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32 LGBT Mormons Aged 14-20 Have Committed Suicide in Wake of New Anti-Gay Policy, Group Says

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LDS Church Leaders Call Trend ‘Heartbreaking,’ Say They ‘Mourn with Families’

Thirty-two young LGBT Mormons reportedly have taken their own lives since early November — when the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced a new devastatingly anti-gay policy labeling people in same-sex marriages “apostates” and barring their children from being baptized. 

All of the victims were between the ages of 14 and 20, with an average age of 17. Twenty-seven were male, three were female and two were transgender, and all but six of the suicides occurred in Utah. 

Those figures are based on a report from Mama Dragons, a support group for the Mormon parents of LGBT children that we first told you about last May. Wendy Montgomery, co-founder of Mama Dragons, announced recently during a conference of Affirmation, another Mormon LGBT support group, that the families of the 32 victims had contacted her directly about the death of a child or sibling. 

The Deseret News, a Salt Lake City-based daily newspaper owned by the Mormon church, reported the shocking figure Wednesday after obtaining the following statement from senior LDS leaders.

“Every soul is precious to God and to the church and the loss of life to suicide is heartbreaking,” an LDS church spokesman, Dale Jones, said. “Those who are attracted to others of the same sex face particular challenges and pressures in this regard, both inside and outside the church. We mourn with their families and friends when they feel life no longer offers hope. Each congregation should welcome everyone. Leaders and members are taught to follow the example of Jesus Christ and to reach out in an active, caring way to all, especially to youth who feel estranged or isolated. The church has repeatedly stated that those who feel same-sex attraction and yet choose to live the commandments of God can live fulfilling lives as worthy members of the church. We want all to enjoy the blessings and safety offered by embracing the teachings of Jesus Christ and living the principles of His gospel.”

RELATED: 1830 Mormons In Salt Lake City Quit LDS Church Over New Anti-Gay Policies

The 15 million-member LDS church teaches that acting on feelings of “same-sex attraction” is a sin, and excommunicates gay and lesbian members who decline to remain celibate. The church fought vigorously against the legalization of same-sex marriage, bankrolling the campaign in support of California’s Proposition 8 in 2008.

In the ensuing years, however, the church appeared to soften its anti-gay tone and left decisions about the issue in the hands of local leaders. As a result, some “wards,” or congregations, in progressive areas became welcoming of LGBT people. Last year, the church even supported a bill banning anti-LGBT discrimination in Utah, although the measure contained significant religious exemptions. 

RELATED: Amid Mass Resignations, Mormon Leaders Try, Fail To Soften New Rule On Children Of Same-Sex Parents

But in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of nationwide marriage equality, the church took a major step backward. In the policy released Nov. 5, the church relegated same-sex couples to the same status as those in polygamous marriages, labeling them “apostates,” a term for those who’ve renounced their faith. The policy also bars the children of same-sex parents from becoming full members of the church until they turn 18, disavow their parents’ relationship, and leave the household. 

The new policy prompted thousands to leave the church in protest. Then, earlier this month, the president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Russell M. Nelson, declared that the policy was a revelation from God to LDS President Thomas S. Monson, which elevated it to the status of church doctrine. Nelson is next in line to become church president, and his wife later said that LGBT people could “repent” and have their “sexual feelings be in harmony” with God’s law. 

Even before the new policy was announced, Utah had the fourth-highest rate of suicide in the nation, and suicide was the No. 1 cause of death for children ages 10-17. Sadly, the families of LGBT Mormons who commit suicide typically don’t publicize it because they want to avoid the associated shame from fellow church members. 

Nationally, LGB youth are four times more likely than their straight peers to attempt suicide, according to the Trevor Project. LGB youth who come from highly rejecting families are 8.4 times as likely to attempt suicide as those who report no or low levels of family rejection. And one quarter of young transgender people “report having made a suicide attempt.”

 

Image by Brian Palmer via Facebook

 

 

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‘Vulgar and Excessive’: The Real Reason Trump’s Building Monuments to Himself — Columnist

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May 28, 2026

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President Donald Trump’s mission to build monuments to himself is growing, and there’s a real reason behind why the nation’s 47th president is defying tradition and putting his name on so many things while he’s still in office — and still alive.

“Donald Trump’s two favorite things are himself and money,” writes Windsor Mann at The Daily Beast. “Now he has decided to combine the two. Indeed, for the first time in history, the sitting president is adding his signature to our paper currency. Trump’s name will be on your money, which is his way of saying that he owns you.”

Mann notes that the “John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is now, albeit unofficially, the Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.”

The U.S. Institute of Peace is now the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace, and, “Trump reportedly floated the idea of renaming Penn Station after himself during negotiations over federal funds for a tunnel between New York and New Jersey.”

The president is not the only one naming things after himself.

READ MORE: Even MAGA Is Confused by Trump’s Birthday UFC Cage Match Project: Report

In 2024, House Republicans pushed legislation to rename Washington Dulles International Airport the “Donald J. Trump International Airport.”

