I have a few friends who belong to the North Star - and other related - Facebook groups. I have also stalked these pages a time or two. Which means, I'll get sponsored ads on my feed from said groups. Recently, I've seen ads for the Reconciling Faith and Feelings Conference in Utah. Apparently, it's this weekend. (And goes from 9am to 6pm. Sheesh. What a waste of a Saturday.) But one thing stood out to me. The people in the flyer (or is it flier?) are so.... pretty. Young, attractive, clean-cut, good-looking men and women. (And then there are a few old dudes tossed in just for grins.) Here is the flyer in question:
I'm not going to assume this is the actual demographic that will attend the conference, but I will assume the following. (This is where the humor part comes in, please bear with me.) :-)
I assume this is how the meeting between the Faith & Feelings Committee and graphic designer went:
Member of committee: Ok, let's build a flyer for this thing so we can get tons of people to come!
The key word is -- PRETTY! Use one of the cute girls as the spotlight, because we gotta get these single gay guys attracted to the ladies!
Make sure everyone looks so happy (especially the wives), despite all their "struggles."
Go ahead and put in David Mathe$on so he can $$promote$$ hi$ Center for Gender Wholene$$, and while you're at it, to$$ in a couple other therapi$t$ a$ well.
Make sure everyone is against gay marriage. (Sorry Josh Weed, guess you didn't make the cut.)
Don't forget Ty Mansfield, because he just screams pretty.
Just remember: stick with the "pretty" and "happy" theme.
Perfect teeth is vital.
And with whatever space you have left, add the old dudes.
Pop in Moroni and you're done!
Yep. That's exactly how that meeting went. :)
My attempt at being funny is just a sidetrack from a future serious post of how groups and meetings like these are damaging to gay Mormon youth and men/women. This is NOT an assumption. I know this thanks to all the private conversations I've had with other gay Mormons who are afraid or not ready to be that voice. The future post is still being written in my head.
In the mean time, I kinda wish I could attend the conference just for all the eye candy. ;)
And a special shout out to the flyer dude two to the right of (Gay) Mormon Guy: If you ever change your mind:
I am pretty sure the people on the flyer are panel members at the event.
ReplyDeleteYes, you're right. I should have mentioned that in my original post! I recognize many of the faces from pre-produced videos for the event.
DeleteGuess gay Mormons really are just pretty and happy. Seems a statistical anomaly, but there it is.
ReplyDeleteI think all the anonymous gay Mormon bloggers should get together and make our own flyer. (Like a coming out party!) I'm pretty sure we'd be some pretty folks as well.
DeleteYes, the people on the flyer were panel members. I was one of them. We were the ones willing to share our story. It had nothing to do with the way we look. But thank you for the compliment. They were trying to get a wide demographic. Old, young, married, single. That is it. It had nothing to do with looks. I'm not sure how this is damaging. It was the happiest day of my life. Yep, even happier than the day I came out and started living a gay lifestyle. I had multiple people express their thanks to me also for how much of a positive influence the conference had on them. The conference isn't trying to force people back to the Church, but it is there so if people do want to reconcile their faith with their feelings. We all can choose how we want to live. This is how I choose to live and I am happier now than I ever was living a gay lifestyle. It feels great to be true to who I really am!
ReplyDeleteKrista, thank you for your comment and sharing your experience.
DeleteFor many of us, a big goal in life is to just be happy. I respect and honor the fact that you are at the happiest point in your life. Keep it up. :)
Very nicce post
ReplyDelete