"After a lifetime of adhering to the strict codes of the LDS and struggling to reconcile that with his sexuality, he had a personal epiphany that allowed him to understand he could embrace his queerness and be loved by God. But when he tried to reason with high-ranking Mormon officials that there was a path for the Church to do the same-not just for himself, but for thousands of others like him-they ghosted him."
"They're like, 'We don't want to hear it because it challenges our foundation,' he says of the Church's response to his pleas. 'I've been there, I get why that's a scary thing. But it did get to a point where, if I didn't shake things up, it was gonna collapse anyway. So I did, and it all came down, but it was for the better because I was able to build a new foundation.'"
David Archuleta experienced a shift in audience energy after coming out queer and leaving the LDS Church. He spent a lifetime following strict LDS codes while concealing his sexuality and ultimately had an epiphany that allowed him to embrace his queerness while believing he could still be loved by God. He sought dialogue with high-ranking Church officials proposing inclusive paths for others but was ignored. Confronting the incompatibility between his identity and institutional responses prompted him to dismantle his prior foundation and rebuild a life aligned with his identity, faith, and well-being.
#david-archuleta #lgbtq-coming-out #the-church-of-jesus-christ-of-latter-day-saints #religion-and-sexuality
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