Malcolm X rather famously said, “If you stick a knife in my back nine inches and pull it out six inches, there’s no progress. If you pull it all the way out that’s not progress. Progress is healing the wound that the blow made.”
The LDS Church should remember the words of Malcolm X in its dealings with the LGBT community. The church ceding the civil fight and showing support for the Respect for Marriage Act is certainly an improvement over actively fighting against same-sex marriage, like they did with Proposition 8 in California.
However, their support was contingent on the fact that a provision allows their organization itself to continue to discriminate against gay and transgender individuals, as their doctrine and policies have that discrimination inbuilt. Leaders like Dallin H. Oaks still refer to the LGBT community as “Satan’s most strenuous opposition.” Gay and lesbian members are forced into celibacy to maintain good standing, and trans members are discouraged from seeking medically-recognized, gender-affirming treatment, lest they receive membership restrictions. The church may have pulled the knife out an inch, but the knife is still firmly in our backs.
Perry Fawcett, Magna