Story #1 I was taken to a member of our stake presidency when I was 15 because my parents learned my boyfriend and I had “gone too far.” He asked lots of questions but the one that stuck with me was “Do you think you are oversexed?” I truly thought there was something WRONG with…
I used to live with legal guardian parents Michael and Judy and their two kids, and I only stayed with them because they lived in the area where the school I needed to go. My parents were not well off, they couldn’t move a few hours down, so the Mormon community was more than happy…
When I was sixteen, I had a boyfriend. He was handsome, funny, and smart. He was a gentleman, always opening doors and carrying things for me. He was investigating the Church, so everyone was delighted that we were dating, because I was so active in church activities and held many leadership positions. This man was…
As the only member in my family, I’ve fought hard to carve a path for myself in this church. As a 15 year old new member I had already experienced sex and reigning in all my previous experience was hard. I was not accustomed to accountability, least of all to men I didn’t have a…
I debated for many months whether or not to share my story. It is not as bad as many of the early stories that I read that broke my heart. I was asked inappropriate questions by my bishops. At the age of 17, I experienced a date rape, although that term wasn’t coined yet to…
This story is not about me but about a close friend. This friend suffered from anorexia for their entire life, after many years of fighting this battle, they finally turned to help. They were a devout member of the LDS church and first went to their bishop, for guidance on such a horrible and difficult…
I was something of a perfectionist as a child with a strong desire to please God and my family. My youthful guilt dwelled on typical experiences, amounting to no more than childhood disagreements and misunderstandings. One focus of my guilt, which went beyond the norm, was my theft of a pack of gum. My sister…
Incentivize me to lie. Teach me to hate myself. When in my teens, I was asked if and how often I would masturbate. As a young kid, I didn’t have the right understanding or language to answer accurately. I learned to hate a part of myself. I felt like I was living a double life…
When I 14 years old my mom caught me looking at pornography. Because of this my parents made me meet with our Bishop. I did not feel comfortable doing this but at the time felt that it was what I had to do really, because my parents told me I had to. My meeting with…
During an interview with a bishop (approximately 14 years old), I was asked if I “practiced self abuse”. I had no idea what that even meant. I remember talking about it at dinner with my parents that night. I thought it was strange that the bishop thought I physically abused myself. Years later I googled…