Twenty-Eight (1833)See also “Sonia Johnson,” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 3 Mar. 2011, Wikimedia Foundation,
Inc., 3 Jun. 2011 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonia_Johnson; and
“The Mormon Church and the ERA” Humanists of Utah, Aug. 2005, Humanists of Utah, 3 Jun.
2011 http://www.humanistsofutah.org/2005/MormonChurchAndERA_Aug-05.html; and
D. Michael Quinn, “The LDS Church’s Campaign Against the Equal Rights Amendment,”
Journal of Mormon History 20 (Fall 1994): 85–155.
Most recently, the LDS church vehemently supported Proposition 8, which eliminated the rights
of same-sex couples to marry. The Proposition consisted of only two short sections. Its full text was:
Section I. Title. This measure shall be known and may be cited as the “California Marriage
Protection Act.” Section 2. Article I. Section 7.5 is added to the California Constitution. to read: Sec.
7.5. Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.” See “California
Proposition 8 (2008),” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 1 Jun. 2011, Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 3 Jun.
2011 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prop_8; and
“May 22, 2009 ~ Mormons and Proposition 8 | Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly | PBS”
PBS.org, 2011, Educational Broadcasting Corporation, 3 Jun. 2011
http://newsroom.lds.org/article/same-sex-marriage-and-proposition-8.
“It was intended that we use this power only with our partner in marriage. I repeat, very
plainly, physical mischief with another man is forbidden. It is forbidden by the Lord. There are some
men who entice young men to join them in these immoral acts. If you are ever approached to
participate in anything like that, it is time to vigorously resist. While I was in a mission on one occasion,
a missionary said he had something to confess. I was very worried because he just could not get himself
to tell me what he had done. After patient encouragement he blurted out, ‘I hit my companion.’ ‘Oh, is
that all,’ I said in great relief. ‘But I floored him,’ he said. After learning a little more [his companion was
gay], my response was ‘Well, thanks. Somebody had to do it, and it wouldn’t have been well for a
General Authority to solve the problem that way.’ I am not recommending that course to you, but I am
not omitting it. You must protect yourself.” (Boyd K. Packer, “To Young Men Only,” Ensign, Nov. 1976:
6; given during the Conference Priesthood Session, 2 Oct. 1976. It can be found online on lds-
mormon.com, 3 Jun. 2011 http://www.lds-mormon.com/only.shtml.) (This General Conference talk
is strangely missing from the Nov 1976 online Ensign articles at LDS.org, but is referred to elsewhere on
their own site here:
“Home & Family-Teaching about Procreation and Chastity” LDS.org, 2011, Intellectual Reserve
Inc., 3 Jun. 2011 http://lds.org/hf/library/1,16866,4266-1,00.html?LibraryURL=/lds/hf/display; It
states, “A boy should be taught about the power of creation within his body and that the Lord intended
that this power should be used exclusively in marriage. He should be cautioned against sexual self-
stimulation [masturbation]. The Church has printed an excellent pamphlet, To Young Men Only
(33382). This pamphlet is a reprint of an address given by Elder Boyd K. Packer in the priesthood
session of the October 1976 general conference and can help fathers counsel their sons regarding their
growth and physical maturation.”)
See also “Homosexuality and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” Wikipedia, the
free encyclopedia, 28 Oct. 2011, Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 15 Nov. 20111
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Homosexualityand The_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-
day_Saints#Boyd_K._Packer>.
“Homosexuality is an ugly sin, repugnant to those who find no temptation in it, as well as to
many past offenders who are seeking a way out of its clutches. It is embarrassing and unpleasant as a
subject for discussion but because of its prevalence, the need to warn the uninitiated, and the desire
to help those who may already be involved with it, it is discussed in this chapter.” (Spencer W.
Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness (1969; Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1995) 78.
“[I]t is clear that any sexual relationship other than that between a legally wedded
heterosexual husband and wife is sinful. The divine mandate of marriage between man and woman
puts in perspective why homosexual acts are offensive to God. They repudiate the gift and the Giver