Mormon Church imposes restrictions on transgender members

The Mormon Church is restricting transgender members from holding key roles in the church and even barring them from working with youth as part of a fresh wave of new anti-trans policies announced on Aug. 19.

Section 38.6.23 of the church’s policies and guidelines stipulate that only individuals who “do not pursue surgical, medical, or social transition away from their biological sex may enjoy all the privileges of Church membership.”

Individuals who do take one of those actions will see their membership status restricted, preventing them from “receiving or exercising the priesthood, receiving or using a temple recommend, and serving in some Church callings,” the policies state. The guidelines further bar transgender individuals from fulfilling gender-specific roles, working as teachers, or working with children or youth.

Transgender individuals will not be allowed to stay overnight at youth camps and can only use single-occupancy restrooms at church facilities. When a transgender person uses the bathroom, a “trusted person” must be outside of the bathroom to prevent others from entering, according to the Associated Press.

Those who do transition are allowed to attend sacrament meetings and participate “in many other ways,” the policies state, and individuals and their families are encouraged to discuss church participation with their local church leader.

The policy shift comes five years after the church announced it would allow children of LGBTQ couples to be baptized and would no longer view gay couples as “apostates,” or people who drift away from church teaching. Still, it was clear at the time that the church had reservations about LGBTQ individuals. In that 2019 announcement, the church described same-sex marriages as “a serious transgression” and same-sex sexual activity as sinful.

A Mormon LGBTQ group known as Affirmations: LGBTQ Mormons, Families, and Friends issued a lengthy statement decrying the “painful impact” of the new policies.

“Rather than seek to better understand, include, and affirm transgender individuals who are also Latter-day Saints, leaders of the Church have opted to further restrict these members’ ability to participate,” the statement said. “While these changes specifically impact individuals who have socially or medically transitioned, all are affected by the messages conveyed in these policies, which reject authentic experience and identity.”

The statement emphasized that transgender individuals, until this point, were able to gain respect throughout the church — but now the latest updates “reduce the hope that the gender identities of transgender members will be respected…”  The statement also criticized the church’s policy for encouraging trans members to detransition as the only way to regain full membership in the church.

“We hope that God will yet reveal better for our transgender siblings,” the statement said. “Until then, Affirmation: LGBTQ Mormons, Families and Friends remains committed to creating worldwide communities of safety, love, and hope, fully inclusive and affirming of all sexual orientations, gender identities, beliefs, and relationships with the Church. We love you. We are here for you.”