page_title: Homosexuality and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
section_title: Mixed-orientation marriage
hierarchical_section_title: Homosexuality and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints / Mixed-orientation marriage
caption_attribution_description: Español: Intercambio de anillos entre los novios
context_page_description: The law of chastity of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints states that "sexual relations are proper only between a man and a woman who are legally and lawfully wedded as husband and wife." In principle, this commandment forbids all same-sex sexual behavior. Homosexuality-related violations of the law of chastity may result in church discipline.
  Members of the church who experience homosexual attractions, including those who self-identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual, may remain in good standing in the church if they abstain from sexual relations. Although no one, including those participating in same-sex sexual behavior, is forbidden from LDS Church Sunday worship services, acquiring and maintaining membership in the church and receiving a temple recommend is dependent upon observing the law of chastity's prohibition of sexual relationships outside a marital relationship between husband and wife.
  The LDS Church previously taught that homosexuality is a curable condition, but now states that "individuals do not choose to have such attractions."
context_section_description: Many gay and lesbian members of the LDS Church have felt that they should marry someone of the opposite sex because of the church's emphasis on marriage. Evergreen director David Pruden was quoted as stating in 2002 that 40% of the approximately 150 callers requesting help each month on their hotline were Mormon men married to women, and distressed about their homosexual attractions. Additionally, a 2004 publication quoted Family Services statistics which showed that about half of the approximately 400 gay Mormon men they had seen as clients for over a year during the past 30 years were married, though only half of those were able to stay married.
  The church teaches that heterosexual marriage is one of several requirements for afterlife entry into the "highest degree of glory" in the celestial kingdom. Church leaders previously encouraged this, with one former church employee stating in 1986 that he had experienced pressure to marry at the age of 24 in the belief that it would change his homosexual feelings, later resulting in a divorce. Leaders have stated that those who do not have an opportunity to be married in this life have been promised that they will have an opportunity to do so in the afterlife Leaders have said that homosexual attractions will not continue past death, and that if the individual is faithful in this life, they will receive every blessing in the eternities, including eternal marriage.
  The most recent statement by a general church leader as of 2015 was when the apostle Oaks stated that leaders "definitely do not recommend marriage as a solution for same-gender feelings. No, it’s not a therapy. In times past, decades ago, there were some practices to that effect. We have eradicated them in the Church now." Another current mention is in the church website on homosexuality which features a gay man married to a straight woman.
  Other teachings include when in 1984 Hinckley (then in the First Presidency) had stated that "marriage should not be viewed as a therapeutic step to solve problems such as homosexual inclinations or practices ...." Oaks had also previously stated in 2007 that marriages should not be entered under false pretenses and that doing so can damage the lives of others. Church leaders are warned that encouraging members to cultivate heterosexual feelings generally leads to frustration and discouragement. Previously, the church had taught that it was possible to overcome same-sex feelings and that heterosexual feelings can emerge once an individual ceases any same-sex sexual activity. Oaks did state in 2007, however, that marriage would be appropriate for a man attracted to men who had "shown their ability to deal with these feelings or inclinations and put them in the background, and feel a great attraction for a daughter of God and therefore desire to enter marriage and have children and enjoy the blessings of eternity." Several gay LDS men reported being able to maintain a heterosexual marriage in 2007.
caption: LDS leaders have stated that opposite-sex marriage should not be viewed as a therapeutic step for members physically attracted to those of the same sex.[87][86]
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