I write this as more an appeal to all church leaders. I see a gross injustice done to teenagers and adults as bishops and stake president ask questions regarding masturbation. I wonder what it would be like to turn the tables ask a Bishop how he feels about this. I’m tired of the cover ups…
I began masturbating without knowing what it was. When I realized I felt afraid and guilty, feeling I’d done the worst thing save murder. A few months later, at age 13, I told my bishop. He asked me to describe how I had been doing it, how often, and for how long. He also told…
I. I was born into an LDS family. Throughout my childhood and youth, my father served in major positions of leadership, respect and trust, including bishop, stake high councilman, branch president and Gospel Doctrine teacher. Throughout my childhood and youth, my mother served in major positions of leadership, respect and trust, including Relief Society president,…
The other day, I found myself reading through the journal entries I’d written both before and after I was formally disfellowshipped from the Church. I was disfellowshipped when I was 14 years old. Like many Mormon girls my age growing up on the Wasatch front, the LDS church was my whole life. My family went…
I’ve slept on this, and woken up just livid about it, because I’ve had to relive it through discussions with people who won’t listen to victims. I’m livid at the deafness of the people who won’t listen because, as far as they know, their child hasn’t been affected. Yet. From the ages of 8 –…
Me and my girlfriend at the time, started to experiment with each other and use to touch each others private parts. This went on for a few months. The guilt and shame that came upon me was over baring. I finally had to confess. So I talked with my girlfriend who was also lds, and…
There’s nothing quite like trying to be the best child of God you can be – praying fervently, loving scripture study, always lending a hand to fellow brothers and sisters in need – and being told behind a closed door with your bishop that masturbation will damn you and keep you separated from God. Nothing…
When I was 18 and a student at BYU, I was dating an older man that was in my ward. I was not sexually knowledgeable due to my upbringing. The man I was dating had been married before so was much more experienced than I was. I felt the need to talk to the bishop…
I was 13 years old when a boy told me that his bishop had told him to “not associate with someone like me” . My neighbor who was my age and my first crush told his bishop that we had French kissed and “engaged in petting”. The bishop told him to inform me that it…
I was 14 and in an interview with the bishop, a trusted neighbor from up the street, when I first felt violated. I watched his eyes shift from my face to my breasts as he told me, “Never let any boys touch your breasts. Many of them will want to.” I instantly felt uncomfortable. Why…