After a Post-Heterosexual Mormon Theology: A Ten-Year Retrospective

Ten years ago, my article “Toward a Post-Heterosexual Mormon Theology” was published in Dialogue.1 I did not know what to expect when it made its way into the world, but ended up being widely discussed piece and has been accessed tens of thousands times.2 The public discussion about ideas both critical appreciative. In wake article, own research thinking have also developed. When first approached this topic, expected that interest would be limited single contribution. However, ensuing decade now count several articles, book, substantial edited volume on Mormonism, sexuality, gender portfolio. My fascination with question endured.Other things are different than they were at time wrote original article. Same-sex marriage is legal everywhere United States. Church engaged multiple campaigns related LGBTQ issues, including pastoral outreach, updated policies, reframed political project “religious freedom.” ensuring years, other thinkers same-sex relationships identity theological historical sophistication. Here, want discuss retrospect origins Theology,” reception trajectory work taken. Despite all these developments, place LDS thought practice remains vexed.I just preparing go mission Gordon B. Hinckley presented “The Family: A Proclamation World,” guiding document teachings policy released as issue had arisen After returned from university education New York City, became increasingly interested feminist theory new approaches sexuality 1990s. While an undergraduate student, gotten involved propositions prohibit Hawaii, California, Alaska. But seemed rather far away hadn't really worked out how wanted approach social question.Heading graduate school for master's degree Testament Early Christianity 2001, consumed learning languages history scholarship field. admitted doctoral program field, began take more coursework sexuality. advisor, Karen L. King, leader early Christianity, icons like Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza loomed large thinking. Amy Hollywood arrived Harvard, opened me whole set theories identity, bodies, desire. As started writing dissertation Christians imagined desire resurrection body, turned theory, especially Judith Butler, help articulate issues stake debates.Meanwhile, Latter-day Saints substantive contentious exchange 2000s. closely followed topic blogging, which attracted number rising intellectuals their twenties thirties. Of course, Massachusetts Supreme Court legalized 2004, accelerating done quite little mobilize Massachusetts. That helped defer me. formally announced organize oppose Prop 8 California 2008, found myself deeply torn. By coincidence, scheduled preach Harvard Divinity School LDS-run service start term January 2009, after election. protests occurred against around country, feeling some dread navigate colleagues. spoke heart conflicted feelings. publications director Bulletin there asked publish remarks, titled “An Uncomfortable Mormon.”3My discomfort theoretical problems. recall two pieces impact year 2008 by Valerie Hudson Cassler, well-respected science professor Brigham Young University, “‘Some Things Should Not Have Been Forgotten Were Lost’: Pro-Feminist, Pro-Democracy, Pro-Peace Case State Privileging Companionate Heterosexual Monogamous Marriage.”4 This hailed most significant, argument opposing putatively grounds.5 remember having strong reaction concerned oppositional framework between feminism rights.The second Butler's short book Antigone's Claim: Kinship Between Life Death.6 Based series lectures she given, Butler addressed kinship queer contexts. distinctly hitting lightning bolt, rushed grab paper sketch outline see claim kinship, suddenly obvious yet understood focus For me, realization potent reframing analyzed or sociological issue, even sexual ethics. Kinship, unlocked imaginary.The put together extremely compressed. It stub eventually become contacted Kristine Haglund, then editor Dialogue, if any merit. She kindly sent review, came back confirming underdeveloped. I'd written half-heartedly, hoping someone else flesh idea productive ends. reluctance complete part because getting ready search job biblical studies—an extreme rarity Saints. didn't establishing studies publication record stage career. case, reviewers Haglund fill outline. Going market, birth child, move job, events delayed revisions year. delay allowed do reading, benefiting further confirmed necessary starting point redescription.7I breaking ground, though building decades previous work. think marks distinctive turn, scholars activists organizing, writing, speaking years. D. Michael Quinn Connell O'Donovan perspective, chronicling episodes changes teachings.8 Other looking ethics.9 causes etiology homosexuality often took special prominence.10 Others attempted carve ecclesiastical space affirming relationships.11 