TLC hits new low: "I'm not gay" Mormons

[NewOrleans]

From Jezebel.

"Well I'm interested in men, I'm just not interested in men."

This January, The Learning Channel is set to air My Husband Is Not Gay, a show that features openly gay Mormon men who date and marry women. Apply palm directly to forehead. The show features three men who are supposedly happily married to women despite being gay and one single gay dude, looking for a nice woman to settle down with.

The very existence of this series indicates the need to address the general bigotry surrounding a man understanding his sexuality as a hindrance, something to "overcome" with faith in god, and forcing himself into a relationship with a woman to whom he's fundamentally not a attracted. The fact that (as Towleroad points out) the Mormon Church just reiterated its opposition to same-sex marriage in April, stating that succumbing to homosexuality is a sin, makes this even more disturbing.

The trailer seems light and fun, but it's clear these men are dealing with a lot. The bachelor says, "I want to marry a woman, but I don't know how to work out these feelings." Another, who is married to a woman states, "I don't think people understand us." I don't think that's true. I understand the need to deny one's true self so as to not risk utter social rejection. What I don't understand is the need to glorify the way religion can constrain people, break them down and punish them for who they are.

[mx27]

oh dear.

[Miss Phryne Fisher]

This is not at all uncommon. In General Conference (non-Mormon but interested party here) they don't even really say "gay", people are "struggling with same-sex attraction". Homosexuality apparently isn't real. They have been getting better but not by much. This guy here is a gay mormon married to a woman...I believe he is or was also an LDS counselor.

www.joshweed.com/

[jln]

Oh TLC.

[mrsGreeko]

Wow! I woked with a Mormon man at my last job. He was married with 4 kids. He was so incredibly unhappy. He is transgendered and now lives his life as a woman. The church cast her out, her family cast her out, all of her friends were through church. She doe not have an easy path to travel now, but she couldn't keep living as a man despite all of the counseling offered through the Mormon church to just push those feelings down. It was okay to have the feelings, but a sin to act on them.

Despite losing basically everything she has, she seems so much happier now.

[stealthmom]

I met a gay Mormon in a bar once. He told me I was going to hell but he kept buying me drinks so I didn't care.

[ESF]

No.

[aurora]

It would almost be worth getting cable so I could boycott this one.

[zizibet]

TLC makes me fucking ragey. Don't air this shit and make it look normal. Admittedly I also hate everyone who watches Sister Wives and/or My Five Wives.

[kershnic]

Isn't that a plot line in Angels in America? Only without the reality TV show....

[Deleted]

Can we petition to change it from The Learning Channel to Tasteless & Lame Content?

[secretlyevil]

What the fuck TLC?