The "Gay Agenda"

 *Update: the video link I shared was struck down. So I'll share this one that isn't the original video, but instead a reaction to parts of it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycRGG9WUfnQ

I absolutely believe that sexual deviancy is largely influenced by life experiences, especially during childhood and early teen years.

WARNING: First off, I apologize for the content of this video that I am sharing. That said, I believe it is important to pay attention to your adversary and know the grander plan in order to make decisions in the here and now to combat it. I also want to give fair warning that I may be using anatomical terms and explaining sexual topics in this post.

Now this video I shared, originally put out by the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, talks about coming after children with the gay agenda and converting your kids. Now some may say it’s tongue-in-cheek or satire or even trolling. And while to a certain extent it may be, I would also say that even if so, it’s a Freudian slip. They said the quiet part out loud. That being that it is, in fact, about the children. And that the “gay agenda” is about far more than what people were led to believe leading up to the legalization of gay marriage.

See the argument that was used and that so many people fell for (including myself in certain ways) was this argument that it’s just about people being able to do what they want in their bedroom, love is love, and that it wouldn’t go further than that. People who countered that it wouldn’t end at gay marriage, that next we’d see bestiality or pedophilia or other forms of sexual deviancy were belittled and called conspiracy theorists and homophobes. I saw that first hand when a girl in one of my government classes at UVU weighed in on the issue expressing her concern that the legalization and normalization of gay marriage would not be the end of it. She was called homophobic by others in the class who dismissed such claims. Yet take a moment to think about all that has changed, and how rapidly it has changed, in our society ever since that Supreme Court decision.

I opposed gay marriage before it was legalized, I opposed it right after it was legalized, and I still oppose it now. The fruits of the decision for the country are now being clearly manifested.

I’ve previously alluded to the fact that I have theories on the origins of my own sexuality, and on sexuality in general. I didn’t feel quite ready to share at the time, but I’d like to dig into that now. As I said at the beginning of this post, I absolutely believe that sexual deviancy is in large part influenced by and created from experiences during youth. I have talked with a good number of gay men about very personal aspects of their lives. I’ve also gathered information from others through video interviews, studies, groups I’ve attended, and through blogs. I have seen quite consistently that there are certain things that happened to them during their youth; sexual abuse, physical/emotional abuse, neglectful parents, lack of a father, disconnection from other males or lack of friendship, exposure to pornography, bullying, sexual experiences with friends, mental health issues. Now I know the argument of “correlation doesn’t equal causation”. I get that. There were some gay men I’ve talked with or learned about that didn’t have a clearly distinctive experience in their youth. But the majority I have talked with and learned about have. When there is heavy correlation, that is often when there should be investigation into links and causation.

To look at my own life, there were multiple experiences that happened before I was even old enough to ejaculate or even understand what sex was. I had a friend when I was young who I essentially played “doctor” with. A “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours” kind of a situation if you will. I was curious about my body at the time and it was from that curiosity that he and I began doing that. However, there were a couple times we were caught, and without much explanation from my parents I was berated and told that what I was doing was wrong. Because they didn’t explain what was wrong though, this led to a lot of confusion for me and is the lightning rod that led me to find pornography as I didn’t feel comfortable turning to my parents with my questions and instead found the internet. I honestly believe pornography was the largest influence in developing my sexuality as it is now. What started as playing “doctor” out of a curiosity to learn about my body turned into an obsession to see as many bodies as I could when I found porn, and turned into fantasies about in-person experiences which completely corrupted my view of friendships with other boys and led to tons of other issues down the line.

There is so much I could dive into with regards to the formation of my own sexuality, but I don’t want that to be the focus of this post. So for now I’ll just lighting-round it and list off a few others: a deep yearning for male friendships and connections but lacking them completely and having an aversion to men because of porn and other problems. A turbulent relationship with my dad and lack of connection with him for a portion of my childhood (I love my dad and he has completely changed and is an amazing man). A belief that sex with men was better because of things I had been exposed to online through blogs, porn sites, and Youtube videos. In fact, I remember clearly one gay Youtuber I used to watch saying it was “unfortunate that (this guy) is straight, because as a gay guy I could pleasure him much better than a woman because men know what men want.” Depression and anxiety, as well as a deep fear and lack of trust in talking about my struggles with anyone.

I’ve heard more recently that children are now being pressured by their peers/parents/teachers to adopt or claim a certain sexuality/gender because it gets them more attention and love, and I’ve heard that children as young as 12 or under are experiencing hate just for being straight. I’ve talked with some people in my life who are in the medical field who have informed me kids as young as 5 years old are coming in feeling depressed and wanting to die, feeling confused about their sexuality, and their parents are all for it and believe they are what they say they are and are willing to give their children hormone blockers. Doctors are all in on it too. And states where conversion therapy has been banned, a therapist or a doctor cannot even legally encourage a client to look at various avenues to approaching their sexuality or gender identity and instead have to push them to act on it or get surgery.

