WELCOME

Far Between is an on-going dialogue about what it means to be LGBTQIA/SSA and Mormon. Our vision is to help improve the quality of the conversations we all have about this sensitive issue. This project depicts all the voices, side-by-side, that tell the whole story of what it’s like to live with conflicts …

JOHN

Having once sung in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, John used to feel a lot of emotional pain and angst attached to listening to Tabernacle Choir broadcasts because it had represented so much of his heart and passion. John loves to sing and expresses his deepest feelings and spiritual connections through …

JOSH

As Josh worked through his “coming out” process, he focused on the competing aspects of his identity: his identity as a Mormon and the fact that he is attracted to men. Josh’s journey has been a frustrating and painful one, and, though he has chosen to take a step away …

ANNA

Coming out as a lesbian has taught Anna more about letting love in and letting fear go, than any other life experience. When she became more open about her sexuality, she experienced a wide range of reactions, from a coworker’s support and her family’s love, to friends who walked away. …

ANDREW

Soon after coming out as gay, a Mormon friend asked Andrew, “So when are you leaving the church?” But Andrew knows that both his orientation and his testimony are core parts of his identity. Accepting his sexuality has been a hard journey for Andrew, who always saw himself as a …

KATHY

After years of trying to change on her own, Kathy resorted to reparative therapy to change her attraction towards women. But the main premise of that therapy–that some sort of abuse or hurt was at the core of her orientation–never fit her own life experiences. Then her LDS stake president referred …

DREW

Drew was 17 when his bishop gave him a blessing to cast out -what his bishop believed- were the evil spirits that caused Drew’s attraction to men. At the time, it was devastating, and Drew felt that he lost trust in everyone. But today Drew says that conversation set him …

RUSS

Russ believes that on the journey to Zion, there’s a place for all of Heavenly Father’s children. After entering a mixed-orientation marriage and having five children, Russ found help in support groups for people in his situation. But when he moved to Idaho and could not find similar support, his …

BRET

There are seven people that Bret cherishes: his five children, his husband, and his Savior Jesus Christ. Having grown up in a conservative farming community in Idaho, Bret knew from a young age that he was gay and even at that early age he already clung to promises that if …

PRESSLEY

It took Pressley 30 years to articulate his identity as a bisexual male spirit in a female body. When he joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he decided he would ignore the parts of himself that didn’t fit into Mormonism. But today he knows there is nothing …

TERRELL

As a teenaged convert, Terell always had questions about the Church’s stance on members of African descent, particularly the priesthood ban. But he fell in love with the gospel, went to BYU, and served a mission in Brazil. After his mission, he tried to date women but was rejected multiple …

ZACK

Wrestling with the reality of being gay and Mormon has taught Zack the meaning of true faith. As a missionary, Zack felt torn between spiritual promptings that he would someday marry a man and the idea that he needed to just obey and sacrifice that hope. The conflict drove him …

ELLEN

Since she was a little girl, Ellen knew she was different–but it wasn’t until junior high that realized she wasn’t attracted to boys. She worked hard to shut off her attraction to girls, but being dishonest with herself made it hard for to be honest with others, including her parents. …

SCOTT

When he was 16, Scott was the only member of his family to join the LDS Church. He knew at the time that he was bisexual and that, at some point, it would become an issue, but was baptized anyway, because he knew his sexuality didn’t effect whether or not the Church …

ROBBIE

Robbie has a naturally cheery disposition. So, as a gay Mormon, he never felt the same sense of sadness or the suicidal feelings he saw in so many of his fellow gay Mormons. Instead, Robbie felt safe, loved, and embraced by the Church and its members as he was open about …

CHRISTIAN

When he was about nine or ten years old, Christian made his first attempt at suicide. In the moments of deep depression he has experienced since then, Christian has felt emotionally and spiritually numb and his belief in God as his personal loving Heavenly Father has been shaken. Growing up, it was never …

ELISE & SAM

Sam and Elise’s motto has become, “You can’t expect respect unless you are willing to give it. ” Sam and Elise met in college and instantly became best friends–they didn’t know they were gay at the time. It wasn’t long before they realized that their relationship was becoming more than …

