LogFAQs > #976235685

Nirvanas_Nox posted...

Brandon Sanderson but he's an absolute s*** person. Homophobic and he lives right here in utah.

From what I've gleaned from online literary communities over the years is he isn't homophobic (though may have been at one point in his life?). A quick google returned this, but I don't know enough about the man or his works to know if he's being sincere.

I am a practicing and faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As part of that, I support the leaders of the church, accept them as my spiritual advisors, and believe they are led by God.

That said, on the position of gay rights, I find my own beliefs more liberal than the general tenor of the church. Over the years, through interaction with wonderfully patient members of the LGBTQ+ community, I think Ive come a long way.

My current stance is one of unequivocable support for LGBTQ+ rights. I support gay marriage. I support trans rights, the rights of non-binary people, and I support the rights of trans people to affirm their own identity with love and support. I support anti-discrimination legislation, and have voted consistently along these lines for the last fifteen years. I am marking the posting of this FAQ item, at the encouragement of several of my LGBTQ+ fans, with a sizable donation to the Utah Pride Center and another to The OUT Foundation.

How do I reconcile this belief of mine with the teachings of the church? Well, I believe one of the purposes of our life on this planet is to grow, learn, mature, and understand. Even Christ learned measure by measure. I think the church itself has made great strides in the past years: it has come out against conversion therapy. It has begun allowing a trans persons preferred name to be noted on their records and used in church meetings. It has supported the Respect for Marriage Act in the United States.

...

I put LGBTQ+ people into my books, and will continue to do so. Not because I want to fulfill a quota, but because I genuinely believe that it is right for the charactersand is a good and important thing for me to be doing. God created LGBTQ+ people in this world; to ignore such an important aspect of His creation would be to deny, in some small way, Him.

- Brandon Sanderson