The Saddest Comedy

*see update at bottom

At first I actually chuckled. The concept to me seemed so ludicrous and ignorant that it seemed almost like a joke. But as I continued scrolling, I saw that it was in earnest. My smile faded. My stomach dropped. And I burned with silent rage.

What caused this?

Well, it seems that the LDS church is making a gallant attempt to glean understanding about the positions of its younger members on marriage and "same-sex attraction." On the surface, reading the introduction to the questionnaire that is meant to cull this information, it seems like a good thing: "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is conducting a focus group to better understand your views on marriage and same-sex attraction. If you would like to participate in this study, please complete the following questions," it says.

"Awesome!" one might say. "It's about time," one might think. "It's good to see that they're actually trying to see what people think," I said to myself.

But no. They are not trying to do anything of the sort. This questionnaire and focus group are only about furthering and deepening the dogged ignorance that currently exists in the LDS church as far as human sexuality is concerned.

The online questionnaire (which you can see in its entirety here) was emailed to random students who currently attend BYU. In addition to questions about where respondents fall on a scale of conservative to liberal, traditional to progressive, how open they are to new experiences, and how much they value knowledge, they are asked, "What is your sexual orientation?" One might think, as I did, that this would be an effort to quantify how students actually identify as far as their sexuality is concerned. But the response options leave out anything that is not heterosexual. Respondents can either choose "heterosexual, but I struggle with same-sex attraction" or "heterosexual and I do not struggle with same-sex attraction." What this clever little rhetorical trick does is deny any sort of legitimate existence of homosexuality or bisexuality. It also means that one cannot even "be" same-sex attracted; one can only "struggle with" same-sex attraction.

It appears, at first, that there may be a silver lining to this dark cloud: there is a third option, a choice that says "Other" and then a box that allows a respondent to type what that "other" might be. A gay or lesbian respondent might feel miffed at first, but take solace in the fact they he or she can type in "gay" or "lesbian" into the box.

At the end of the survey, however, lies the real kicker, a set of blank boxes that must be completed in order to submit your responses. The survey asks for a first and last name, a phone number and email address, and the name of the respondent's ward. They tell you that your personal information will be kept "private" but private to whom, private in what group, private in how large a scope? Let's be honest here. Anyone who has the gall to introduce a pretend fantasy sexuality, viz., homosexuality, can almost certainly expect a phone call from his or her bishop. They must, after all, be set straight (if you'll excuse the pun) and taught that there is no such thing as homosexuality.

What is the value of this questionnaire? How honest will the results be? No person who does self-identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered--the survey also only allows selections for either male or female gender--would ever risk their enrollment at the school by admitting to having an aberrant sexuality, or at least very few will be brave enough. How could the church's leaders possibly gain any understanding at all when they effectively deny homosexuality as a viable identity, when they deny even the very existence of homosexuality?? How many lives must be damaged or ruined completely by telling people that an attraction to their own sex or gender can be nothing other than a "struggle"?


Can the results of this survey even be considered scientifically valid? If the church REALLY wants to know what millenials feel about marriage and "same-sex attraction," here are a few suggestions:

1. Offer the gamut of gender identities and sexualities as responses, even if you personally do not believe they exist. Offering the options will, if nothing else, tell you exactly what respondents' views are. And isn't that what you're trying to find out?
2. Don't just send the survey to students at BYU. I think it is fairly safe to assume that only the most devout LDS members desire to attend BYU. This student body is not at all representative of the views of the vast majority of young church members. Send the link out to local wards. Put a link inviting members between certain ages to participate on official church websites.
3. If you want honest and accurate results, the survey must be anonymous. People will not be honest if there is even a slight fear of retribution. Once the initial, anonymous results have been tallied, a second survey can be sent out that asks for volunteers for a focus group that will get into more detail. Making a name and phone number mandatory guarantees that only those who have nothing to fear, e.g. those who confidently identify as heterosexual, will respond.

If I am honest, this questionnaire disgusts me. I feel nothing but disdain for those who created this additional display of ignorance and arrogance. This additional piece of garbage only pushes me further away from having any sort of association with this church.


**Update: since the original survey was sent out, changes have been made. According to the Huffington Post, which picked up the story, a spokesperson for the LDS church said that the question now reads, "Do you experience same sex attraction?" and give the options "yes," "no," and "other." According to the church, the "other" box allows respondents "to provide any context or explanation they wish." This is the third change I'm heard about. Others were posting a screen shot yesterday that actually had the options for homosexual, bisexual, and transgendered. This most recent change seems rather like a step backwards to me.