SETH & MICHAEL

Seth and Michael first did separate interviews for Far Between two and a half years ago before they knew each other. Seth’s interview was posted on Facebook and when Michael saw it, he initiated contact with Seth. They began talking long distance and developed feelings for each other. Eventually Seth …

SARA JADE

Sara Jade wears a lot of different hats. She is a transgender women, a mother, a daughter, an active Latter-day Saint and an activist. She often feels frustrated by the ideas perpetuated about her, both in Mormonism and among those she associates with as an activist–those who know her from her activism …

ERIC

JOHN

DANIEL

For Daniel, it’s difficult to explain how integral both being gay and being Mormon are to his identity. He’s not willing to throw his spiritual experiences out the window because of his homosexuality–but he also knows that to ignore his attraction to men would be just as damaging as forsaking …

DALE

Growing up in a small Texas town, Dale hid his attraction to men from everyone around him. He even hid his high school suicide attempt so that he wouldn’t have to reveal his orientation. Hoping that Church service would help him change, Dale served a mission, went to Utah, and …

CRAIG

As a gay Mormon, Craig doesn’t have all the answers, but he knows he is important and that his life matters. He didn’t always feel this way–during a particularly hard time, he almost committed suicide before a friend intervened and he got help at a hospital. In the five years …

JERRY

Jerry shares his story in the hopes that those who watch it will feel like they are not the only ones. Jerry was born into a family that attended a Fundamentalist Baptist church in Salina, Kansas. When he was about 7 or 8, he moved with his mother shortly after his …

TYLER

Tyler Glenn — lead singer for Neon Trees is proud to be Mormon. In a recent issue of Rolling Stone magazine, Tyler also came out as gay. Since then, his story has been the subject of countless articles and interviews. In his conversation with the Far Between project, Tyler shares …

KARYN

KaRyn is a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and loves the gospel, the Book of Mormon, and the Prophet Joseph Smith. She also loves her gay friends. KaRyn’s commitment to the LDS Church and her support of the LGBT community sometimes feel at odds, …

BECKY

Growing up in a military family, Becky’s activity and testimony of the LDS church was a stabilizing force in her world from a young age–she always had to be the first person to the pulpit on fast Sunday’s to bear her testimony. But she was attracted to women so she …

Devon

Devon has always had a picture of how he wanted his life to go, and, on the surface, his life has followed that path. He served a mission, married in the temple and has a small family. The problem is that he’s gay, and, though he and his wife get …

ALEX

Alex realized he was same-sex attracted when he was 18.  Since early childhood, Alex had felt attracted to men, but didn’t understand what that meant until high school when he attempted to cover his attractions up by being more “macho.” Alex briefly served as a proselytizing missionary for the LDS Church, until his anxiety and depression …

WARREN & MATT

Warren & Matt share a candid update on their marriage. Their message is simple: Marriage can be tough, especially when you are dealing with friends and family who don’t understand your choices, but it’s worth it. “It’s very, very rewarding”. Warren reminds us of his philosophy that, “It doesn’t matter …

MATT

Matt, originally from Brazil, encountered the LDS church while he was a foreign exchange student in the US. He decided to pray about the truthfulness of the LDS church’s claims, and, after receiving his answer, he joined the church, served a full-time mission, and baptized both of his parents. Still, …

STAN

Stan wanted everything the church wanted for him (“Temple marriage, white-picket-fence-American-dream”), but he discovered that he wanted all of those things only because everyone else wanted them for him. After his excommunication, earlier this year, Stan felt “pushed up against a wall” that forced him to decide what he believes, …

CHAD

“Besides being a father, coming out has been the best thing I’ve ever done.” Chad’s “band-aid,” or avoidance mechanism, was always to reach out in an attempt to fix other people’s problems. He felt that, as long as he did this, he didn’t have to face the attractions he hid. During his …

EMILY

Emily feels a strong sense of hope for the future and a confidence in herself that she attributes to living a more open and authentic life. Emily speaks of her “un-boxing” process and the positive change she has experienced, resulting in an increase of happiness, joy and peace. This positive …

