Marriage Equalitys Effect on Society

In 2003, the state of Utah voted to

ratify Amendment 3, which legally
defined legal marriage as being solely
between a man and a woman. At the
time the amendment was widely
popular, receiving almost 66 percent
vote in approval. In 2008, with millions
of dollars in funding from the LDS
church, protestors (below) voce their
support for Proposition 8, eliminated
gay marriage
Ever since the events surrounding Prop 8, experts have
noticed a trend from the LDS church: they have become
increasingly outspoken against gay marriage. In 2010,
now deceased LDS apostle Boyd K. Packer addressed
the members of the church stating, There are those
today whod not only tolerate but advocate voting to
change laws that would legalize immorality, and that,
Some suppose that they were pre-set and cannot
overcome what they feel are inborn tendencies toward
the impure and unnatural. Not so. Why would our
Heavenly Father do that to anyone? Though they
changed this belief in 2015, whistleblower website
mormonwikileaks.com leaked a handbook used by the
hierarchy stating Members who enter into same-sex
unions will be considered apostates under new church
policies, and their children will be barred from blessing
and baptism rituals without the permission of the faith's
highest leaders (quote from Salt Lake Tribune)
Though the relation is disputed by
Utah politicians, the suicide rate in
Utah has nearly tripled since 2007.
Utah had nearly doubled the national
average for youth suicide rates since
so many anti-gay publications and
statements have been made. LDS
apostle Jeffery R. Holland addressed
these staggering numbers in 2013,
in a speech he gave to the LDS
general conference
Massive changes came in recent years.
In a landmark decision in 2015, the
Supreme Court decision in Oberfell v.
Hodges stated that gay marriage is
legally recognized. In 2016, Jackie
Biskupski became Salt Lake Citys first
openly gay mayor and continues to fight
for LGBTQ rights
Earlier this year, The Huffington Post noted that
youth suicide rates have significantly dropped since
the legalization (and subsequent destigmatization) of
gay marriage, including in Utah. While correlation is
not causation, they noted There may be something
about having equal rights even if they have no
immediate plans to take advantage of them that
makes students feel
less stigmatized and more hopeful for the future.
The end