“And last November,” Mann notes, “Florida State Rep. Meg Weinberger introduced a bill to rename the Palm Beach International Airport as another ‘Donald J. Trump International Airport.’ Sure, why not?”

Spending $300,000 on a two-story tall statue of Trump, a group of crypto investors installed it on Trump’s Doral, Florida golf course.

“It is, like the man it commemorates, vulgar and excessive,” says Mann. “But one thing it is not is unnecessary, at least not from the vantage point of these investors. The way to Trump’s heart is through his ego, and nothing satiates his ego as much as a graven image made in his image and at someone else’s expense.”

Pointing to the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Jefferson Memorial — all built years after their namesakes’ passing — Mann notes that “we memorialize presidents once public opinion and historians have had time to reach a consensus as to whether their contributions merit commemoration.”

Which, perhaps, is why Trump is rushing to do so now.

“After all, what if we built a statue of someone who turned out to be in the Epstein files or who, after losing an election, tried to overthrow our democracy?” Mann asks. “It would be costly and tedious to dismantle a statue of such a person after these revelations surfaced. Perhaps Trump realizes this, which is why he’s building not one monument to himself but scores of them.”

READ MORE: White House Mocks CNN Anchors’ Health After Trump’s Third Checkup in 13 Months

 

Image via Reuters 

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Even MAGA Is Confused by Trump’s Birthday UFC Cage Match Project: Report

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May 27, 2026

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President Donald Trump’s birthday UFC cage match project is causing confusion.

“The ‘UFC Freedom 250’ fight, which just so happens to be scheduled for Trump’s 80th birthday, is a part of the MAGA-ified America 250 celebrations,” The Daily Beast reports. “The makeshift venue is expected to be able to hold 4,500 guests, far lower than Trump’s wish for it to hold 20,000 spectators.”

“I think it’s gonna be the biggest event we’ve ever had at the White House,” Trump said earlier this month. “I have never seen anybody want anything so much as people want those tickets.”

Event-related activities will take place around Washington, D.C.

“Weigh-ins for the fight will take place at the Lincoln Memorial,” The Daily Beast noted. “Trump has also said that the White House Ellipse grounds will be made available to host a ‘UFC Freedom 250 Fan Fest,’ where as many as 100,000 people could watch the fights on TV screens.”

UFC CEO Dana White acknowledged that the Fight Night event could harm the president, The Daily Beast also reported.

“I bet he probably wishes that this wasn’t happening, but it’s happening,” White told Rolling Stone on Tuesday.

But when Trump White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino posted video of the construction of a temporary cage-match arena on the South Lawn of the White House, supporters appeared confused.

“Happening now, from the West Wing Colonnade—Looking out toward the South Lawn of The White House,” Scavino wrote, adding a #UFC hashtag.

“What is it?” one commenter asked.

“Thought it was a rollercoaster!” said another.

“Gosh, it looks like a big circle with seats on it. You could just plot people on the seats. Take them to the top and who knows if they’ll be hanging out up there 😂or what😂😂 wouldn’t this be a great idea if this were actually the military tribunal’s in front of the whole world,” another wrote.

“Hangings,” wrote yet another.

Others suggested it might be a circus, a portal, or a piece from a time-traveling device. Some mentioned the movies “Stargate” and “Contact.”

 

 

Image via Reuters 

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How Trump Is Monetizing His Cabinet Meeting

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20 hours ago

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May 27, 2026

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In some ways, President Donald Trump’s Wednesday Cabinet meeting was typical — officials took turns praising the president.

The New York Times reported that it had “reviewed over a dozen hours of cabinet meeting footage to analyze how his administration spoke to him. On average, at least one of every six sentences either flattered Mr. Trump, gave him credit or criticized his political opponents.”

But Wednesday’s meeting had one important difference: Trump promoted a new Trump hat that retails for $55 on the Trump Store. The hats were “displayed prominently in front of senior officials around the table as cameras rolled,” according to The Daily Beast.

“President Donald Trump has turned his latest Cabinet meeting into a merchandising opportunity to line his pockets,” The Daily Beast reported, noting that “new ‘USA 250 Anniversary’ hats were displayed prominently in front of senior officials around the table as cameras rolled.”

New York Post White House correspondent Emily Goodin on social media noted that there was “new merch” at the meeting. “Each cabinet member has one of these hats and a challenge coin.”

Fox Business White House correspondent Edward Lawrence reported that Trump had signed some of the hats.

CNN’s DJ Judd added that the “new USA 250 hat is for sale on the Trump org website and can be yours for $55 plus shipping.” 

President Trump’s online store has added more than 600 new products since he returned to office in January 2025.

Government ethics watchdogs “who have long accused the president of leveraging public office for private gain,” are likely to criticize this latest effort to monetize his presidency, The Daily Beast added.

Pointing to the 622 new products being sold on the Trump Store, the “official retail website of The Trump Organization,” CREW, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, called it “an unprecedented level of monetization of the presidency, even by the standards of Trump’s own first term.”


Image via Reuters 

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