Episode 632: Stephen Monsen, Age 26, Gay Latter-day Saint

Listen, Learn & Love Hosted by Richard Ostler

Richard Ostler

Religion & Spirituality

4.8 • 839 Ratings

🗓️ 11 April 2023

⏱️ 73 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

My friend Stephen Monsen (Richfield Utah native, Wichita Kansas RM) joins us to bravely share his story. Stephen divides his story into four parts: The early years: Figuring out at age 17 he is gay and the immense shame he felt about his attractions. College freshman year: Intense loneliness, depression, some self-harm and coming out to this Bishop (good experience). Stephen talks about how his second semester was much better and turning in his mission papers. Mission: Stephen talks about his mission experience including serving others, companion experiences, improving his relationship with Heavenly Father, and coming out to his Mission President (good experience). He also talks about how the mission helped him accept being gay. Post Mission: Coming out to family (good experience), working with Heavenly Father to figure out his future, what he would know say to his 17-year-old self. I was deeply moved listening to Stephen and his deep maturity, his courage, and his desire to help others. I am so glad I felt impressed to reach out to Stephen to share his story. If you are LGBTQ or working to better support a LGBTQ friend or family member, this episode will help you. Thank you, Stephen, for sharing your story. It will help so many. You have a great life ahead of you. Podcast Links: Ministering to LGBTQ Latter-day Saints Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1433556613672143 Richard Ostler Book: Embracing LGBTQ Latter-day Saints: Deseret Book: www.deseretbook.com/p/listen-learn-and-love-embracing-lgbtq-latter-day-saints Amazon: www.amazon.com/dp/1462135773

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome listeners to another episode of Listen, Learn, and Love hosted by Richard Osler.
0:09.3	I'm so used to saying that line.
0:12.1	At first, I couldn't even get the Listen, Learn, and Love in the right order, listeners,
0:15.5	and we're doing these three years ago.
0:17.7	Now that just comes pretty natural to me as we're in our 600 some odd episodes.
0:23.2	And as I've said before, it's not really much about me. It's about the guests that bravely step
0:27.3	forward and share their story. That's what drives this podcast. And I had no idea that this
0:33.5	would be where the direction the podcast would take us when we first started.
0:38.8	And it was episode four that I invited an LGBT-Q-Latter-Dy saint on the podcast,
0:43.3	and that's really the direction we've gone, as well as other Latter-day Saints,
0:47.5	stepping forward to share their stories.
0:49.9	But today we'll hear from a gay Latter-day Saint who's just joining the many that are willing to share his story.
0:56.3	And we say a prayer before we start and just recognize how much courage it takes and how brave these guests are.
1:06.0	And once in a while I get a message.
1:07.6	I got a message in the last couple weeks from a young man,
1:11.4	closet young man, high school age kid, and he said, you know, your guests on your podcast are
1:16.5	keeping me alive. I am not out to anybody. I put my headphones in at night. No one knows what I'm
1:22.6	listening to, except I'm listening to your guests. And they are giving me hope for my future.
1:29.4	So there may be some of you listening right now that are in that boat.
1:34.2	And I'm honored that somebody like Stephen Monson, who is stepping forward to share his story,
1:40.3	is on the podcast.
1:41.9	So welcome to the podcast, Stephen.
	...

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