Do you think the church is going to make a big change about queer people, the way they did about polygamy or black people? And if so, when do you think that change will happen?
Regarding polygamy, the rest of the United States opposed polygamy. While the majority of the church supported polygamy, it became too difficult to continue in opposition to the nation.
For a long time, the United States was split in regards to Black people and their rights, but the Civil Rights movement of the 1960's transformed the country. US laws protecting the rights of racial & ethnic minorities didn't exempt religious institutions and put the LDS Church in a difficult place. Also, the shift in popular opinion about race-based restrictions that took place in the nation were also reflected in the church membership. While I don't know of polling from that time, it seems many, probably most, wanted the church to change as it had become embarrassing to belong to a church with such race-based restrictions.
Regarding queer people, the United States is still split but has definitely moved to be favorable towards gay people while not so for trans individuals. While laws in favor of queer rights now exist, they usually include carve outs for religious institutions.
Based on the first two examples, it seems if the nation is against the LDS Church then eventually it will make a major change to something they had once considered fundamental. But as long as the LDS Church is part of a broader cultural coalition fighting against gay and trans rights, I think it's very unlikely the church will voluntarily make major changes. Some of the changes the church has made regarding gay members were done because 20+ years of research disproved the theories put forth by church leaders for why people are gay or whether it is a choice or if gay people can change to be straight.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a conservative institution and unlikely to take the lead, but as the nation continues to shift and those opinions are also reflected in the membership, eventually the church may make changes. With a growing percentage of membership located outside of the United States, it could be that international attitudes also will affect if and when the church changes but in the countries where most of the membership lives the majority favor legalized gay marriage and other rights.
The last polling I can find about the attitude of Latter-day Saints in the United States on LGBTQ topics is from 2021 by the PRRI.
46% of Latter-day Saints support letting same-sex couples marry legally. In 2011, only 23% approved, so that marks a doubling of support. Nationwide about 70% of people say they support gay marriage.
84% of Latter-day Saints support nondiscrimination laws for LGBTQ people, that's up from 72% in 2015 (2015 was the year of the Utah compromise and may be why support is so high). 79% support of Americans support nondiscrimination.
Only 44% of Mormons think small business owners should be allowed to refuse products or services to gay and lesbian people if doing so violates their religious beliefs. That's up from 38% in 2015 but well behind the national average of 66% which oppose allowing such discrimination.
The Pew Research Center's polling shows support for gay marriage in the United States is at 63% in 2023, which may reflect different polling methods from PRRI and also may reflect the massive Republican effort to rollback LGBTQ rights.
In the nations where most Mormons live, gay marriage is generally supported
US support is 63% in 2023 (Pew Research Center)
Mexico support is 63% in 2023 (Pew Research Center)
Brazil support is 52% in 2023 (Pew Research Center)
Philippines support is 22% in 2018 (SWS)
Peru is 36% in 2024 (Ipsos)
Chile is 77% in 2024 (Cadem)
Argentina is 67% in 2023 (Pew Research Center)
Guatamala is 23% in 2017 (AmericasBarometer)
Ecuador is 23% in 2019 (AmericasBarometer)
Nigeria is 2% in 2023 (Pew Research Center)
blakekathryn
vaporwave
discoholicmusic
stormborns
andulkaphoto
titsay
germansingergirl
pixelskylines
origamiaround
