Episode 895: Kelsey Wells, Gay Latter-day Saint, Upcoming Same-Sex Marriage

Listen, Learn & Love Hosted by Richard Ostler

Richard Ostler

Religion & Spirituality

4.7 • 855 Ratings

🗓️ 22 May 2026

⏱️ 66 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

My friend Kelsey Well (who was on Episode 815) joins us to update her story. Kelsey (former EFY counselor and seminary teacher, active Latter-day Saint)—who broke off an engagement to a man realizing it wasn’t right which she talked about in her prior episode—talks about falling in love with Christina and their upcoming marriage. Kelsey also shares their desire to remain active members of their ward. In this episode Kelsey talks about: Her relationship with God and the Church What her relationship with her fiancé has shaped the way she sees faith, love, and her future. Navigating the pressure she sometimes feels from either side to “pick a line”—either leave the Church or deny part of herself How being an active LGBTQ Latter-day Saint looks like. What she wishes church members better understood about LGBTQ people who choose to stay active in the Church. What she says to someone who feels they have to choose between being loved by God and being fully themselves. Kelsey talks about how they plan to stay connect to the Temple that they love. Once married—and no longer having recommends—they talk about to being in the temple waiting room and doing family history. Thank you Kelsey for your courage to move forward in the path that you feel is right for you. I honor your personal revelation, will walk with you, and leave judgement to our Savior as His perfect understanding. I hope and pray you and Christina are warmly received in your ward—and you feel a deep sense of belonging as you worship. Links: Instagram: @kelswayan Episode 815: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-815-kelsey-wells-mid-20s-child-of-god-gay/id1347971725?i=1000698209691 Email: behappi208@gmail.com

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, welcome listeners to another episode of Listen, Learn, and Love, hosted by Richard Osler.
0:09.7	My guest on today's podcast, joining me via Zoom, is a returning podcast guest.
0:16.3	Welcome to the podcast, Kelsey Wells.
0:19.3	Thank you. I am so excited to be back. We're glad to have you back.
0:24.0	And Kelsey Wells was on episode 815. That was released March 6th of 2025. We're recording this
0:32.7	episode in May of 2026, so that's roughly 14 months later.
0:38.3	Let me read a little bit from, as an introduction from her first episode.
0:43.0	She grew up in Idaho, lives in Utah, former EFY counselor, seminary teacher,
0:48.5	active in her award, joins us to share her stories of Gay Lauderdie Saint.
0:53.4	Part of that story is, I'll read this,
0:56.5	Kelsey talks about ignoring the red flags of becoming engaged to a man because of her desire
1:03.5	to get married and having a family text. Kelsey talks about being in the temple and to see
1:10.8	they're sharing some thoughts that gave her clarity and the courage to end her relationship or her engagement in that case.
1:18.4	So Kelsey just bravely in episode 815 shared her story as a gay Lauderdie saint, making her way forward, trying to make it work with a man, staying active in the
1:28.9	Lord, staying close with their heavenly parents and the Savior. And in that podcast, she just didn't lay
1:34.3	a stick in the ground and say, this is my future. So many of my queer guests don't know their
1:39.5	future, especially in their 20s or teens or early 30s because they haven't really hit these forks in the road.
1:47.1	And so I didn't push Kelsey to say, well, tell us about the next 60 years and how that's going to work.
1:52.6	But now Kelsey has more clarity on her future.
1:56.8	Kelsey is engraged to Christina.
1:59.5	Congratulations from all of us, Kelsey, that you and Christine have met each other.
2:04.0	You've been dating for about 18 months, and you're being married, I believe, later this summer of 2026.
	...

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