Breaking: Mormon Church Makes Major Announcement In Support Of Some Basic LGBT Civil Rights

Senior Mormon Church leaders this afternoon made a major announcement claiming support for very basic civil rights for LGBT people – are there strings attached?

Once again, the Mormon Church has just made an announcement claiming it will support the very basic of civil rights protections for LGBT people, but there’s a catch. Church leaders want increased religious protections for people of faith to be allowed to continue to discriminate against LGBT people.

Church leaders in a televised address offered to support housing and employment non-discrimination ordinances, though not marriage. They called for a “balanced approach” in the pursuit of LGBT civil rights and religious rights.

“Today, state legislatures across the nation are being asked to strengthen laws related to LGBT issues in the interest of ensuring fair access to housing and employment,” said Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the Church’s highest level of leadership.

“The leadership of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is on record as favoring such measures,” Oaks added. Recently, the LDS Church made a similar statement as todays, which it quickly walked back. 

Oaks also pleaded for heightened religious laws to “protect” people of faith.

“At the same time, we urgently need laws that protect religions against discrimination and retaliation while claiming the core rights of free expression and religious practice that are at the heart of our identity as a nation and our legacy as citizens.”

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland (photo, above) added that, “Rights are best guarded when each person and group guards for others those rights they wish guarded for themselves.”

The AP characterized the move as the LDS Church “promising to support some housing and job protections for gays and lesbians in exchange for legal protections for believers who object to the behavior of others,” as if being LGBT is a “behavior,” which it is not – a clear sign that the Mormon Church (and the AP) has a long way to go.

The Utah legislature’s only LGBT member, Senator Jim Dabakis, who rarely lets the Church slide in these matters, just released a positive statement.

“I am proud that the LDS Church has seen fit to lead the way in non-discrimination,” Sen. Dabakis said. “As a religious institution, Mormons have had a long history of being the victims of discrimination and persecution. They understand more than most the value and strength of creating a civil society that judges people by the content of their character and their ability to do a job.”

Some responses via Twitter:

 

UPDATE: Video – starts at 48 minutes 32 seconds —