A school district in Lehi, Utah, is on the defensive after its decision to out a student to his parents, and the situation backfiring. We are not going to back down,” a spokeswoman for the school district said. “We take bullying very, very seriously. The Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education…
Author: Alan
The Economic Role of Mothers
A Dec 2011 APA study is making its way through the news suggesting that mothers who work part-time are happier and healthier than stay-at-homes and full-time mothers, and they make good parents. A good summary of the study can be found here. Regarding the “mommy wars” or the debate in…
Pornography vis-a-vis Female Ordination
I’m slightly annoyed by people who are against pornography because of its offense to women, but also think female ordination is out of the question. Specifically, on LDS forums, Mormon men sometimes rant about not watching pornography in respect of their wife who takes care of “the home.” In my…
What Causes Same-Sex Attraction? Catholic Newspaper: “The Devil”
The oldest Catholic newspaper in the US published and quickly retracted an article that suggested that same-sex attraction is caused by Satan. The logic went like this: Disruptive imbalances in nature that thwart encoded processes point to supernatural actors who, unlike God, do not have the good of persons at…
Is North Star Sending a Bad Message?
North Star is a Church-affiliated organization that serves as “a place of community for Latter-day Saints dealing with issues surrounding homosexual attraction who desire to live in harmony with the teachings of Jesus Christ and the values and doctrines of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.” Since it…
Would you vote for a Mormon for president?
An article in Slate argues that anti-Mormonism is part of the next frontier of prejudice in this country. While the Republican presidential candidates have been quick to condemn anti-black prejudice (such as the word “Niggerhead” painted onto a rock at Perry’s family’s leased hunting camp) — because it’s easy to…
The Church’s “Political Neutrality”
As we enter a new election cycle, here’s a link to the Church’s statement about the Church itself being “neutral” to matters of “party politics,” even as it encourages its membership to be responsible civic citizens and voters. The caveats are that the Church does: Request candidates for office —…
Mitch Mayne and the Church’s PR machine
I wanted to get my two cents in on this topic, including the way the topic is being handled. Thanks to chanson for bringing together the links. A quick summary: Last month, Mitch Mayne, an openly gay man in a San Fransisco ward was called to be ward executive secretary,…
New Book on LDS Women around the Globe
This is not a review since the book hasn’t been released yet. The book is intended to become a global phenomenon. My mom sent me this link to the LDS Newsroom, figuring I’d be interested in Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society. It’s a new…
Mormonism’s Chicken Patriarchy
On the forum for The Exponent, there’s a recent discussion about Mormonism’s “chicken patriarchy,” which is in response to what one Mormon man had called “modern, righteous patriarchy.” Like a chicken, it won’t let itself be caught. It won’t let itself be pinned down as “bad” because it wraps itself…