Step by Arduous Step…

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The Church has now posted a set of localized materials to their Mormon & Gay resource site. The materials translate the notice which was originally sent to local Church leadership in English-speaking areas of the Church; the Frequently Asked Questions section of the site; the Church Teachings section of the site; and the Same-sex Attraction gospel topics essay.

Additionally, a password-protected ministering resource is currently available for a sub-set of those languages: 中文, English, Français, Deutsch, Italiano, 日本語, 한국어, Português, Русский, and Español.

I’m disappointed that the resource is buried in a PDF on the English site. There is no indication that the notices—now having been translated into 30+ languages—have been sent to leaders who speak these languages. And a casual perusal of language-specific search results leads me to believe that these resources are still not available to members who rely on these sites.

So what we have is a resource that English-speaking members can send to their friends who speak these other languages—or that members who speak these other languages (with insider knowledge) can share with their compatriots. We don’t have resources that a French-speaking teen or a Spanish-speaking father will find in their desperate search for answers.

I don’t imagine that will change unless and until the entirety of the Mormon & Gay website is localized. Until then, non-English-speaking Saints will have to make-do.

Be a savior on Mount Zion: share these resources with Church members you know who speak these languages.

To my progressive friends: this isn’t what we’re all praying for—but for the 14-year-old in Colonia Juarez, it could be a life-saver… for the family in Côte d’Ivoire, it could be a game-changer.

Comments

  1. And for the 14-year-old in Colonia Juarez reading this month’s Liahona:

    “El matrimonio entre el hombre y la mujer es ordenado por Dios, pero el matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo es solo una falsificación; no conduce ni a la posteridad ni a la exaltación. Aunque sus imitaciones engañan a muchas personas, no son reales; no pueden brindar felicidad perdurable.”

  2. DCH, Thanks for this. I know it isn’t what you were hoping for, but I definitely agree that it’s a good step.

  3. D Christian Harrison says:

    MH: Yup. The beauty and bane of having a non-monolithic faith.

  4. DCH, I’m not mistaking your call to action for anything but a genuine display of your love for those most troubled, but as for myself, I’m far more comfortable encouraging those most affected/doubt-stricken by exclusionary policy that it’s OK to just remove themselves from the mixed signals, rather than encouraging them to try hard to tune out the condemnatory signal and only listen to the positive one.

  5. D Christian Harrison says:

    And that’s a perfect valid response to the sort of spiritual turmoil the Church effects in the lives of its queer members.

  6. Even though “there is no indication that the notices—now having been translated into 30+ languages—have been sent to leaders who speak these languages”, it is good to make it clear that these materials have indeed been sent to the non-English speaking leaders.
    In my ward, these resources have been discussed in the bishopric meeting. Yet it is true that an average member won’t likely find these resources.

  7. D Christian Harrison says:

    That’s wonderful, Niklas… what language does your ward speak? How were you notified? When?

  8. I’m Finnish. As you noted, these materials are translations of an official letter. The procedure for such communication is standard: the letter is send directly to bishops and stake presidents. It also appears in the Official Communication Library that bishoprics and stake presidencies have access to. Lately I, as a clerk, have also been receiving (at least some of) the communication directly to my email. I remember seeing this material in English in the Official Communication Library. I don’t recall exactly when the translation was send, but the delay for receiving it was typical for translation.

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