Salt Lake City, USA - LDS Church officials still plan to meet with leaders of Affirmation, a support group for gay and lesbian Mormons. But a church spokesman criticized a news conference that Affirmation staged Monday to share the group's concerns about the treatment of gay LDS members.
"The issues surrounding same-gender attraction deserve careful attention, not public posturing," LDS Church spokesman Scott Trotter said in a statement. "It appears from Affirmation's actions [Monday] that it has opted for a public rather than a private exchange."
David Melson, assistant executive director of Affirmation, said his organization publicized its proposals - which include standardized training for LDS bishops on how to counsel gay and lesbian Mormons - to cut through the "bureaucracy's inertia" and get Affirmation's message to LDS President Thomas S. Monson.
"You can't just walk in and say, 'Hi, President Monson, here we are.' "
Last month, LDS officials canceled a meeting with Affirmation that had been set for Monday. The church delayed the gathering until it hires a new family services director, who, Trotter said, would be "crucial to this conversation."
Any delays may not seem significant to LDS leaders, Melson said, but six or 12 months can be an "eternity" in the lives of individuals struggling to resolve their sexuality and their faith. Too often, he said, gay and lesbian Mormons are shunned by their families, wind up homeless or commit suicide
Wish list
Affirmation, a support group for gay and lesbian Mormans, wants the LDS Church to:
* Affirm the worth of gay members during the church's semiannual General Conference.
* Tell mothers, during a conference session, that it is not their fault if their sons or daughters are gay.
* Arrange a meeting between Affirmation and a member of the First Presidency or the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
* Invite an LDS general authority to speak at Affirmation's 2009 conference.
* Develop training materials and consistent guidelines for LDS bishops to use when they counsel gay and lesbian Mormons.