Richard Hunter, a spokesperson for the Mormon church in Australia and New Zealand, says: "We hope that members and friends of our faith who are also in the LGBTQIA+ community will know that we recognise all people as beloved children of God. In 2019, the church announced it would no longer characterise Mormons in same-sex marriages as "apostates", and removed a ban on baptising children of LGBTQIA+ couples.īut rather than feeling bitterness towards the church, Mr Harker says now is a time for "forgiving each other and being able to move on together". Mr Harker was part of a global push that saw the church recently remove two of its policies. Come along as Sister Wolfgram and Sister Lu go "street contacting". What's it really like being a Mormon missionary? We've all heard of the satirical Book of Mormon musical, but for door-knocking missionaries the religion is more than a song and dance. The attraction itself is not a sin, but acting on it is." In regard to homosexuality, church material says, "the experience of same-sex attraction is a complex reality for many people. It has strict rules around sexuality and "sexual purity," with church material saying, "sexual relations between a man and woman who are not married, or between people of the same sex, violate one of our Father in Heaven's most important laws and get in the way of our eternal progress". The Mormon church, headquartered in the US state of Utah, says it has about 150,000 members in Australia. "We can be visible, not invisible." The Peacock Mormons "I now just want to advocate that being gay is OK," he says. He went on to marry his partner Scott, and says his children continue to be "very supportive" of his journey. Mr Harker married twice and had four children before he came out. You were taught, if you were gay, to have shame and to lie." "Historically, they would produce anti-gay literature, they would have books on how not to be gay, they'd teach you not to be gay, that it was a sin," he says. Mr Harker says like other Christian groups, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the official name of the Mormon church) has a history of espousing anti-LGBTQIA+ teachings. Brad Harker is wearing an angel costume at this year's Mardi Gras Parade.