Latter Gay Stories

In this interview we sit down with A. Todd Jones as he shares his story of living in a mixed-orientation marriage, dating, coming out, finding authenticity and what he's doing in his life now to help the LGBTQ community. A. Todd Jones dives deep into his coming out story—a story very relatable to the many who struggle to understand who and what they are. The video version of the podcast and others...

She was married to a woman and found solace secretly cross-dressing to help her find her inner beauty. While navigating this journey to best understand her gender identity, Valerie Nicole Green took the crucial steps to live a life of authenticity and honesty. Valerie shares her story of her youth, holding stake and bishopric callings, coming out to her family and friends, life within the Church o...

If you're a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and navigating a journey to understand the intersection of religion and sexual orientation, we invite you to join us for this Latter Gay Stories episode. Bryce Cook is an active Latter-day Saint, father of two gay sons and the author of "What Do We Know of God's Will For His LGBT Children? An Examination of the LDS Church's Posi...

Sarah Cunha and Madison McConkie sit down with the Latter Gay Stories podcast to share their story. Sarah is a BYU graduate and remained closeted growing up in the Church. In this episode she opens up about her experience coming out, sharing the news with her family and navigating life as a gay woman at BYU. Madison shares her experience as a closeted youth, LDS missionary and student of Dixie Sta...

This episode features discussion from Ben Schilaty, a gay Latter-day Saint, Jodie Palmer, a lesbian Latter-day Saint, and Ann Pack, a transgender Latter-day Saint. Each person in this panel discussion offer their personal experiences being queer and LDS. They offer tips, suggestions and glimpses into their experience, in an effort to help others better understand their path. As Elder Ballard admon...

Tom Christofferson is an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he's gay and the author of "That They May Be One," a book detailing his life is a member of the Church and how he navigates his sexuality.  In this episode Tom shares his experiences and offers advice to church leaders and to the LGBTQ community from the 2019 Affirmation International Conference.   

Jena Peterson is an active Latter-day Saint who identifies as gay and remains married to her husband of 14 years, Todd, in a mixed orientation marriage. In this episode, Jena discusses her personal experiences being gay and the impact it has on her membership in the Church. She shares tips to help church leaders and members better understand the LGBTQ experience. 

President Michael Mayfield currently serves as a counselor in the Stake Presidency. He is a former bishop and is the father of a gay child. For President Mayfield, when his daughter came out, he was stunned, surprised, and blindsided by his daughter's revelation. In this episode President Mayfield discusses his experience as both an ecclesiastical leader and the father of a gay child. He discusses...

Seven years ago (while celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary in Las Vegas), Josh and Lolly Weed made a quiet blog post announcing to their friends and family that Josh was gay, and together they were navigating life in a mixed-orientation Mormon marriage.   The Weeds expected to have a candid discussion about their experience, but they weren't prepared to do it on a national and worldwide sta...

Imagine life as a gay man growing up in an ultra-conservative Mormon family—who's weekend family activities included delivering flyers and hosting events aimed at shaming homosexuals. That was the world that Ryan grew up in. This is his story. His story includes the pain of hiding his true identity from his homophobic family, serving a mission in an effort to change his sexuality, self-harm and fa...

On Mother's Day, Cher's son came out to her. From that day forward she fought to protect him and the community he belongs to. In this episode Cher discusses her journey as an LGBT ally and friend to the LDS/LGBT community. She shares the hard parts about religion, society and the traditional views of sexuality. Cher offers advice to parents of LGBT children and what her path looked like during tho...

Dr. Gregory Prince sits down with Latter Gay Stories for a unique one-on-one discussion about the actions and unintended consequences of the LDS Church's history with LGBT people and their allies. In this episode we thoroughly discuss topics including: - Why the LDS Church has doubled down against homosexuality. - Is there a genetic component (born this way) to homosexuality? - Policy vs. Doctrine...

