My non-member friend asked me:
If I become a Mormon, does that mean I can’t talk to my gay brother?
You absolutely do not have to give up a relationship with your brother if you join the Church.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that marriage between a man and woman is ordained of God. Our Heavenly Father organized this world and set us here on the earth with the hopes that we would form family units, multiply and replenish the earth, and bring up our children with both a mother and a father, as much as this is possible. We are taught that men and women complete each other, and can fulfill their divine potential much more easily together than apart. The Church does frown on homosexuality because we believe God frowns on it. For those persons who have same-gender attraction, it is counseled that they control those urges rather than act on them.
This being the stance of the Church, it doesn’t mean, however, that you have to walk away from your brother. There is nothing in Church doctrine that says we must stop associating from everyone who lives differently than we do. If that were the case, we’d never get to leave our homes! We are a family-oriented church. Families are of utmost importance to us. You will never be asked to disown a family member. As we discussed earlier, if one of your loved ones apostatizes, you will be counseled not to enter into religious debates with them, but your family belongs to you. You don’t have to give it up, unless you make that decision yourself based on possible detrimental relationships. Unless that happens, however, you can continue to have your previous loving relationship without worry that it will infringe on your membership in the Church.
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