This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Even before "Sister Wives" premiered, the question of the polygamists' views on homosexuality was raised.

Well, it was sort of an uninformed question from a journalist who was under the impression that polygamists from Mormon splinter groups have the same beliefs as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But it was raised nonetheless.

"I know that the Mormon faith, from which your beliefs sort of were rooted in, is very anti-homosexual," said the journalist. "So I don't understand how you can accept this [polygamist] lifestyle, and yet many in your faith are very discriminatory against gays.

"My question is, how do you teach your children these values. I mean, that your lifestyle is OK, but gay people can't marry?"

The Browns — Kody, Meri, Christine, Janelle and Robyn — all immediately shook their heads and disputed the premise of the question.

"No, no, no, no, no," Robyn said insistently.

"We don't teach that as a value," Kody added.

More than six years later, the Browns had a chance to demonstrate that they meant what they said. In Sunday's episode of TLC's "Sister Wives," Kody and Meri's 21-year-old daughter, Mariah, told her parents she is a lesbian.

Most of the parents seemed to take it pretty well. Except for Meri.

"I did not see it coming," Meri said afterward. "You were, like, smiling and happy and saying you're so happy for her. And, just, I don't. …

"We're not happy that Mariah's gay, we're happy that she knows herself."

And Meri, who was in tears, said, "I thought I knew my daughter. I didn't."

Back in 2010, Kody and his wives went out of their way to draw a distinction between their beliefs and those of the LDS Church. And they said they supported gay marriage.

"We, as a family, also have adopted a lifestyle because of a faith," Kody said. "But we also have to be very clear that this family is also very open-minded, that we have done all we can to be accepting and open to other lifestyles on the same basis that we've wanted it for ourselves."

In other words, they were in no position to object to anyone else's preferred mode of marriage.

"And it's definitely something that we are teaching or trying to instill in our children — is to just have that same open-mindedness," Meri said.

Meri and the rest of the Browns now have a chance to demonstrate they meant what they said and weren't just giving the answer the questioner clearly wanted. —

On TV

P "Sister Wives" airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on TLC.