The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints donated to the Utah Pride Center on Wednesday, a move that many welcomed as a changing position on homosexuality that will ultimately benefit its gay members. It marked the first donation made by the church to the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender community (LGBT) community, according to the Huffington Post.
The community center, which helps the homeless and low-income youth, did not specify the amount the church contributed. According to the center's management, the move marks the beginning of improved relations between the Mormon Church and the LGBT sector. The secretive LDS Church also granted an interview on the issue, with its spokesman Eric Hawkins stating that they are grateful for the opportunity to help, according to Huffington Post.
The donation is not the only pro-LGBT initiative the LDS church has made in recent years. LGBT Mormons have been staging national conferences to confront the church's past homophobic tendencies while the church itself has expressed support for gay rights legislation. It is not clear, however, whether the Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage in the United States has any bearing on the changing stance towards the church's view. Supporters argue that respect for people's beliefs has always been a core teaching for the LDS church, according to Instinct Magazine.
Some sectors doubt the Mormon church's alleged change of heart, though. Critics cite the important role that it played in the passage of Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in California, Instinct Magazine reported. In the same vein, one must also note that the LDS Church released a Letter to the Faithful to be read on July 5 and 12 before local meetings, that reaffirms the Church commitment to heterosexual unions. The letter maintains that "marriage between a man and a woman was instituted by God," and that it "is central to his plan for his children and for the well-being of society," the Salt Lake Tribune reported.