LAURIE

In part three of her interview, Laurie goes in depth about the pain she faced as the pull between a romantic relationship and her testimony intensified. On the one hand, the woman she loved wanted to settle down, buy a home, and create a life together. On the other hand, Laurie’s …

TIM

For Tim, bullying reinforced feelings of worthlessness and rejection that he was already feeling from his community and, he feared, from God. He attributes much of his happiness now to his parents’ love, which helped him correct the negative messages he was receiving elsewhere. He also found success as he …

ERIC

Eric didn’t recognize the “dead weight” he was carrying around with him before he came out, just over a year ago. In this interview, he takes us through the Sunday that lead him to him coming out to a counselor in his Stake presidency and his parents both in one day. He …

JENNIFER

Jennifer testifies that, “there is so much more variety than this box or that box.” As an asexual woman, she thought maybe she was broken when she realized she didn’t feel attractions to men or women. This feeling of being broken intensified after she was married and found that she …

BERTA

Berta self-identifies as a bisexual women who largely gravitates toward women, yet, in deference to her family and faith, has stayed closeted for over 18 years. Berta’s is a message of hope, but not a hope void of nuance or complication. She is grateful for the largely positive experiences she …

KIM

Kim says she is “not a typical Mormon mother”–she is open about being a lesbian and remains a committed Mormon despite negative experiences and excommunication. The founder of the support group Disciples 2, Kim allows members of the online support group to speak from their own experience, even when those experiences …

KIM

In the second part of her interview, Kim shares what it was like to be a 17-year-old who “just wanted to know if she was normal” when she opened up to a Young Women’s leader for the first time and was subsequently isolated from her peers. She revisits other early experiences of …

KIM

In part three of her interview, Kim talks us through the ways in which the law of chastity differs between homosexual and heterosexual members of the LDS church and explains her shift from self identifying as “Same Sex Attracted” to “Gay or Lesbian–but I don’t act on it!” and, finally, to simply owning …

LAURIE

Laurie was born a Mormon in Las Vegas in the 1960s. She suffered through sexual abuse, struggles with substance abuse and the conflict between her same-sex attractions and her LDS testimony. After choosing to sacrifice lesbian relationships for her religious convictions, she then fell in love with and married a man. …

LAURIE

In part two of her interview, Laurie opens up about her college years where she let alcoholism and drug addiction lead her away from activity in the Mormon church. Away from mormonism Laurie felt free to pursue romantic relationships with women. During this time she found herself in love with a …

TY & DANIELLE

In part 1 of their interview, proud parents of two children, Ty and Danielle Mansfield married in 2010 and currently live in Provo, Utah, where Ty is studying to become a marriage and family therapist. In 2004, Ty coauthored In Quiet Desperation: Understanding the Challenge of Same-Gender Attraction and later in 2011, compiled the anthology Voices of Hope: …

TY & DANIELLE

In part 2 of their interview, proud parents of two children, Ty and Danielle married in 2010 and currently live in Provo, Utah,  where Ty is studying to become a marriage and family therapist. In 2004, Ty coauthored In Quiet Desperation: Understanding the Challenge of Same-Gender Attraction and later in 2011, compiled the anthology Voices of Hope: Latter-day …

LEE

In part one of this interview, Dr. Lee Beckstead, Ph.D. explains that he is a licensed psychologist with a private therapy practice in Salt Lake City. Over the years, he has conducted extensive research into understanding how to resolve sexual, social, and religious conflicts. As a part of an APA task …

JACOB

Growing up in the LDS church has given Jacob a real and deep-seated faith. But after finishing grad school, Jacob could no longer avoid the same-sex attraction he’s felt since childhood. Afraid of being told by ecclesiastical leaders that his faith simply wasn’t “strong enough” to eliminate feelings of homosexuality, …

SHAWNA

Shawna is “on the edge.” As an active celibate member of the LDS church Shawna describes the happiness church activity has brought over the years. She also feels the deep burden of alienation and heartache as she strives to maintain her activity while watching other members of the church have …

CANDICE

Candice  joined the LDS church with her family when she was 8 years old. In her early teens, she began to understand that her female gender identity didn’t fit her male physical body. The following years were hard for her, and after several suicide attempts, she realized she needed to change the course …

