Episode 685: Lila Ellsworth (Age 19, Gay) and her Mother Gina

Listen, Learn & Love Hosted by Richard Ostler

Richard Ostler

Religion & Spirituality

4.8 • 839 Ratings

🗓️ 21 August 2023

⏱️ 82 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

My friends Lila and Gina Ellsworth join us to share their story. Lila (Film major at the University of Utah, plays on the women’s hockey team, from Gilbert AZ) shares her journey trying to understand her sexual orientation—a journey that started in middle school. Lila talks about praying on how to navigate this road, turning to podcasts to hear other stories, coming out to a friend and then her mother Gina. She also shares her original journal entries to help us understand her road to love and accept herself. Lila talks about all the pain and shame for her feelings—feelings she has no control over and how others helped her feel normal. Lila talks about coming out to her mother and how her mother’s loves and supports Lila—and her heart of love seeing “all the pain Lila is feeling.” Gina shares the suicidal feelings that Lila was experiencing and her heartache and love for her. Lila then talks about a coming out to her dad Matt and his support and then extended family (with her seminary teacher helping her on the letter). I am so grateful for Lila’s courage to be open about her orientation and to share her story on the podcast—her story will give others hope in their journey. I’m grateful for Gina for also being on the podcast and her insights for LDS parents on how to love, understand, and support their queer children. This is a beautiful family love story—love the Ellsworth family—sharing your story helps so many. Links: Ministering to LGBTQ Latter-day Saints Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/1433556613672143 Richard Ostler Book: Embracing LGBTQ Latter-day Saints: Deseret Book: deseretbook.com/p/listen-learn-and-love-embracing-lgbtq-latter-day-saints?variant_id=189035-paperback Amazon: amazon.com/dp/1462135773 Index of Podcasts: listenlearnandlove.org/podcasts

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome listeners to another episode of Listen, Learn, and Love, hosted by Richard Osler.
0:10.0	Our guest on today's podcast is in our home, along with her mother.
0:15.5	Welcome, Lila and Gina Ellsworth.
0:20.5	Thank you.
0:22.6	This good family is from Gilbert, Arizona.
0:28.0	Gina, the mom, has two kids.
0:30.1	She's a convert, the church from Boston,
0:32.4	and they have raised their children along with her husband and Gilbert.
0:36.4	Lila, who is going to share
0:37.7	her story as a gay Latter-day Saint, is 19, recently graduated from high school, and then
0:45.4	spent a year at the University of Utah. Shout up to the University of Utah, my alma mater,
0:51.3	and the team I still cheer for mostly.
0:56.2	I'm pursuing because of the wonderful film program at the University of Utah and also interest in hockey.
1:03.6	This is really brave of Lila to share her story.
1:06.5	She's one of our youngest guests at 19.
1:10.0	And as I read her outline, I was just moved by her maturity,
1:14.8	her thoughtfulness, her relationship with Heavenly Father, her journey to understand her
1:19.6	sexual orientation. She's going to share some journal entries from years ago. She's trying to
1:24.8	figure this out. She was alone trying to figure this out.
1:29.0	Like a lot of younger Latter-day Saints, not quite sure who she should talk to and how she
1:34.0	should navigate this.
1:35.1	And podcasts became helpful for her.
	...

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