The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) has introduced a slew of new policies further restricting trans Mormons’ involvement in their faith communities, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.
On Monday, the church released the latest version of its General Handbook, which serves as a comprehensive book of church policies for members, per an official press release. The newest handbook reiterates the church’s stance that a person’s assigned sex at birth is “an essential characteristic in Heavenly Father’s plan of happiness” while insisting that the Church “does not take a position” on gender dysphoria.
The revised rules clarify that Church ordinances (the LDS Church’s term for sacred ceremonies like baptism, confirmation, and ordination) are only available to people who receive them based on their assigned sex at birth and haven’t transitioned in any way, including socially.
Laurie Lee Hall, a former church leader who was excommunicated from the LDS Church in 2017 for being a trans woman told the Salt Lake Tribune that the revisions are “egregious and onerous,” adding that, “We’re in a far worse place than we were yesterday.”
“Worthy individuals who do not pursue surgical, medical, or social transition away from their biological sex at birth may be baptized and confirmed,” the handbook reads, noting that anyone seeking an exception to this rule must obtain approval from the First Presidency, the LDS Church’s highest governing body. However, even if the First Presidency approves said member’s baptism and confirmation, they still won’t be able to receive or perform ordinances or act as a church leader — which is known as the “priesthood” and limited to cis men. They also would not be eligible to receive a “temple recommend” — which indicates that the bearer is a worthy church member — if they’ve transitioned.
Alternatively, the revisions state, the Church permits individuals who have transitioned “back to their biological sex at birth and are worthy and committed to keeping God’s commandments” to be eligible for baptism and confirmation.
Another new policy states that Mormons who have medically, surgically, or socially transitioned are barred from being teachers, working with children, or fulfilling gender-specific positions in their congregation. The LDS Church defines social transition as “intentionally identifying and presenting oneself as other than one’s biological sex at birth, and may include changing dress, grooming, names, or pronouns.”
The revisions also have new guidelines for bathroom access for trans and nonbinary Mormons. According to church guidelines, members who have transitioned should use single-occupancy bathrooms if possible. Otherwise, they must use the restroom that corresponds with their assigned sex at birth but not their current gender, or choose the latter option with another church member present to keep other members out while they do so.
When it comes to LGBTQ+ issues, the Mormon Church has made incremental progress in recent years, such as announcing its support for the Respect for Marriage Act bill and rolling back a 2015 policy that prohibited children from same-sex couples from church traditions like baptism and missionary service.
Still, the LDS Church’s General Handbook isn’t inclusive of members of the LGBTQ+ community in general. Same-sex couples, marriage, and relations are viewed as violations of the Lord’s law of chastity, which only permits sex in a marriage between a cis man and cis woman. Church policy also instructs members who attend LDS Church meetings to “avoid disruptions or distractions,” which includes “speaking of sexual orientation or other personal characteristics in a way that detracts from meetings.”
None of these rules change the fact that many young Mormons are members of the LGBTQ+ community. A June 2021 study published in the faith-focused publication Religion News Service (RNS) surveyed over 3,800 self-identifying members of the LDS Church and found that a full 23% of Gen Z respondents identify as something other than heterosexual.