ANDREA

Growing up, Andrea was her younger brother’s biggest advocate. Watching her brother come to terms with his homosexuality and learning to openly express his feelings prepared Andrea to better support her son during his coming out process years later. Although Andrea struggled with her son’s homosexuality at first, she invested …

TY & DANIELLE

In part three of their interview, proud parents of two children, Ty and Danielle married in 2010 and currently live in Provo, Utah, where Ty is studying to become a marriage and family therapist. In 2004, Ty coauthored In Quiet Desperation: Understanding the Challenge of Same-Gender Attraction and later in 2011, compiled the anthology Voices of Hope: Latter-day …

JOSH & LOLLY

In part 4 of their interview, Josh and Lolly have been married since 2002 and are the parents of three daughters. Josh recently came out to the world as a Mormon homosexual married to a woman in the blog post that went viral, “Club Unicorn: In which I come out of …

MANDI & MIKEAL

In the second part of their 2-part interview, sixteen years into their marriage, Mikeal and Mandi Jensen have a keen awareness of what exactly it means to be in a “mixed-orientation marriage” and they do not hold back in sharing how they feel about it. When they first married, though …

JOSH & LOLLY

In part 2 of their interview, Josh and Lolly Weed have been married since 2002 and are the parents of three daughters. Josh recently came out to the world as a Mormon homosexual married to a woman in the blog post that went viral, “Club Unicorn: In which I come out …

JOSH & LOLLY

In part 1 of their interview, Josh and Lolly Weed have been married since 2002 and are the parents of three daughters. Josh recently came out to the world as a Mormon homosexual married to a woman in the blog post that went viral, “Club Unicorn: In which I come …

MANDI & MIKEAL

(part 1 of 2 ) Sixteen years into their marriage, Mikeal and Mandi Jensen have a keen awareness of what exactly it means to be in a “mixed-orientation marriage” and they do not hold back in sharing how they feel about it. When they first married, though they were both …

COOPER

(part 1 of 2 ) When Cooper was told, as a child, that it wasn’t OK for him to assume the role of the wife while playing house and think nothing of it, he started putting a part of himself away. After his mission, life went well for a while, …

COOPER

(part 2 of 2) “I think I use the word ‘bisexual’ sort of as a shield…” In the second part of his interview, Cooper clarifies that he isn’t sure what he is but is much more than a label, and he delves a bit deeper in some ways. He doesn’t …

BOB

In part 3 of his interview, Dr. Bob Rees, a former bishop, shares the experiences that helped him to better tend to the gay and lesbian members of his congregation. In this part Bob talks about the difficulty found in embracing the spiritual and emotional tensions that come from confronting …

Far Between Blog: Exploring the conversation

Throughout the process of creating Far Between, it’s been apparent that the tone of conversations about the experience of being homosexual and Mormon greatly affects how people view themselves and respond to their situations.  As part of Far Between’s effort to engage more constructive and helpful conversations, the Far Between …

ADAM

While growing up in an LDS home, Adam never thought of himself as gay, though he played with My Little Ponies and wanted to be a princess for Halloween. After all, he couldn’t be LDS and gay, he thought. In high school, dating a girl felt unnatural, and when he …

JOANNA

(part 5 of 5) Joanna Brooks, Ph.D, is a national voice on Mormon life and politics and an award-winning scholar of religion and American culture and the author of The Book of Mormon Girl:  Stories from an American Faith. In part 5, Joanna refutes the misconception that homosexuality is one stop on …

LEE

(part 5 of 5) Lee Beckstead, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist with a private therapy practice in Salt Lake City. Over the years, he has conducted extensive research into understanding how to resolve sexual, social, and religious conflicts. As a part of an APA task force, he helped evaluate interventions …

JOANNA

(part 4 of 5) Joanna Brooks, Ph.D, is a national voice on Mormon life and politics and an award-winning scholar of religion and American culture and the author of The Book of Mormon Girl: Stories from an American Faith. In part 4, Joanna acknowledges the homophobia within Mormon culture and suggests …

