Read The Stories

Warning: Sexually Explicit content.

Legend for Consequences Suffered (CS):

Inappropriate shame and guilt
Childhood self-loathing
Adulthood self-loathing
Normalizing children to sexual questions by adult men. (Grooming)
Sexual abuse. (Pedophilia)
Impaired sexual relations after marriage.
Years of recovery from childhood shaming. Often lasting decades.
Suicide Ideation
Attempted Suicide
Suicide of a loved one or friend.

#114 Name Hidden. CS: 1,2,6,7,9

I was born and raised a Utah Mormon girl. I couldn’t have asked for better parents, or a better upbringing. I was always the easy child that never gave my…

#112 Name Hidden. CS: 1,2,3,4,6,7,8

I grew up in the LDS Church, though I was not very active. I would meet often with the Bishop and have personal interviews with him, often about sexual matters.…

#111 Name Hidden. CS: 1,2,3,6. Other: Strain on parental relationships

I remember when I was about to turn twelve. My friend’s dad was the bishop at the time. We grew up in downtown Salt Lake City, basically in Church headquarters.…

#110 Name Hidden. CS: 1,6,7

I pretty much lied about my masturbation habits. I felt pretty crappy about myself all growing up because not only was I “sexually impure”, but I was also a liar.…

#109 Name Hidden. CS: Other: Stress and anxiety over children being subject to this practice

I wasn’t affected (that I know of) by being asked these questions as a youth or as an adult. But my heart was touched by hearing the many troubles that…

#108 Name Hidden. CS: 1

This story is as an adult, but my last bishop asked wildly inappropriate questions to me during an interview. I felt sexually harassed, despite knowing that he had no right,…

#107 Name Hidden. CS: 1,8,9

After having to switch to a different bishop, (the Bishopric was changed in the middle of my mission interviewing process), I showed up to a meeting where the new bishop…

#106 Name Hidden. CS: 1,2,3

I suffered needlessly for many years through a cycle of shame and guilt for what was normal behavior, but I was made to believe I was largely alone in, and…

#105 Travis G. CS: 1,2,3,4,6,7. Other: false and insufficient sexual education

I was born and raised in an LDS home where both parents served LDS Missions. I learned at a very early age that my parents disagreed about LDS Doctrine, and…

#104 Jacob F. CS: 1,2

My childhood bishop asked me if I masturbated. I said no and he stared at me for a good 15-20 seconds in silence. It was very awkward and I felt…

#103 Name Hidden. CS: 1

I learned of this practice when my son who is now 39 was asked a question about masturbation during his 16th birthday interview. This was his interview to be ordained…

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

I was a high school student wanting to go to BYU. As part of the admissions process I had to obtain an ecclesiastic endorsement from my stake president. In my…

#101 Name Hidden. CS: 1,2,3,4,7,8. Other: Eating Disorder

When I was a young child, I explored my body and quite by accident found something that felt good. I didn’t really think anything of it, and it became part…

#100 Scott D. CS: 1,2,3,4

As I was preparing to serve a mission, it was very important to me to be honest in my interviews with my bishop. I did not think I would be…

#99 Name Hidden. CS: 1,2,3,7

Until my worthiness interview prior to becoming a priest at age 16, my father had never so much as mentioned the word “masturbation” to me. But then my father became…

#97 Name Hidden. CS: 1,3,4,6,7,8

When I was 18 I had my first boyfriend. We went what I thought at the time was ‘too far’ one night and I felt soo guilty. I had been…

#96 Bryce B. CS: 1,2,3,4,7,8,9, Other: impaired sexual relations (I have never been married), hating myself for being gay

Growing up a gay Mormon child is really difficult. The first person I came out to was my bishop, a man from our neighborhood whose house I played at when…

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