June 5 will mark seven months since the exclusion policy barring the children of same sex couples from being baptized until age 18 at which point they must also disavow their parents’ relationship. Allies of LGBT people are asked to join in wearing a rainbow ribbon this day to demonstrate support for inclusion and to identify themselves to any LGBT members of the congregation as a friendly face and an ally.
A fuller description of the event can be found at Huffington Post.
On June 5, 2016, a group of Mormons who are allies of their LGBT+ brothers and sisters will be launching an initiative to show their support and love by wearing rainbow ribbons to church (or wearing them on Sundays if they do not attend) and posting photos of themselves online. The Rainbow Mormon Initiative also encourages those who wish to participate to knit or crochet scarves, hats, or blankets to donate to Ogden Youth Futures, a shelter for homeless LGBT+ teens in northern Utah.
Organizer Kristy Money said:
It is an attempt to show love to the most neglected and mistreated members of our church, as Christ showed love to the most reviled of sinners, ate with publicans and prostitutes, because he knew that all of us are sinners and all of us need the Atonement. Rainbow Mormons are those who love LGBT+ people in our own lives and want to show that we are allies and can be called on for support by those who are afraid to come out within the Mormon church and to those who have been rejected by family, and have fled or been forced out of their homes as a result of their sexual orientation.
Why participate? Here are several reasons:
- Identify Yourself as an Ally. As with the Pants tradition, it’s important to help others feel welcome and that they have a friend they can go to in the ward. When you wear a rainbow ribbon or lapel pin, you are showing those who may not know you that you are someone who cares about them.
- Further the Conversation. While we as members have little to no influence on policy making in the church, we can help show bishops and stake presidents that these issues are important to us, that we mourn with those who mourn, and that we aren’t forgetting the lives who have been impacted.
- Prevent Despair. To show those LGBT individuals in our congregations that they are not alone and that they don’t need to despair or feel they have no support. Although many adult LGBT members have left our congregations, there are still gay teens who haven’t yet come out or come to terms with their own sexual orientation. It’s important for them to feel there is hope and that they will be accepted. Preventing despair by showing those who are vulnerable to feeling ostracized is an important part of suicide prevention.
[poll id=”570″]
Have you seen efforts like this have a positive effect? Please share your stories in the comments.
Discuss.
Wheat & Tares 
I’m generally not in favor of demonstrating at our worship meetings. It’s the wrong time and the wrong place.
Doesn’t demonstrating involve picketing and yelling? I see no calls for either. How can wearing a rainbow, God’s sign to Noah, be seen as demonstrating?
With Ji. A worship service is not the time or place to demonstrate.
@ji, @Genhy
A worship service is absolutely the time & place to demonstrate love, tolerance, and acceptance for *all* members. When you see a member wearing a ribbon, be sure to give them a hug to demonstrate how much you care. If there’s a member who seems marginalized, lonely, or unhappy, make an extra effort to connect by inviting him or her over for dinner. While you are at it, how about demonstrating these attitudes 24/7 and not just at church.
Personally, I think allies should wear a rainbow pin all the time, not just on this day.
I adjusted ji’s comment to reflect the impact of their statement:
I’m generally not in favor of demonstrating *support and love for LGBT people and their loved ones* at our worship meetings. It’s the wrong time and the wrong place.
I wear my rainbow jacket every once in a while, subversively or not. 🙂
You mean your coat of many colors? 😉
Colorful ribbons and cute abbreviations aside, the core issue is still HOMOSEXUAL BEHAVIOR. It is not within the moral boundaries of the Church; just as several others by heterosexuals.
How does a homosexual reconcile their behavior with the law of chastity? Ignore it/defy it/wear a ribbon? The Community of Christ church allows open homosexuals to be members/priesthood holders. But that wasn’t enough. Two resolutions at their upcoming World Conference seek acceptance for homosexuals’ lifestyle/living arrangements without disciplinary action “if no harm is known”. https://www.cofchrist.org/common/cms/resources/Documents/World-Conference/Resolutions-WC2016.pdf
@markag
“How does a homosexual reconcile their behavior with the law of chastity? Ignore it/defy it/wear a ribbon?”