RICH

(part 5 of 5) In part 5 of his interview, Rich Wyler, life-coach and founder of the non-profit People Can Change and “Journey Into Manhood”, explains that his philosophy isn’t about force and expresses gratitude for what he has learned from his experience with same-sex attraction. When coaching a young LDS …

LEE

(part 4 of 5) Lee Beckstead, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist with a private therapy practice in Salt Lake City. Over the years, he has conducted extensive research into understanding how to resolve sexual, social, and religious conflicts. As a part of an APA task force, he helped evaluate interventions …

LEE

(part 3 of 5) Lee Beckstead, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist with a private therapy practice in Salt Lake City. Over the years, he has conducted extensive research into understanding how to resolve sexual, social, and religious conflicts. As a part of an APA task force, he helped evaluate interventions …

JOANNA

(part 3 of 5) Joanna Brooks, Ph.D, is a national voice on Mormon life and politics and an award-winning scholar of religion and American culture and the author of The Book of Mormon Girl:  Stories from an American Faith. In this part Joanna shares her hope for the future and confidence in …

RICH

In part 4 of his interview, Rich Wyler, life-coach and founder of the non-profit People Can Change and “Journey Into Manhood”, describes his motivations for establishing those organizations and explains his purpose and vision behind them. Through his confession, excommunication, and restoration of church membership and temple blessings, Rich found some …

RICH

In part 3 of his interview, Rich Wyler, life coach and founder of People Can Change, expounds his perspective on the origins and expression of his same-sex attraction and the experience of finding that perspective. While Rich describes his father as kind, he also believes a fear of touch may …

JOANNA

(part 2 of 5) Joanna Brooks, Ph.D, is a national voice on Mormon life and politics and an award-winning scholar of religion and American culture and the author of The Book of Mormon Girl:  Stories from an American Faith. In Part Two, Joanna and Kendall explore Mormon Identity–what happens when one is …

Lee

(part 2 of 5) Lee Beckstead, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist with a private therapy practice in Salt Lake City. Over the years, he has conducted extensive research into understanding how to resolve sexual, social, and religious conflicts. As a part of an APA task force, he helped evaluate interventions …

JOANNA

In the first part of her interview, Joanna Brooks, Ph.D, a national voice on Mormon life and politics and award-winning scholar of religion and American literature and culture, talks about growing up as a zealous and devoted Mormon who considered the church her spiritual home. As a student at BYU Joanna was …

RICH

(part 2 of 5) In part 2 of his interview, Rich Wyler, life coach and founder of People Can Change, describes how he finally found meaningful help with his sexual-religious conflict. Married, with children, he’d been to 12-step programs for sexual addiction, but he hadn’t found sustainable resolution for his …

SHIRLEY

Shirley grew up in a home with little religion. Throughout her life though, she has had the opportunity to study or be a part of several different religions, including Christian Science, Methodist, Catholic, and Episcopalian. She eventually came into contacted with missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints, and …

AUSTIN

Austin is still trying to figure out what it means for him to be gay and how that and his religious life fit together. When he converted to the LDS Church at the age of eleven, Austin decided he didn’t want to be gay. He was worried that it would …

RICH

(part 1 of 5) Rich Wyler is a life-coach and founder of the non-profit People Can Change, which is best known for “Journey Into Manhood”, a 48-hour experiential weekend for men who want to resolve unwanted homosexual attractions. Having once considered himself to be homosexual or of a “same sex …

DAVID

David compares the spiritual experience he had that told him the church was true with an experience in the temple that prompted him to date men and prepare to adopt children. His journey explores the nature of testimony and spiritual authority as it relates to individual experience. (The views expressed …

CRAIG

“Not every little boy who plays with Barbie’s turns out to be gay, but. . . if while playing with Barbies you have Ken break-up with Barbie so he can spend more time with his best friend–your chances go up.” Craig points to such childhood memories, as one of many …

It Gets Better with Mormon Family and Friends

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints share their stories of love, faith, and support for their homosexual brothers and sisters. This video was produced by the Far Between team as a way for members of the church to share feelings of empathy, love, and hope. This …

It Gets Better at BYU

This video was created by the Far Between team to show Mormon LGBT youth who may be feeling alone and afraid, that they are not alone  and life can get better with hope for happiness and love in their life.  It’s sponsored by USGA (Understanding Same-Gender Attraction) which is an unofficial group …

HEATHER

(The views expressed in this interview do not necessarily reflect those of the producers of Far Between but are reflective of a part of what it means to be homosexual and Mormon today.)

