Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

The Mormon Therapist

Home
Latter-day Saint
Health, Fitness and Religion
Eclipsing with our Opposites… Love Loud

Eclipsing with our Opposites… Love Loud

Last updated on: October 4, 2017 at 10:48 am by Natasha Helfer

Eclipsing with our Opposites… Love Loud 2017-10-04T10:48:26-05:00 Natasha Helfer

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I very much wish I could have attended the Loveloud Festival in person, but instead got a birds eye view from social media. I heard mostly positive feedback… as well as some legitimate concerns. I asked Mindy Gledhill, who was in attendance, to share some of her experience… and she has mindfully taken some time to gather her thoughts that would honor the intention of the event, the people who hosted the event, the people who participated in the event and the people who attended the event… while also making room for the complexities which arise. I would invite specifically those who would identify as somewhere on the LGBTQIA rainbow and who were in attendance at this event to please share some of your thoughts (positive or negative) about what this event meant for you.

Today’s guest post is written by Mindy Gledhill. Opinions shared on guest posts may not completely reflect the positions of the blog’s author.

Mindy Gledhill is an award-winning singer, songwriter and composer. Her music has been featured on prime time television shows, major television ad campaigns and in films. Her most recent project, “Hive Riot,” is an electronic 80’s throwback band whose debut won “Best Pop Album” at the Independent Music Awards in 2016.

During the week that August brought us a total solar eclipse, the world around me seemed to be mirroring back all the inner turmoil that was brewing in my soul. On the Tuesday when the eclipse took place, I was preparing to give a speech at the Loveloud Festival that would take place in Orem, Utah that weekend. Loveloud is the brainchild of Dan Reynolds, lead singer of Imagine Dragons. As a Mormon, he had recently started experiencing severe cognitive dissonance with the beliefs he was taught growing up regarding LGBTQIA individuals. He served an LDS mission and also taught these same beliefs as a missionary. It was something that he would later regret as he experienced his own personal awakening that these beautiful people had been misunderstood and mistreated in so many ways. He set out to do something about it and to raise awareness for the alarming suicide rate among queer youth, especially those who grow up in the LDS faith. Loveloud was to be a festival of music, celebrating these youth, inviting them and their loved ones (LDS or not), to come to the table together and let love be the feast.

As someone with six amazing queer family members, I’ve worked hard in the trenches to defend the LGBTQIA community in Utah and I was elated to be invited to be a part of Loveloud. However, with the event being as large as it was (almost 20,000 attendees!), and with only two months to put it together, there were inevitable setbacks and issues. For me personally, things began to fall apart a few weeks before the concert, and all my personal inner triggers began to surface when LDS Church authorities got involved with a public endorsement of the event, and an augmented presence within the event.

“But isn’t this a good thing?” one might ask.

For me the church’s stances over the years on LGBTQIA issues have been contradictory and confusing. One minute they seem to be softening on those stances, and the next, much more rigid and polarizing. The roller coaster and mental gymnastics can be incredibly exhausting. Sometimes when life overwhelms me, I tend to want to disengage with humanity and preserve my energy as a person. I just didn’t know if I had the fortitude to step into a literal arena where it felt almost impossible for active church members and people who have been deeply hurt by the church to have a meaningful exchange. I tried to back out. I called the event producer, Barb Young, and we had a very cathartic exchange about the frustrations of trying to weave these two worlds together. Then, Barb got Dan Reynolds himself on the call and Dan continued to hash through all the confusion and the challenges with us. Even with as small a part as I had, he made me feel like my voice was important. And really, his vision was for 20,000 people to feel like their voices were important. Remembering that mine was anything but the only valid voice among so many complex lived experiences, I decided to go and add what the universe had been speaking to my soul that whole week.