The argument around this used to be that sexuality was something you’re born with. But no gay gene has been found. No specific abnormality has been found. And more recently, even using the video I shared as proof, the argument has instead shifted to sexuality being fluid and something you choose. So which is it? Am I homophobic for suggesting that based on my experiences and the people I have heard from that sexuality is in fact a product of environment? And therefore the assertion that they’re “coming to convert your children” is in fact completely real and serious? I believe that it is real. I can see in my own life that my sexuality was influenced and shaped by what happened to me as a child. That doesn’t change the fact that I am attracted to men and not women, but it gives me answers to some extent on the source of those attractions.

And lest you think I’m speaking only to LGBT experiences, there is sexual deviancy within heterosexuality as well. For example, it is estimated that 75-95% of those who go into prostitution were abused as a child. (https://sex-crimes.laws.com/prostitution/prostitution-statistics) A majority of those who molest or rape were abused at some point themselves. So no, it’s not even specific to LGBT issues.

I guess what I’m trying to get at is that there actually IS danger to this push of the “gay agenda” and normalizing teaching sexuality to children. Children should be more concerned about playing with sticks and rocks in the mud rather than learning about what John and Oliver or Bruce and Caitlyn are doing in their bedroom. And yet, society today is seeing drag queen story hour for children, major networks for kids shows like Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network pushing out music videos and commercials all about the Pride flag and sexuality, there are child drag queens, the Pride flag is everywhere and is pushed through companies and through government, Youtube labels “dick or dildo” videos as safe for kids, pedophilia is being pushed to be normalized under the new banner of M.A.P.S., and educators around the country are now teaching kids as young as first graders how to masturbate and pleasure themselves.

If you are a Christian, you should know that this is all part of Satan’s plan to corrupt and destroy lives and souls. The legalization of gay marriage was just one step down that plan. I am not now, nor will I ever advocate for poor treatment of people. I do not hate “gay” people, and I really believe I am at the point of loving myself more fully than I have for the majority of my life. But truth must be spoken, and the “gay agenda” is dangerous and they are “coming for your kids” and will permanently alter and weaken this nation, lead to lost souls, and permanently alter the lives of those most affected by it.

My Journey to Veganism

In July of 2017, I made the decision to become vegan. This wasn’t a decision I made suddenly, without thought, or based purely on in-the-moment emotion. It was something I had been slowly working towards, researching, praying about, and studying ancient and modern words of God and the prophets.

            I first really learned about the idea of veganism from my friend David who had been vegan for a while before we met. I had of course heard of veganism before meeting him, but had never put much thought into it, and often dismissed it as foolish, distant, radical, not something worth thinking about, and even against the will and plan of God. This played into much of my early friendship with David. I would often challenge him on his choice to be vegan, I would site claims that he was missing vital nutrients like protein and calcium by avoiding meat and milk. I would site claims that God gave us animals to use for food. This continued on for a couple years of our friendship before I came to accept it and realized many of my claims were wrong. 

            While David was certainly a catalyst in my choice to become vegan, he was not the primary cause. It ultimately had to be my choice. Once I mellowed out and came to accept his choice to be vegan, I became more supportive. When I would eat with him I would often eat vegan foods with him. This applied both when we ate at home, and also when we went to restaurants. When I wasn’t with him, I would still generally eat a lot of meat, milk, eggs, etc. 

            Over time I started to notice something. When I ate vegan meals, I would often feel a bit better, lighter, happier, and more in-tune spiritually afterwards than when I ate something that wasn’t vegan. I had also been having various health issues such as upset stomach, gas and bloating, and back pain, and I would generally notice a decrease in those symptoms when eating vegan as well.

            As I started to take note of these differences in how I felt, I was also starting to reach out to doctors for help with my digestive issues. My experiences with the doctors would be that they would either dismiss my concerns as not as limiting or important as they felt to me, or they would recommend very specific and difficult to follow dietary changes or various medications that of course ran the risk of different side-effects as well as potentially making me dependent on an expensive pill to feel alright. 

            As all of this was happening, I felt that I wanted to look at my choices of food from a more spiritual perspective. I started to really challenge some of my deep-seated beliefs on what the teachings on food consumption were in the church. I had honestly never seriously and purposefully read through the Word of Wisdom. Of course I had read verses here and there, and heard talks and lessons on it given in church, seminary, and institute, but in almost every case when (and if) food was talked about, it was said that it teaches “everything in moderation”.

            The "problem" with the word moderation is that it’s not limiting on any one thing in particular. In other words, a dinner plate that’s 50% meat, 50% vegetables would be considered moderate as neither the meat or vegetables are in excess of the other. A 60% to 40% ratio could also generally be considered moderate. 

            When I actually read the Word of Wisdom, I found that a different word was used in speaking on the consumption of meat. In D&C 89: 12-13 it states: 

12 Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly;

13 And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine.

            The first key word used here is sparingly. Sparingly is a more limiting and specific word than moderation. For example, if I have a dinner plate that’s 50/50 meat and vegetables, I would be eating in moderation, but I wouldn’t be eating one or the other sparingly as they are equal values. 

