The Mormon Church Is Supporting Same-Gender Marriage

The Mormon church has come out in support of the marriage equality bill.

On Tuesday, November 15, the Church of the Latter-Day Saints posted to its website a statement that says, “The doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints related to marriage between a man and a woman is well known and will remain unchanged. We are grateful for the continuing efforts of those who work to ensure the Respect for Marriage Act includes appropriate religious freedom protections while respecting the law and preserving the rights of our LGBTQ brothers and sisters. We believe this approach is the way forward. As we work together to preserve the principles and practices of religious freedom together with the rights of LGBTQ individuals, much can be accomplished to heal relationships and foster greater understanding.”

Despite emphasizing their belief that marriage is between a man and a woman, the church has stated their clear support of the Respect For Marriage Act. This is a massive change from 2008 when the Mormon church was some of the foremost opponents to same-gender marriage. Proposition 8, which banned same-gender marriage in California, had 52% of voters in favor of the measure. Mormons made up a percentage of that, with The New York Times writing that they played an “extraordinary role.”

The support of the church probably is due to the fact that the revised version of the Respect for Marriage Act has extensive protections for religious freedom. The bill states that “Nothing in this Act, or any amendment made by this Act, shall be construed to diminish or abrogate a religious liberty or conscience protection otherwise available to an individual or organization under the Constitution of the United States or Federal law.” The bill does not legalize polygamous marriages. The bill also does not force religious entities to provide services to same-gender couples.