How do Mormons reconcile masturbation with the law of chastity? All Mormons, including you, masturbate. Don’t see anybody all upset about that violation of the law of chastity. So it seems like there’s some flexibility in the law.
I suppose this show of support needs international scope. Easy to forget about those outside the United States.
http://www.sltrib.com/home/3957702-155/leaders-urge-mexicos-mormons-to-fight
Don’t be surprised if the protesters are asked to leave church.
Genhy, Don’t be surprised if you are asked to leave the blog.
Cathy: The ideas of romance/sex between my wife and I have brought us through 29 years of marriage and counting. We are converts and were knowledgeable about the moral teachings of the Church. If we had objections, we wouldn’t have joined; a far better course of action than standing adjacent to Church property making a disruption or walking into a Sacrament service with a ribbon on our clothing and a chip on our shoulder.
@markag
The church is growing and changing. It’s always your choice to grow with it and embrace change or be left behind. There are LGBTQ members in your congregation, sitting side by side in the pews.
It’s your choice to love and accept them for who they are and accept the lives they live. It’s your choice to accept they are God’s children with all the same rights you have as members…. or you can continue to judge them and carry a grudge.
Just know that carrying a grudge is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die.
Cathy, You don’t need to lecture me on love and other Christian virtues. I’m generally not in favor of any demonstrations of any sort in our worship meetings, pro or anti any subject matter. I prefer simple worship of the Lord Jesus Christ and testimony and teachings on faith, hope, and charity centered on Jesus Christ.
Even if asked to wear an all-white ribbon to show support for principles of chastity before marriage and fidelity after marriage, and marriage between a man and a woman (principles which I support), I wouldn’t wear the ribbon because I’m generally not in favor of any demonstrations of any sort in our worship meetings, pro or anti any subject matter. I prefer to leave contentions outside.
@ji
“Cathy, You don’t need to lecture me on love and other Christian virtues. ”
I do need to lecture you, and I will continue to. Your objection isn’t to wearing a ribbon. Your objection is to the church’s growing acceptance of LGBTQ members and their marriages. It’s happening with or without you. You might as well let go of your archaic point of view and learn to love and accept all God’s children as they are. Maybe with enough lecturing, you’ll finally see the light.
I love the Lord Jesus Christ, and my neighbors in my pilgrimage. However, notwithstanding my love, it remains true that homosexual activity is a sin in the eyes of our Savior and His church. I’ll stand with my God on the side of righteousness as best as I can, and I’ll do so with charity towards all as best as I can.
“…our hearts reach out to those who refer to themselves as gays and lesbians.We love and honor them as sons and daughters of God. It is expected, however, that they follow the same God-given rules of conduct that apply to everyone else, whether single or married.”
This is from the first talk I heard President Gordon B. Hinckley give after we became members. How impressed I was that he didn’t cave in to politically correct pressure.
@markag, @ji, @genhy
“We love and honor them as sons and daughters of God.”
Excellent. So be sure to honor them by wearing your rainbow ribbons, as the prophet has instructed you, and also show them your love and support on Sunday. I am glad to hear that you are taking the prophet’s words to heart.
The church standards are chastity before marriage.
Those who are LGBT should try to do the same. Chastity before marriage.
Thank goodness that is now a possibility.
Regardless, let all be welcome to the “hospital of sinners.” Leave the judging up to our Creator.
Just another attempt to subvert the church. I hope that Bishops with cojones will tell anyone wearing the rainbow sign to go home.
@Genhy
“… tell anyone wearing the rainbow sign to go home.”
Ha ha ha ha. Why don’t you tell them yourself, since you feel so strongly about it. Let us know how that works out for you.
