#477 Name Hidden. CS: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7. Other: Victim blaming

At age 13, I was sexually abused by a school teacher (LDS). When I finally worked up the courage to talk to my Bishop, he told me that I had jeopardized the temple marriage and celestial standing of this man, but I could be forgiven. He made suggestions like take cold showers and sleep with…

#476 Name Withheld. CS: 1,2,3,4,6,7,8

I will tell my story anonymously as it the internal and external impact Church teaching around sexuality and expectations of worthiness evaluations by Church leaders still impacts me substantially. If a leader in the Church takes seriously these stories including mine, and wishes to communicate with me about the harm they have done, I will…

#471 Name Hidden. CS: 1,2,3,4,7,8

I am not comfortable telling everything, but I will say I was asked the following questions in an interview when I was 15 or 16 when I confessed to looking at porn and masturbating. This isn’t a complete list. This was 15 years ago or so: What kind of porn was it? Did you watch…

#469 Renate S. CS: 1,2,3,5,7,8,9,10

I was thirteen or so when I was asked by a member of the bishopric if I touched myself. Of course, I lied. I barely knew this man. This was shortly after I was sexually abused by my ” best friends “, who happened to be the bishop’s twin daughters. They were younger than myself…

#467 Name Hidden CS: 1,2,3,6,8

I confessed to masturbation to several priesthood leaders as I struggled with it from age 12-19. One bishop around age 14 told me I was “preying on my own sexuality!” He was a kind and genuine man, but because of this idea I identified myself as a predator. I felt like a deviant much of…

#466 Christina M. CS: 1,2,3,4,6,7,8

I never thought my story would be important but now that I see others standing up to protect children from these harmful interviews, I feel I cannot be silent. When I was 8 years old a friend I did not play with much came over to my house. We went in my room and she…

#465 Briana W. CS: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8

I still struggle putting this down on print and still have the shame that the church issued to me with my abuse. When I was approximately 7/8 years old I walked the few blocks to my cousins house to play. We lived in a very safe are of Sandy Utah and this was a common…

#463 Name Hidden. CS: 1,2,3,6,7

I was sexually abused by my step-brother when I was an eight year old girl. It continued for two years. My family was broken and dysfunctional and there was no adult I felt I could talk to. Like many victims of sexual abuse, I kept it to myself for years. I was never asked any…