Episode 639: Emily Evans, Lesbian Latter-day Saint, RM, Mid-20’s

Listen, Learn & Love Hosted by Richard Ostler

Richard Ostler

Religion & Spirituality

4.8 • 839 Ratings

🗓️ 2 May 2023

⏱️ 76 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

My friend Emily Evans (UVU grad, San Antonio/Austin, RM, plans to marry her girlfriend) joins us to share her story. Emily talks about her years prior to her mission trying to figure out her sexuality. Part of that journey was being in a relationship with her boyfriend and also falling in love with a female friend. Emily talks about the difference in these experiences helping to clarify her sexuality. She talks about the support from both her straight boyfriend and her straight female friend and how they were both open to this conversation. During this time Emily came out to some friends and family (good experience). Emily then talks about her decision to serve a mission and her desire to live a life of celibacy. She talks about her positive mission experience and glad she served. Emily then talks about life after her mission and rethinking her plans to be celibate and instead consider dating women. Emily talks about falling in love and hopes for their upcoming wedding. Emily talks about her love and support for her LDS family and their love and support to Emily. It is a good example of keeping the family circle together in our differences. I also share some of my thoughts on how I hope we treat people who separate themselves from the Church and how I hope they treat us in return. The Evans family is a wonderful example of this. Thank you, Emily, for sharing your story. You have a wonderful 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.
0:08.8	My guest on today's podcast is my friend that I met about a year and a half ago and we talked
0:13.9	about doing a podcast, and now we're doing it. Emily Evans, welcome to the podcast.
0:19.4	Thank you. I'm happy to be here.
0:21.8	Emily Evans graduated from UVU with a psychology degree. She lives in Salt Lake City.
0:28.3	She's a return missionary. She served in Texas. She was in the San Antonio mission,
0:32.8	and then that mission got split, just the very last part of her mission. And she was part of the new Austin mission.
0:40.9	And I love both of those cities.
0:42.5	So I guess you have dual mission citizenship.
0:45.9	You're the graduate of two missions.
0:49.2	And you spoke English in Texas.
0:51.7	And she's going to share her story as a gay Latter-day Saint. It's going to be a
0:56.9	journey trying to figure out if she's by or gay. If she likes guys, it doesn't. She's in her
1:02.2	20s. She's in a position now or she's in a long-term relationship with a woman and not fully
1:08.8	participating in the church, probably not going to church
1:11.3	at all. She's respectful of the church. She has a very active family. She's glad they're in the
1:16.6	church and they're supportive of her. And so some people say, why do you do a podcast as somebody's
1:21.6	not active in the church? And it's a good question. I want to reduce the divisiveness that sometimes exist between people and where they are or not
1:32.1	are in relation to our church. And we're all the same human family. And we honor agency. And I think we
1:37.9	should be as kind to people considering joining our church as we are to compete people that perhaps
1:42.7	have stepped away from the church and let's preserve
1:44.8	the relationship, let's honor their agency, let's leave judgment at the feet of our Savior and just
	...

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