When I took the stage, it was a stunning sight to see thousands of individuals, friends and families, dawning rainbow shirts, banners and accessories as I spoke these words:

“This week, we experienced the rare phenomenon of a total eclipse. Humanity from around the world came together to be a part of something larger than all of us — the union of two unlikely lovers in our galaxy, crossing paths and mesmerizing the world with their cosmic kiss. The sun and the moon exist in the same galaxy, serving a similar purpose — to sustain life on earth under the umbrella of their watchful care. Yet, as similar as their purposes are, these intrinsic forces of light exist in completely opposite paradigms. Literally, they are the difference of night and day. Both are essential to our survival. It strikes me as significant that this event occurred in the recent wake of heated racism and rioting; during a time when terrorist attacks around the world seem to be in the news on the regular. A time when the political polarization in our country is palpable. A time when there is much angst at the intersection of our LGBTQ and religious communities. It’s as if the universe itself were belting out a LOUD and POWERFUL song all about the blinding light that has the potential to transform us when we eclipse with our opposites. And the best part is, the sun still gets to be the sun, and the moon still gets to be the moon, each standing in the beauty of their individuality.”

As the evening grew and the stadium filled to maximum capacity, the feeling of emotional intimacy among concert goers did not diminish. Through tears, a friend of mine expressed that he fled Utah 15 years ago when he came out. He needed to feel safe and start his life over. But he was able to return that night for the first time and sing in a choir on stage, with his sister by his side. That meant the world to him. Another friend related that it was incredibly emotional for him to perform as a gay man on stage and see his brother in the crowd, wearing a rainbow shirt in support of him – the same brother who refused to attend his wedding with his husband the year before. While Imagine Dragons gave the most joyful performance I’ve ever seen, I had the chance to dance out in the crowd next to a lovely friend of mine who recently came out as bisexual. I looked over at her amid the confetti and the flashing lights. For a moment, the world stood still as I watched tears stream down her face and I was changed by the beauty of that moment.

I could go on with the stories. And I’ve heard an earful from the concert’s critics. But the chance to eclipse with people in opposite paradigms and realize that we all just want to give light, was a transforming experience for me. May we continue to love loudly as we elevate every person wherever they may be in their respective place in this universe.

Thank you for your beautiful words Mindy.

Natasha Helfer Parker, LCMFT, CST can be reached at natashaparker.org and runs an online practice, Symmetry Solutions, which focuses on helping families and individuals with faith concerns, sexuality and mental health. She hosts the Mormon Mental Health and Mormon Sex Info Podcasts, writes a regular column for Sunstone Magazine and is the current president of the Mormon Mental Health Association. She has over 20 years of experience working with primarily an LDS/Mormon clientele.
Read more at http://www.patheos.com/blogs/mormontherapist/2017/10/talking-kids-tragedy.html#QrXM4yrbqlwbjfyf.99

Previous Post

October 3, 2017

Despacito...Little by Little Let's Lend a Hand

Next Post

October 4, 2017 Navigating a Healthy Mormon Journey: Join Us!

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Abortion Abuse Addiction Adolescents Anger Anxiety BDSM Bipolar Disorder Body Image Boundaries Children Circumcision Civil Rights Consent COVID19-Coronavirus Death Depression Divorce Domestic Violence Emotional Abuse Erectile Dysfunction Faith Crisis/Faith Transition Gender Identity Gender Roles Gospel Teachings Grief Homosexuality Infidelity LGBTQ LGBTQ+ Male Issues Marriage Masturbation Menopause Mental Health Mindfulness Miscarriage Missions Mixed-Faith Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Parenting Perfectionism Physical Abuse Physical Health Pornography Premature Ejaculation PTSD Race Relations Relationships Rest Righteousness Self Care Self Injury Self-Esteem Sexual Abuse Sexual Disorders Sexual Education Sexuality Single Adults Social Media Spirituality Suicide Survey Temple Issues Transgender Health Trauma Uncategorized Violence Women's Issues Word of Wisdom

Select a Month September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 December 2018 November 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 March 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 July 2015 February 2015 January 2015 November 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 April 2014 February 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 May 2012 April 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

True or False: Romans teaches that all Israel will be saved.

Select your answer to see how you score.

FALSE TRUE