So often the we hear stories about the first four letters of the L-G-B-T community, but rarely do we have the opportunity to hear stories from those who identify with the other letters, like A as in asexual. What is asexuality? Who identifies as asexual? What does asexuality look like? In this episode we sit down with Chad and Matt to discuss their sexuality and their reality. Their interview is g...

Deb Asper is a licensed marriage and family therapist who specializes in LGBT therapy and more particularly, LGBT trauma. And to say that she's a gem—and an asset to the community is an understatement. Her dedication to seeing that the LGBT community thrives is evident in her actions. She loves you.  She wants to see you succeed, she's in your corner. In this episode Deb cuts through a lot of life...

103 | The Latter Gay Stories Podcast rebroadcasts An Evening With Affirmation, featuring speakers Nathan Kitchen and Laurie Lee Hall. Nathan Kitchen is the current President of Affirmation and Laurie Lee Hall serves as the Senior Vice President of Affirmation. In this episode, Nathan Kitchen and Laurie Lee Hall discuss their vision for Affirmation and their hope for the future of LGBT people. Laur...

102: Greg Barnett | The vital role of love, inclusion and understanding the journey each of us navigate. Greg Barnett sits down with the Latter Gay Stories podcast to share his experience navigating life as a gay man—in and out of the LDS Church. Greg was asked to give an LGBT themed talk in a sacrament meeting. He shares that talk in this episode, what he's learned along the way and what each of...

Jody Hansen is a suicide prevention educator sharing the QPR program to wards, stakes, and community groups throughout the state of Utah and beyond.  In this episode, the Latter Gay Stories Podcast sits down with Jody to discuss ways to better educate against suicide and what we can do to help prevent this epidemic from further reaching into our families. Additionally, in this episode we discuss t...

"All of you think I am weird, and I don't even know why. I don't even know why I feel this way, or why this is uncomfortable for me." - Tyler Armstrong At age three, Tyler knew he was different.  His family knew he was different.  Fourteen years later, Tyler and his dad sit down with Latter Gay Stories to share their journey as a trans family. Tyler talks about bathrooms, boys, church dresses, the...

What happens when you hear the words, "mom and dad, I'm gay"? How do you react, what do you say, and what does the path forward look like? Aaron and Marie Jones, the parents of a lesbian daughter share a raw and candid discussion detailing their personal journey through sexuality and religion. He's a former bishop, she's an educator and wife in a rural, conservative, Utah community--factors that m...

Kyle and Reece Jacobson join the Latter Gay Stories podcast to share their journey and story!  The married couple share their experiences as growing up closeted, serving missions, exploring their sexuality, and coming out.  Kyle discusses his experience with the Journey Into Manhood (JIM) reparative therapy program, he gives advice to young men and church leaders, what authenticity feels like and...

From time to time, I like to produce a quick 10 minute or so podcast that shares a few thoughts I have had during the week, or a lesson I picked up as I have interviewed guests who are featured on this podcast.  The QuickCast is a great way to reflect on a message—even during a busy day or night.  On this episode I reflect on a flight I took with my young son, 7 years ago.  We both love to fly aro...

In this touching and inspiring episode of Latter Gay Stories, Kelsey Jones and Mekael Simmons share their journey as lesbian women. Both were married to men, came out to their husbands and followed their intuition forward into a path of authenticity and honesty. Now partnered, they share their candid story, their love, and their advice to others who are in a place similar to where they began.

In January of 2018, Paul Augenstein, bishop of a Riverton Utah LDS ward, and his wife, Susie opened their chapel doors one Sunday to welcome a message of hope, inclusion and love. Their 5th Sunday LGBT Conference set into motion a movement that has created better understanding and love between the LDS and LGBT communities. In this podcast episode we discuss what compelled the Augensteins to reach...

Welcome to season 8 of the Latter Gay Stories podcast, formerly the Gay Mormon Stories podcast!  In this episode we welcome our new host, Kyle Ashworth and get a glimpse into his personal life, what to expect in season 8 of the podcast, and more!