Cathy (no. 20),
No, I won’t wear a ribbon. I’m generally not in favor of demonstrations of any sort in our worship meetings. I prefer for contention to be left outside.
@ji
Remember, you can always show your love and support by wearing a rainbow ribbon before and after services… even during the week. Thanks in advance.
You’re welcome. I hope you will allow that one can be charitable to fellow Saints without displaying a ribbon. I never wear any lapel pins or tie tacs, and I don’t have any stickers on my car, and no tattoos. I not the sort of person to do any of that.
All persons who attend Latter-day Saint worship meetings on any Sunday will feel welcome in any ward or branch anywhere in the world, especially if they come in a spirit of worship and fellowship. Anyone who rejoices in the Gospel message and loves the Lord will feel welcome. Of course, this is a general rule, not an absolute rule. Latter-day Saints aren’t perfect.
#15: Cathy, I will love and accept people as visitors/investigators/members but not as homosexuals. There are lots of behavioral traits in people that Church standards cannot accept, and I’m sure you concur to some degree. If the alphabet-people are entering with their personal agenda as the top priority, then not only will nothing be gained, but others will be deprived.
So you wear a ribbon on Sunday; an unassuming person innocently asks “Does that stand for something? Do you simply reply “Yes” or does it lead to a possible diatribe? You’ve been slightly hostile in your responses here. I can only imagine what this Sunday might be like. I will do one thing for you before our Sacrament begins. I’ll get a ribbon-count and report the results later.
@ji
So, a rainbow propeller beanie is off the table then?
Cathy, if you’re in the mood to lecture, why don’t you write a guest post? Commenting is more about discussion, even when we disagree.
I comment for free. If you want me to write for you, it’s $160/hour.
Cathy
You are so smug and self-assured let’s have you go into a mosque wearing that ribbon and tell everybody what it’s for.
Cathy We both know that no one would probably do this because they would be disrupting someone’s worship service and I’m sure you would get assassinated for doing something like that. So why do you think it’s okay to disrupt Mormons worship service?
The reaction will be pretty much the same as in an LDS church.
You do know that not all Muslims are extremist terrorists, right? Just like not all Mormons are polygamists living on a compound in Colorado City.
Assassinated? Really? Islam has pretty much the same views as the LDS church. I hope you don’t go around spreading your ignorant views of Islam.
http://variety.com/2015/voices/opinion/islam-gay-marriage-beliefs-muslim-religion-1201531047/
https://m.facebook.com/LGBTMuslimsAndAllies/
I will be wearing a rainbow necklace tomorrow happily. At the same time I deeply respect those that feel church is not the place for debating issues. I agree and thus I (and I would guess most members sporting their rainbows honestly), won’t be demonstrating, talking about it, or shoving it in anyone’s face.
It’s a moment for showing support to others. Drawing attention to myself or causing intentional contention with others hurts this in my opinion.
@RT
“an initiative to show their support and love by wearing rainbow ribbons to church”
Just so. Nothing in the OP about staging a demonstration or disrupting the worship service in any way whatsoever.
Cathy
I repeat. Try going into a mosque and pulling this stunt. You know you don’t dare do it.
@Genhy
There are no mosques where I live. What’s your point? What do you imagine would happen if a person wearing a rainbow ribbon visited a mosque?
@Genhy –
It would be a stupid thing to do if you are not Muslim yourself and know nothing about Muslim culture. I’d bet there are Muslims out there (although I doubt they hang around Mormon Blogs) who could tell us of ways to incorporate symbols of support into a Mosque. I haven’t found Muslims to be idiots (quite the opposite actually).
Genhy, try going to a mosque instead of commenting here. I know you won’t do it, but I’d be happy if I was wrong.
Mh
Anybody who does it is asking for a death sentence.
Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali), and Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) were both Christians who entered mosques.
Seriously Genhy, please comment somewhere else. You aren’t adding to the conversation at all, but are simply promoting awful bigotry and stereotypes. Your comments are not welcome here.