BOB

(part 2 of 5) Bob Rees, a former bishop, explains the experiences that helped him to better tend to the gay and lesbian members of his congregation. He articulates where the difficulties can lie for many members of the church, including parents, in truly welcoming their homosexual brothers and sisters. …

WARREN

Warren takes a no-nonsens approaches as he explains the complexity of his sexual, emotional, mental attractions. He doesn’t shy away from speaking of experience with sexual abuse. He admits to seeing a possible connection where sexual attraction is concerned–of the other ways in which he is attracted to men he …

TIM

Tim, speaks of the difficulties of reconciling two “seemingly irreconcilable” identities–gay and Mormon. Support the Project–visit KICKSTARTER   (The views expressed in this interview do not necessarily reflect those of the producers of Far Between but are reflective of some aspects of what it means to be homosexual and Mormon today.)

BOB

(part 1 of 5) Bob Rees, a former bishop, begins to share the experiences that helped him to better tend to the gay and lesbian members of his congregation. (The views expressed in this interview do not necessarily reflect those of the producers of Far Between but are reflective of some …

ALEX

Alex sent us this video telling us about his experience as a gay Mormon man. Please send us your video–submit it here. Watch the rest of his video’s here. Support the Project–visit KICKSTARTER   (The views expressed in this interview do not necessarily reflect those of the producers of Far Between but …

KELLY & KENDALL

Kelly and Kendall have been together in a mixed-orientation marriage for almost 18 years. Although Kelly is a lesbian and Kendall is straight, they have a deeply caring relationship that has sustained them for several years. In this third and final part of their interview Kelly and Kendall discuss their most …

“Ned Josephson”…

This video was sent in from a man who felt he needed to tell his truth, too, but didn’t feel comfortable revealing his true identity, yet.  He hopes that maybe someday he’ll feel comfortable actually being on camera, but feels this is at least a way to get started. Support the …

NICK

Nick describes his experience of growing up in a conservative home while coming to understand his sexuality. More description coming soon… Support the Project–visit KICKSTARTER   (The views expressed in this interview do not necessarily reflect those of the producers of Far Between but are reflective of some aspects of what it means to …

KELLY & KENDALL

In part two of their interview, Kelly and Kendall explain how they have been living together in a mixed-orientation marriage for almost 18 years. Although Kelly is a lesbian and Kendall is straight, they have a deeply caring relationship that has sustained them for several years. In this part one …

RANDAL

Randal describes his process of coming to identify and understand his sexuality.   More description coming soon… Support the Project–visit KICKSTARTER

JOHN

John, after doubting for years the very existence of God, or at least a loving god, has been actively attending church with a renewed testimony for several years now while remaining excommunicated due to his long-time marriage with his husband.  In this first part of the conversation with him, he …

BRIAN & JESSAMY

In this unique interview, Brian and his daughter Jessamy ask each other about their respective reactions to Brian having been married, coming out, divorcing, and finally living with his same-sex partner of over a decade.   More description coming soon… Support the Project–visit KICKSTARTER   (The views expressed in this interview …

KELLY & KENDALL

Kelly and Kendall have been together in a mixed-orientation marriage for almost 18 years. Although Kelly is a lesbian and Kendall is straight, they have a deeply caring relationship that has sustained them for several years. In part one of their interview (of three parts) Kelly and Kendall discuss how …

STEVEN

Steven was a teenager when he first began to realize that he might be gay. His friends would share their feelings about girls, and he realized those feelings weren’t something that he experienced. He initially resisted the thought that he might be gay because it was contrary to what he …

JASON

For Jason, much of his early life was fragmented. By placing his sexuality in one compartment and his. Mormonism in another, he was able to make sense of the world and live with himself while remaining active in the church. This segmentation allowed him to date both men and women …