Many texts others focused concerns damage members.12 Some analysis reputational straight holding anti-homosexuality teachings.13 provided scientific debates.14All major contributions, still felt ground needed shift. Much desires morality certain acts. believe act/desires distinction useful. framing debate acts seems concede very terms developed culture—seeing “homosexuality” primarily “sexuality.” contrast, male-female occupied larger conceptual footprint built itself institutional acknowledgment fuller dimension. words, consider potential desideratum saving principle post-heterosexual theology, kind sex people having.Second, deep, structural theology difficult accommodate relationships. Answering “clobber texts” apologetic engagements wholly insufficient address deep ways heterosexual supremacy braided cosmos. morality, homosexuality, respectability head presumed reproductivity heavens. Legal effects questions reproduction. received wisdom reproduction Mormonism inseparably intertwined examining foundations emerged recent decades. interrogated “celestial reproduction” supposedly essential feature theology. argued evidence weak, alternative modes rooted heterosexuality tradition, adoption well-established replaced biological kinship.The next brief sealing ordinance. Both historically today, instead ritually marking opposed biological, nuclear family. Here too displace “sexuality” defining pointed care, commitment, covenant route non-heterosexual suggested centering practices bound conflict wide variety global practices. wider array contemporary relationships.Finally, “eternal gender” question, used transgender identity. link gender, inevitable concepts intimately difference. They only affirmed existence separate sex/genders based complementarian notions interdependence. Such views upheld superior somehow balanced complete. examine defined contrasting dominant view sex/gender concept contingent, expression timeless ideal. problem decontextualizing difference immutable greater reflection. Gender essentialism hold much philosophical credibility, least matched theologizing. Further, whether privileging human theology.My arguments experiment lay problems solved no matter answers, propose possible solutions those clear advocating correct, nor church leaders members should follow arguments. Rather, raise best stood explore strengths weaknesses.The finished appeared December 2011 dialoguejournal.com website. wasn't sure anyone read it. perfect sense who working poststructuralist thought, psychoanalysis, theory. Yet knew somewhat dense casual readers. editors Dialogue gently nudged tone down jargon, meant something say idiom immersed. Their advice probably right, am pleased barrier entry so high one could make heads tails misunderstandings seem strategic misrepresentation miscommunication, might differently now.My recollection anxiety going live. editing blogging ByCommonConsent.com announce there. innocuous title “Guest Post From Dialogue” went live 9, 2011. entry, introduction explaining significance offer model future connect mainstream finally, “suggest we less types building.”15 blog tepid post, burying lede. Still, post nearly hundred (mostly) comments generating attention article.Over following days, weeks, months, posts responding mentions Slate, Daily Beast, Times. Facebook another hub conversation shared praised widely. Kaimi Wegner wrote, “Holy cow. you seen Taylor Petrey's article? must-read.” Richard Livingston listserve: impressive aspect Taylor's isn't many insightful possibilities suggests—which does admirably—but raises, perhaps better, raises questions. . Sometimes clarifying can every bit illuminating discovery solution long-standing dilemma, illuminates true depth breadth scope essay. Thus, he asking right he's thought-provoking ways.I appreciative positive feedback readers.I learned over few Saint contexts assigned courses throughout North America sex, religion. One former advisors mentioned her classes “it through years.” Since possibly hundreds expressions gratitude friends, family, total strangers voicing concerns, giving them frameworks questions, creating conversation.Not positive. Several challenged ideas, sophistication others. three responses particularly important merit influence later events. small, capable community growing Joseph Spencer, expertise informed He letter posted website journal, “Taylor carefully executed, unmistakably informed, rightly concerned, entirely essay.” Spencer criticized doing “any actual constructing essay.”16 is, abandoning elements questioning teaching. tack briefly laying coherent. remain unpersuaded reformed either revisionist own. Spencer's holds promise coherent version brought thought.The form organized protest. Far-right activist Stephen Graham, founder Standard Liberty, anti-gay group, planned protest during conference slated speak University. theme