When I joined the church as a teenager, a week later the Bishop met with me and conducted a worthiness interview that asked a long series of inappropriate questions using terms I had never heard before (masturbation, petting, anal sex, grinding, heavy petting, wet dreams, pornography, etc.) I asked that he explain many of the…
I don’t pretend that my story is as bad as many others however it may be more common. The worst part about my story is that it wasn’t my bishop or councilors that caused me pain but rather an ex-bishop and ex-stake president. This man happened to be my father. I love my father and…
When I was a young teenager, I had a bishop ask me if I masturbated. I wasn’t even sure what that meant. I don’t completely remember how I responded. I just know I was thrown off guard and felt terrible about the question. I was already nervous about going to interviews for the first time…
I hated being interviewed by my Branch President. If I had it to do over again, I would never be a teenage girl alone with an older man. At the time however, I did not realize that I was in control over my own body. I would do anything I was told by someone in…
I grew up in the LDS Church, was baptized at 8, ordained a deacon at 12, teacher at 14, priest at 16, elder at 18, served a two-year mission starting at 19. I returned home at 21, and became a non-believing ex-Mormon by 27. I am currently 39, and have never had any desire to…
I lived in Dallas, Texas in the early 1980s… I am almost 50 now. Like most normal boys, I was excited to find some “dirty magazines” when I was walking home from school. I found them to be very interesting, to say the least, and being 13 or 14 at the time, I did what…
I am so thankful that you are doing this. I hope the LDS Church takes action to stop these interviews. I grew up in Montana and my mother made me and my sisters go to church every Sunday. Our father was Lutheran so that made for some difficult family dynamics because mom was constantly trying…
I was 11 years old when I was sent to live with mormon relatives. Because of my age I had to go through the missionary lessons in order to be baptized. I did not want to be baptized, but it was not an option. I was beaten until I agreed to do what I was…
Another personal story for you and Sam Young as he Hunger Strikes to Protect LDS Children. This one is the hardest for me because I was complicit and bare the shame of this. This is about my child and I am using my favorite, colorful language in this post (you have been warned). When I…
When I was 11, my uncle (who was then in the bishopric) propositioned me for sex (I refused and got away, but didn’t tell anyone because he threatened my family) and then when I was 12, he molested me. After this incident, my mom could tell there was something wrong and I told her, but…