120: Justin Utley | Coming out, suicide, conversion therapy and advocating for the LGBTQ community.
Vložit
- čas přidán 15. 09. 2019
- Justin Utley, singer, songwriter and LGBTQ advocate sits down with Latter Gay Stories for an epic, in-depth interview. Justin shares the painful details of his coming out experience, conversion therapy, the deaths of people close to him and what he’s doing to make a difference in the lives of the LGBTQ +family.
Using music and his vocal talent, Justin has performed worldwide sharing a story of hope to the LGBTQ+ community. He continues to fight on a local, state, national and international level for a complete ban of conversion therapy.
Find Justin's latest album, SCARS, available for download on his website at www.JustinUtley.com
I came out at 26 and left the church. It was a very tough thing to do, but the only thing I regret about it is not doing it sooner.
Guess you'll never see this Axel, but you're so right ... why do people torment themselves so much struggling to belong to a church that rejects and vilifies them ... the sooner people get out and begin living their lives by being true to who they are, the better, Cheers mate!
Justin’s interview touched every part of my life I did the same I went on a mission I came home I got married and had children I went to the temple I put build on my callings and it never went away I’m 71 now and in 2001 I came out to my family and that love acceptance and understanding came flooding in I also love latter-day Saint gay stories I find it much more positive and still talking about the church in different waysThank you for all you do
I briefly met Justin when working on a conversion therapy bill. His story is so touching. ❤️
Thank you for introducing me to Justin Utley. I pay zero attention to popular music, so would have otherwise missed him. Harrow tales he has to tell, but what a survivor! Never mind talented, with a generous heart. Oh, and steaming hot, of course. I doubt I could have survived so much pressure and turmoil to come out of it with such grace and determination to improve the future for others. Bravo to you both for this excellent interview which never for a moment got dull. And I'm not even a Mormon.
Brilliant segment - so true and honest. Your arguments are well thought out and clearly stated. So sorry that you had to suffer so much for something that you did not choose. A loving God would never require that of you, hence as you say, those leaders are totally wrong.
glad to hear someone else went through what i did pre mission telling my bishop that i was feeling things i shouldn't feel about other men told the bishop that i was gay and i was simply told that my the mission "would make it go away" well guess what it didn't all my companions were jocks bears etc. so needless to say it did not make what i was feeling "go away"
Just found (Latter Gay Stories), wonderful virile men unafraid to communicate their truth, and support other men who have experienced religious terrorism. I was finally able to accept myself, after years of self-loathing, but at 70 gives me few opportunities and unfortunately my self-imposed terrorism kept me in prison for years, and still does. Thanks for your interviews, intelligent and loving.
What's Virility got to do with ability to communicate their truth? LOL!
@@stuartsenften237 Virility is the quality of having strength to be honest and real. Try it yourself instead of mocking.
This is a very compelling story, thank you Justin for your openness and telling your story. It takes a lot of guts to go through everything you have and come out the other side stronger and to become your authentic self. By telling your story you will give others the strength to live their truth. You should be so proud of yourself, for the man you are. I’m not religious, but your story transcends religion. We all have our stories, it’s not what we have lived through, it’s how we end up living.
This is so powerful ... hard for people like me to understand why people can struggle for so long to be part of a culture that rejects and vilifies them ... I really feel for you, Justin, so sorry that you had to go through this trauma. I stopped going to church at abut 11, accepted who I was at 15 and stated living openly as gay from about 18 onwards ... never had any problems ... guess I was just lucky! But glad your story finally had a Happy Ending ... all the Best Justin, love, Terry
What a great interview! I loved the song, too. Off to find more of Justin Utley's music. We all need to help liberate each other from the boxes that people created out of fear and embrace the God of unimaginable love and inclusion!
I wasn’t LDS … I was a JW … and too entered the full time missionary work thinking that would cure my gayness … 🙄 … yes actually typing this out makes me realize how foolish I was … and in denial … After eight years in the missionary work and having a one year affair with my mission companion … we broke up (he broke it off because suddenly he was no longer gay) … I was exhausted living a lie so I came out to the elders in the church … and was excommunicated and shunned … My only regret was that I didn’t come out sooner … The church kicking me out was the best thing they ever did for me.
Amazing heart and soul .
Thank you so much for sharing your story! There were numerous parts that resonated and it is such an affirmation to see you forge your experiences into such wonderful music
I love !! Each of your podcasts!! I am enjoying each one. Where did he get his shirt?? I want one.
Exceptional story and interview.
Excellent...
Thank you for being so raw and open.
I find your resilince really inspiring - so honest and authentic!!!
Two friends who went to LDS social service group therapy told me it was a great place to meet and hookup with other gay men, so they never had to go to gay bars for same sex socialization.
😅
Lmao
That song was amazing
God loves all His blessed children 🙏💐❤️
Not according to religion and the church dogma.
Beautiful story Justin Utley! Beautiful song--Scars!
Thank you.
Absolutely LUVIN JUSTIN!!!!!! Cant wait to give you a 2 Minute Hug and share my Favorite Utah girl with you, she's inarguably the best in our uniiverse today......Music is transcendent Talk soooon ALL LOVE TO U JU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
God is our Father and loves us how we are, HE loves Justin, Kyle and all of us. Religion and churches have their own agenda.
Barbara Eden played Jeanie!
What time in the video r u referencing?