Apostasy,” proceedings Oxford University Press Standing Apart. At 2012 conference, invited deliver Apostasy Christianity.17 day before event, Graham email list organization runs, called UtahsRepublic.org, advocates radical education.Graham known provocateur his radar. His Liberty protested BYU times. objected Honor Code change 2007 warned professors teaching “homosexualism” well “socialism” “anti-Americanism.”18 “an apostate” “written opposition eternal characteristic” “called homosexual sealings temples.” instructed individuals call president Cecil Samuelson “urgent” included copy wife Janice seeking de-platform warned: We represent like-minded subscription 8000. Petrey must speak, stands active doctrine, such apostate, on.Please respond let us intend matter.We will sending newsletter addressing thing speaker conferences direct doctrines.19I specific content on, immediately started. Provo night heard complaints presence day. distraught accusation, frustrated argument, bothered labeling not.BYU scrambling foisted last minute. On dean humanities, tasked President matter, meeting assess them. expressed reassured nothing said talk cover topics, among things. undercover officers stationed audience protection case led disruption event. delivered afterward man, able identify. grilled gave perspective help. Later year, speakers homosexuality.20The final response mention essay Cassler. noted above, entered debates making conservative practice. time, continued popular presentations essays.21 drawn responded Theology.” stunned online blog/journal ran SquareTwo.org. Summer (published September 2012) “Plato's Son, Augustine's Heir: ‘A Theology’?”22 “thoughtful thought-provoking,” (male) misogynistic “occult misogyny.” hurt personal attacks.Here logic argument. Celestial doctrine cannot changed makes women partners plan salvation. If reproduce value. option forward—in options—does rely women's reproductive role, themselves obsolete. “Women longer gods eternities, forth spirit children: indeed, need Heavenly Mother, or, earthly mothers,” wrote.23Her criticism selective misreading. laid scriptural precedents male-female, male-male, female-female creative nonreproductive generation. necessity male-male already whose importance self-evident. equivocated celestial reproduction.24 Cassler's reduces worth output argument.Cassler's relied feminists “parity” sexes notion differences. parity, equality, socially men egalitarian societies. don't object goals, enforced means achieving binary ontology Cassler uses sustain areas misrepresenting response. putting forward unitary erased differences male female. explicitly using pluralist reduce options: “To admit basis entail elimination require leveling toward androgynous Quite opposite. Instead, may proliferation ‘genders,’ constraints fantasies neat binary.”25 Hardly heir Augustinian ontology.I submitted reply privately. where agreed area disagreement, wrote: mischaracterize quotes word “absurd” quotation mine continuation actually said. never thing, it, divine female processes, quote offer. spend page discussing excluded creation our ritual textual accounts, dependency actors accounts. bodies messy, dirty, disgusting, contemptible, polluting, alone anything suggest “profound contempt female,” accuse doing. find accusation unfair said.The quietly correct errors, dismissive. week section comment held “under review” weeks response.Cassler source particular misreading project. I've considered serious cited such. expanding heavens allow non-binary anti-women anti-mixed-sex unconvincing. An expansion eliminate draws bigger circle allowed. sees egalitarianism diminishment oneself familiar grievance. Feminists recognize pattern well.These responses, others, pushed raised, fiercely disagreed First, receive readership outside small group scholars. Second, real contribution subject soon return projects. false assumptions. Processing reception, again again. Just account reparative therapy, role Mother play theology? engage broader philosophy religion me.In 2013 so, earnest “Rethinking Mormonism's Mother,” Theological Review 2016.26 hoped leading journals field appreciate grateful evaluation essay, tried tease taken theologies, circles. “Rethinking,” examined alongside philosophies insisted Woman importance, Luce Irigaray. “mother” central kinds tied understandings essentialism, complementarianism, imperative women. ontological assumptions competing schools thought: Allred.In constructive “generous orthodoxy.” within “orthodox” theologies resources solving compulsory heterosexuality. extend looked alternatives internal thought. won't rehearse detail here, thank atonement instances showed characters pointing problem, namely, singular women, imperfectly, clearly answering orthodoxy within. alleviate strain weakening therefore processes identification devotees figures. satisfactory far.27 criticism, clarified: “My caution