling children of same-sex parents that if they want to be baptized in your church, they will have to wait until age 18 and then abandon ("disavow") their families. That's just plain mean. You are finally too weird for me.
From now on, my praise will be focused on the natural beauty of this state — Zion, Bryce, Arches and all the other breathtaking parts of Utah — which, I'm proud to say, are open to all, regardless of their sexual orientation or religious/non-religious persuasion. How refreshing is that?
Mary Dillon
Park City