Why Are Mormons Opposed to LGBTQ Rights?
Answer Capsule
Latter-day Saints oppose certain LGBTQ rights claims because those claims often conflict with core doctrines about gender, marriage, and the purpose of family life. The Church teaches that gender is an eternal characteristic given by God, not a social construct. Marriage is defined as the union of a man and a woman, and family life formed through that union is central to God’s plan for humanity. Because families are believed to be eternal and essential to becoming like God, teachings or laws that redefine gender or marriage are understood as incompatible with those eternal purposes.
Doctrine Explained
According to Latter-day Saint doctrine, human life has a divine purpose. God is understood as a glorified, embodied being who lives in eternal family relationships. Human beings are His spirit children, sent to earth to gain physical bodies, form families, and grow to become like Him.
Gender is central to this purpose. The Church teaches that being male or female is an eternal identity that existed before mortal life and continues after death. Gender is not viewed as interchangeable or self-defined, but as part of God’s design for human growth and family creation.
Marriage between a man and a woman is taught as the only setting ordained by God for sexual relations and the creation of families. Children are meant to be born into and raised within this family structure. These families are believed to continue after death, not dissolve at the end of mortal life.
Because of this framework, teachings or policies that redefine marriage, deny the eternal nature of gender, or detach family formation from male-female relationships are seen as incompatible with God’s plan as Latter-day Saints understand it.
Scriptural and Official Sources
The foundational statement of this doctrine is The Family: A Proclamation to the World, issued by the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1995. It teaches that gender is eternal, marriage is between a man and a woman, and family life is central to God’s plan.
Latter-day Saint scripture teaches that God’s work is to bring about the eternal life of His children, which includes family relationships that continue beyond death. This purpose is outlined in Moses 1:39.
The Church’s official explanation of same-sex attraction clarifies that experiencing such attraction is not considered sinful, but acting on it sexually is inconsistent with Church teachings on marriage and morality. See the Church’s Gospel Topics entry on Same-Sex Attraction.
Why Latter-day Saints Believe This
Latter-day Saints believe these doctrines because they view family relationships as the primary way God teaches His children to love, sacrifice, create, and govern righteously. Eternal families are not symbolic but literal continuations of mortal relationships.
In this belief system, God is not an abstract force but a personal being who lives in a perfected family relationship. Becoming like God therefore requires learning to form and sustain families according to divine patterns.
Opposition to certain LGBTQ rights claims is not rooted in hostility toward individuals, but in a desire to preserve what Latter-day Saints believe to be eternal truths about human identity, family, and divine progression.
As society embraces these views as cultural norms, more people are inclined to identify with or associate with LGBTQ identities, which, in Latter-day Saint belief, prevents individuals from living their full divine potential, a potential believed to be realized only through marriage between a man and a woman.
Clarifying Common Misunderstandings
This belief is sometimes misunderstood as hatred or fear of LGBTQ individuals. Latter-day Saints do not believe that experiencing same-sex attraction or gender dysphoria makes a person sinful or less loved by God.
Latter-day Saints do not believe that civil kindness, legal protections from violence, or basic human dignity should be denied to anyone. The doctrinal disagreement centers on redefining marriage, gender, and family, not on rejecting individuals.
They believe that all should be love, respected, and everyone is welcome to LDS meetings regardless of gender association.
Faithful Affirmation
Latter-day Saints affirm that God’s plan for families is eternal and purposeful. They believe His design for gender and marriage reflects divine wisdom that extends beyond mortal life.