            More important for me though was the wording in verse 13. God specifically states that it’s pleasing unto Him that “they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine.” For me that stood out very clearly. When I looked at my own life, I realized I’m certainly not in a time of famine. Even if it is winter or cold outside, because of advancements in technology, transportation, and agriculture I’m pretty much never in a situation where I would need to eat meat for survival. And God stated that it’s pleasing unto Him that they are not used outside of those specific instances.

            Some of the other scriptural accounts that really stood out to me in making this decision are those scriptures that talk about when the earth was and will be perfected. During the time of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, the earth was in a perfected state. There was no death. 

Genesis 1:29-31

29 ¶ And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.

31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Genesis 2:15-16

15 And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

           During the time when the world is again perfected there will also be no death. Even the animals will not feed on each other.

Isaiah 11:6-9

6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den.

9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.

Isaiah 65:25

25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord.

            As I considered those scriptures, I thought of how we are here on this earth to be tried and tested, to eventually hopefully reach perfection. While no one will achieve perfection here, and no one can achieve perfection without the grace and atonement of Christ, and we will all sin and fall short, I felt that I could still try to work towards it during this life. And when I considered that part of the nature of the perfected world was the absence of death or killing, I looked at and challenged my own participation in the killing of animals. 

            As I was studying the scriptures, I decided I wanted to look for words of modern prophets on the matter. After quite a bit of searching I found a video that really touched me. It’s called “Return to Sparingly: Quotes From LDS Prophets and Apostles.” (I will share it below and include a link). This video had a huge impact on me, and really opened my eyes to the history and significance of the Word of Wisdom that I was totally unaware of before.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXGXodVrYsA&lc=Ugya8agkyAuraP936wJ4AaABAg
As this video is basically just quotes, here's a transcript to the quotes if you'd rather just read them:
  https://returntosparingly.weebly.com/quotes-video-transcript.html

            I came across another video called “Discovering the Word of Wisdom: A Short Film” that similarly had a big impact on me and really got me thinking. (shared and linked below).

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXe311aVFqI

            As I found all of this information I started to genuinely feel uncomfortable about my choices of food. I felt that there was something I needed to change, and that it would improve my life spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically. I prayed a lot and fervently asked God for answers. Eventually I made a decision. I set a date when it would be easier for me to fully transition over and decided I was going to do it. The date of, I went cold-turkey. I started eating only foods that were vegan and nothing else. And during this time I prayed a lot and continued studying. I really wanted to know if this was what God wanted me to do.

            I got my answer not long afterwards. It wasn’t a big huge moment, it was more subtle and drawn out. But as the days went on and I stayed committed to eating vegan, I noticed my life improving in many ways. And eventually it just clicked that this was what I was going to do, that it was more than just a personal decision, it was a spiritual one and a commitment made between me and God. That the Word of Wisdom is indeed a word of wisdom. Not all included in it is commandment. But God gave it for council that if I accepted it, I could live a better and healthier life, and I could continually learn new things about how to take care of myself and my body.

            I have not taken this change in my life to mean that I should pressure or command others around me to follow the same and become vegan. I still love those in my life who are not vegan. That does not mean I do not feel the need to encourage others and share with them the benefits I have received from this change. I very much want to help people realize what I did, make a change, and experience the benefits from it. But I want to do it in a way that respects others’ agency.

            This summer I’ll hit the 2 year anniversary of my transition to a purely vegan diet. During the past approximately year and a half I’ve experienced both criticism and support. But I plan to stick to it unless and until God commands otherwise. And, for the sake of my family, friends, and those around me, I want to share the benefits of and my testimony of the Word of Wisdom and following its council. I know that God, the creator of my body, knows what’s best for my health, even if sometimes I’m unsure or unwilling to listen. I know that I can find answers in the scriptures, from modern and living prophets and apostles, and from prayer and personal revelation. I’m so thankful that God placed people and circumstances in my life that led me to really want to learn about and improve how I care for my body. And I’m thankful for my chance to live here on this wonderful earth.

Just one other quote I found today while preparing to write this post that I really loved. This is from a talk given by Ezra Taft Benson (then of the Quorum of the Twelve) in a devotional on March 4, 1979. The talk is entitled “In His Steps” https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/ezra-taft-benson_in-christs-steps/

Second: food. To a great extent we are physically what we eat. Most of us are acquainted with some of the prohibitions, such as no tea, coffee, tobacco, or alcohol. What need additional emphasis are the positive aspects—the need for vegetables, fruits, and grains, particularly wheat. In most cases, the closer these can be, when eaten, to their natural state— without overrefinement and processing—the healthier we will be. To a significant degree, we are an overfed and undernourished nation digging an early grave with our teeth, and lacking the energy that could be ours because we overindulge in junk foods. I am grateful to know that on this campus you can get apples from vending machines, that you have in your student center a fine salad bar, and that you produce an excellent loaf of natural whole-grain bread. Keep it up and keep progressing in that direction. We need a generation of young people who, as Daniel, eat in a more healthy manner than to fare on the “king’s meat”—and whose countenances show it (see Daniel 1).