Mormon church conditionally backs LGBT
SALT LAKE CITY (KGO) -- The Mormon church announced on Tuesday it will now support LGBT rights. But the announcement does not mean the Mormon Church actually condones gay and lesbian relationships.
The Mormon church said America has become too polarized. On one hand, you have the advocates of gay rights, and on the other, the advocates of religious freedom. They want things to be more balanced.
In a press conference out of Salt Lake City, Mormon leaders said we must find ways to show respect for others whose beliefs, values and behaviors differ from our own while never being forced to deny or abandon our own beliefs. In other words, from now on, they are against any kind of discrimination against gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people as long as the law also protect the rights of religious groups.
"Any Catholic pharmacist who declines to carry the morning-after pill when large chains offer it, should not be pressed into violating his or her conscience," said Mormon church elder, Jeffrey Holland.
They also made it very clear that they are still opposed to homosexuality. Still, LGBT leaders in the Bay Area say doing what they did today is a step in the right direction.
"We're really excited, it's definitely an enormous step forward and w really applaud the Mormon church for making a stand for basic civil rights and non-discrimination for LGBT people," said Rebecca Rolfe with the San Francisco LGBT Center.
It's not clear how much common ground the Mormons will find with this new campaign. The church insists it is making no changes in doctrine, and still believes it's against the law of God to have sex outside marriage between a man and a woman.
