Mormon rule changes aimed at gays send advocates reeling

SALT LAKE CITY (KGO) -- Gay and lesbian Mormons and their supporters are reeling over a rule change by church officials that says members in same-sex marriages can be kicked out, and bars their children from being baptized unless they disavow same-sex relationships.

The changes in the church handbook were sent out Thursday to local church leaders around the world. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spokesman Eric Hawkins said in a statement Friday the revisions reiterate church opposition to gay marriage.

The changes triggered anger for a growing faction of LGBT-supportive Mormons who had been buoyed in recent years by church leaders' calls for more compassion and understanding for LGBT members.

Wendy Montgomery, a Mormon mother of a gay teenage son, says the mixed messages feel like emotional whiplash and have her family considering leaving the faith.

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