Would you not question the mind of a church leader who would want you to read/talk about masturbation? He must get some sort of sick thrill from addressing this topic with young men. My own faith group at the time I came out gave financial support to a change ministry. One of the treatments was massage, both client and masseur naked. In hindsight, I wish I'd signed up for it--I might have met someone of husband material.
They have an obsession with issues of sex. That its equated with murder. How fucking sick is that! You believe god created man in his image. So he made us, ostensibly. So he created us with these desires and hormones streaming thru our bodies, and then we are told not to act on them because its bad. HOW FUCKED UP IS THAT. We have hormones and desires for one purpose, to procreate. Otherwise humans and animals would have died out. And then we get told, not to act on these desires because its wrong/dirty/same as murder. Jesus fucking wept. Really!!!!! He made us. BUT THEN WE MUSNT DO THAT. Masturbate. Honestly its sick. The church and religion is at fault.
What astounds me is how ANYONE can be in an isolated sub-group in the post-Madonna world. I can understand the Amish and 3rd World cultures being disconnected from the modern era due to tech choices, but are the LDS's just as sequestered? And why aren't you charging these leaders with abuse?
I always wonder the same.......they seem to be living in a different univers.
I tried to sue my therapist on that.
I guess it's very hard to be a religious person, while you have critical mind and sense oh humor...
Happy 😊 nice 👍
not LDS but did come from a fundamentalist background. I remember, after years of humiliation and shame, curled up in a ball on the floor, crying and crying, why did I have live like this? how could I be set up to fail so spectacularly, to be commanded to live God's word but unable to fulfill it? I called out to God to save me, but instead he was torturing me. I had to decide that it made no sense that God created me only to kill me, so if he didn't want me, then I would leave. And I did. I was in shock for quite some time, but over the subsequent years I was able to make peace with myself, and leave all the ideas of self harm behind. I realize now that a lot of what I felt was God's torture was really me as the victim of very mean-spirited leaders of the church who needed to scapegoat people like me, to keep the congregation secure in the belief of their own exclusivity, separate from the world.
It was so incredibly touching to hear how Justin's mother and he were able to touch each other emotionally after the accident. all anyone wants is to be loved...and its so uplifting to hear they were able to break through and experience that love, with understanding and the opportunity to move on. I wish that for everyone...sometimes its with a chosen family and not your birth family
I am not Mormon, I was raised by an atheist. It's unfathomable to me you did not have the liberty, freedom per say. To be who you are without question, and to be accepted. The struggle, I will add, your faith and belief in the church. I am thankful, that my father raised me not in a church. Because I know it's not just Mormonism. Your experience has been widespread. I am so happy you found yourself, you liberated yourself.
You are wrong. The Bible belt disapproval is far worse. Either you are in and or you are out, damned. No salvation.
One more thing that I would like to add, medication. If it makes you happy and you can live your life as you willed it, why do you feel the need to stop. On a personal note, I am bipolar & on meds. I won't change a thing. Why would you want to?
Religion poisons everything. Christopher Hitchens.
ABSOLUTELY! Most harm on this earth has been done because of religion!!!!!!!!!!!!
You did not fail the church. The church failed you.
Religion failed him.
This is depressing my tits off. 😒
Kyle You would've been much better off struggling with a self-abuse problem in the Church than to walk away from the gospel all because
of having Love and Romance issues rise up in your life with the same sex to challenge you.... Those love and romance same sex issues are
but a small little bump in the road when compared to the eternities. I don't know why you thought you would not be challenged in the area of Love and Romance for God tells us that when we come into Zion that God will soon feel after us and take our heartstrings and will wrench them around and Joseph Smith says that we have to find the faith to be able to withstand all of the heart wrenching that God will do. He wasn't joking about this and here you guys are quitting and hanging up the towel just after 10 years over when I been in the church for 28 years and still going.. Why do you not have the strength to endure?.
“Why do you not have the strength to endure” is the wrong question. Maybe try “How did you find the courage to think for yourself when the church needs everyone to conform.”
Kyle as far as I understand it wants a same sex companion but the Church says he can't have a temple husband for an eternal companion and be a member so he leaves because hes not going to get the sealing approval of the temple for that marriage. That's the story I have heard so far, but I don't know all the details. I can't really see the church allowing gay men to live and sleep with each other in married relationships or in celibate relationships. The Church has not given the keys.
@@germanslice, but what if he doesn’t believe in eternal spouses in a Mormon heaven? I think you’re imagining that he’s a true believer except for the gay part. I don’t think that’s correct. I think we have to allow people to grow out of their childhood belief systems.
@@Jack-eo5fn Unfortunately the church is not a dream its reality, God has already revealed the truth of the Church to me along with its doctrines and teachings. Not the bishop, or the stake president or any other church member who tells you in testimony meeting, but God Himself revealed the truth of the Church to me and I know without a shadow of a doubt that the Lord Himself is running this Church.. In this Church we are taught to always maintain an eternal perspective to keep our eye single to the glory of God. SSA however makes that task difficult....
So I liken SSA to Peter walking on the water towards the Lord he walked with the Lord on the water for a fair while and then his faith started to falter... So the Lord says to lose ourselves in his service and stay focused on the Lord. So I think that's what the Church is trying to say to those with SSA.
@@germanslice I am not a Mormon and do not believe that your Church's doctrine reflect a loving God. Trying to live to tenets which are not loving or conducive to one's being are a shackle to be dumped.
This man is still in extreme pain. Its so sad. And religion and church did this. SAD SAD SAD!!!