Mormon church: Gay couples can be kicked out

Published May 03, 2016

The Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Douglas C. Pizac)

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.

URL

https://www.foxnews.com/us/mormon-church-gay-couples-can-be-kicked-out