It wasn’t until recently that I realized I was a “victim” of these interviews. Up until I learned about your movement I went along with them because I didn’t know these types of interviews were out of the ordinary. I thought they were normal. I realized that the interviews played a part in my teenage…
My first recollection of being asked morality questions was for my 8th birthday baptismal interview-I didn’t even know what masturbation was and when the bishop probed me with more questions to be sure I wasn’t lying about my answer I became withdrawn, flushed and embarrassed with the more explicit way in which he asked me-…
During interviews with the bishop, I was shamed into believing that I had to share sexually explicit details of intimate relationships that I had with boys. I was made to believe that I would never be able to go on a mission, let alone ever go to the temple. Years later, I still struggle with…
I was taught for years in church that I was responsible for the thoughts in a man’s head. That if a guy was turned on, it had to be caused by something that I did- whether it was my choice of clothes, something I said, or whatever. I was also told that men lose control…
When I was about 14 (about 35 years ago), all the girls had to go in for their “interview” with the bishop or first counselor. I recall an older girl telling some of us beforehand that we should say as little as possible, and answer “nothing,” “yes,” and “ok,” so it would be short and…
I grew up in the LDS church. My sister still practices and is active in the church. My parents are semi-active. I left the church as an adult after realizing that I did not agree with the practices of the LDS church. I was subject to intensively intimidating interviews such as this and realized how…
Both my husband and I were virgins when we married in an LDS temple. A few days after the wedding, I developed a urinary tract infection, the first one I ever had. I didn’t have a doctor in our little college town, but the father of a young man in our college ward was a…
Growing up, my mother and I were the only ethnic people in the ward. I generally blended in since my skin is fair but that changed when I hit puberty. Suddenly I had wide hips and was the only girl wearing a real bra. I got a lot of comments from adults and I guess…
My brother has suffered for 20+ years because of the extreme shaming coinciding with sexually explicit questioning. It was only about a year ago that he shared his tearful story with me. My brother was a “pleaser” from a young age. He strove to be a model Mormon, citizen and son. As his teenage years…
As a young boy going through puberty, I didn’t know what was going on with my body. I was changing. I remember when I was very young how painful my erections were, and I didn’t know what it meant or why it was happening. I’m sure they talked about it in the maturation program at…