The LDS Church invited Dustin Lance Black, Bruce Bastian, and other GLBT activists to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir concert tonight.
Dustin Lance Black is the screenwriter who won an Oscar for his film, "MILK".
Bruce Bastian was married in the LDS temple, served a mission, and after coming out, decided to leave the Church. He is now a social activist for the rights of GLBT people everywhere.
This is pretty cool that the Church invited them to the annual Christmas program.
Is the Church making progress? Was this a publicity stunt?
What do you guys think?
Looks like a PhotoShop composite to me with that great group of gays in the foreground having been shot in bright sunlight and placed in front of an indoor shot of the conference center. Where'd you get the image(s)?
ReplyDeleteIf it is real, I don't know quite to make of it. PR stunt? Why? It's confusing, but I can always hope for signs of hands being extended...
ReplyDeleteMy first reaction was, "oh that's great!" But after stewing on it for a while, I've decided this a meaningless gesture. The church can say, "Look at us! We're so tolerant and loving! We even gave them front row seats to our Christmas concert!"
ReplyDeleteNever mind that one month from now they'll be sounding another clarion call about how gay relationships "do violence to traditional marriage." The church does a great job of telling gay people that they are loved. Sadly their actions convey (to steal a word from Moho Hawaii) something more along the lines of animus.
I agree the photo looks Photoshopped, but a little FB sleuthing shows that it is apparently a mobile upload from Dustin Lance Black, so seems bona fide. I also recognize Trevor Southey on the far right, he's a well-known gay ex-Mormon artist.
ReplyDeleteTo the extent this obvious PR gesture represents some actual good faith effort toward more harmonious relations, it's a good thing. Any effort to build understanding and peaceful co-existence is good. But until the Church makes some fundamental doctrinal changes, all such efforts will remain subject to criticism that they're just putting lipstick on a pig.
It is an item on Dustin's FaceBook page...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.facebook.com/dustin.l.black
I'm gonna give them the benefit of the doubt and assume that the church is actually extending an olive branch here (especially considering Bastian and Black's participation in the film "8: The Mormon Proposition").
ReplyDeleteIt was also gracious of them to accept and attend.
So, I'll applaud the church and hope that they can follow this up with the appropriate actions to show that it wasn't just a PR stunt.
This makes me happy.
ReplyDeleteI agree with genio and Rob. You don't invite the highest profile Moho's to the biggest Temple square event of the year and have it not be for PR in some fashion. I gave the church the benefit of the doubt for 24 years too long. If there is one thing I've learned they will do anything, ANYTHING, to keep the righteous image of the Mormon Corporation untarnished. Don't want all that squeaky clean feel good, family oriented branding and marketing to be a waste.
ReplyDeleteWhat would have been a more significant moment is if they had made an open invite for all of the LGBT community and not just the ones more in the public circle often speaking out against the church.