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North Star (organization)

This article is about the Mormon LGBT organization. For other groups and organizations, see North Star (disambiguation).

North Star
North Star Saints
Named afterThe North Star
Founded2007; 17 years ago (2007)[1]
FoundersJay Jacobsen,[2] John Gadd,[3] Ty Mansfield,[4][5] Jeff Bennion[6][3]
Merger ofEvergreen International[7]
Type501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
20-5436300[8]
FocusLGBT Mormon people
HeadquartersSalt Lake City, Utah, USA[8]
Area served
Worldwide
SubsidiariesVoices of Hope[7]
AffiliationsReconciliation and Growth Project,[9][10] the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Volunteers (2024)
21[11]
Websitewww.northstarsaints.org (formerly NorthStarLDS.org)
Formerly called
North Star International
LGBT Mormon topics
A gay flag with an LDS temple seen in the background
Overview articles
Timelines
Media depictions
Current organizations
Previous organizations
Notable people
Latter Day Saint movement portal

North Star Saints is an organization for LGBT people in the Latter-day Saint community.[12] North Star is described as a faith-affirming resource for Latter-day Saint people addressing sexual orientation and gender identity who desire to live in line with teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).[13] North Star supports the teaching of the Church of Jesus Christ, including the law of chastity and teachings on homosexuality, which prohibits sexual relationships outside of a legal marriage between one man and one woman, as well as teachings on gender identity and expression. The organization takes "no official position on the origin or mutability of homosexual attractions or gender identity incongruence",[14] and does not "endorse political causes or join political coalitions, including those officially sanctioned by the [LDS] Church."[15]

North Star was founded in 2007.[16] The organization holds an annual conference in Utah, as well as quarterly events, live-streamed firesides, and other smaller events in cities around the United States.[17][18] It also manages several social media discussion groups for different sexual and gender minority demographics, as well as spouses, parents, and other family members.[19]

The organization does not take a position on political issues, but has spoken out against using the suicide of gay LDS members to promote personal political agendas.[20] Evergreen International, a similar organization that for many years operated parallel to North Star,[21] was absorbed into North Star in early 2014.[7]

Involvement with conversion therapy

See also: Sexual orientation change efforts and the LDS Church and Evergreen International

In 2014 North Star merged with the reparative-therapy-endorsing, LDS-founded organization Evergreen International,[7] and North Star leadership used to give an implicit endorsement of Journey retreats run by Brothers Road (formerly called People Can Change) which was also founded by LDS men.[22]: 1 [23] Though North Star has never officially endorsed any therapy, two of its co-founders,[24] Ty Mansfield (Former President) and Jeff Bennion (Former Chair of the Board of Directors),[25][26] were heavily involved[27] in Brothers Road (BR) and its Journey Into Manhood (JiM) and Journey Beyond (JB) retreats.[28][29] They allowed and participated in promoting BR in North Star online groups, pages,[30][31][32] and the North Star yearly conferences.[33] Many prominent members and leaders of North Star (such as those featured in TLC's "My Husband's Not Gay"[34]) were involved in conversion therapy,[39] and board members Preston Dahlgreen and Jeff Bennion defended the Jewish conversion therapy organization JONAH in the 2015 court case Ferguson v. JONAH.[28][40][41] In 2015, Mansfield stated that North Star no longer tacitly endorses any therapeutic organization or approach, but instead encourages individuals to share what has been personally helpful to them in finding congruence between their sexuality and their faith.[22]

Voices of Hope project

Voices of Hope Logo

In 2012, North Star sponsored the launch of the Voices of Hope Project to share the stories of believing LGBTQ members of the LDS Church.[42] The site features essays and over 70 video interviews.[43] A sister project on gender identity and transgender experiences titled "Journeys of Faith" was launched in 2015.[44]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Introduction". North Star. Archived from the original on October 6, 2007. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  2. ^ "Jay Jacobsen". Circling the Wagons. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "North Star: Who We Are". North Star. October 6, 2007. Archived from the original on October 6, 2007. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  4. ^ Parker, Ray (August 21, 2013). "Openly gay Mormon taught religion classes this summer at BYU". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  5. ^ Mansfield, Ty (October 21, 2021). "Opinion: Balancing the tensions of our Latter-day Saint and LGBTQ conversations". Deseret News. LDS Church. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  6. ^ "Jeff Bennion". Meridian Magazine. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d Fletcher Stack, Peggy (January 14, 2014). "Longtime support group for gay Mormons shuts down: Evergreen International, which used to push reparative therapy, is now part of North Star". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  8. ^ a b "Northstar International Inc". GuideStar. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  9. ^ Fletcher Stack, Peggy (February 22, 2020). "Utah therapists move forward after 'conversion therapy' ban". Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  10. ^ Fletcher Stack, Peggy (March 5, 2017). "Opposing sides in Mormon rift unite for survey seeking deeper understanding of gays". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  11. ^ "Leadership Team". North Star. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  12. ^ "High-ranking LDS leader weighs in on same-sex attraction". The Salt Lake Tribune.
  13. ^ Bailey, Ben (September 13, 2021). "Support for Navigating your LGBTQ+ and LDS Identity". Orem, Utah: Utah Valley University. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  14. ^ Kempner, Martha (January 13, 2015). "'My Husband's Not Gay': An Insincere Look Inside Lives of Men With Same-Sex Attraction". Rewire News Group. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  15. ^ "FAQ". North Star. Archived from the original on January 17, 2014. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  16. ^ "Who We Are". North Star. Archived from the original on October 6, 2007. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  17. ^ "Firesides". North Star. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  18. ^ Wen, Eden (July 8, 2013). "Faithful LDS members attend fireside on same-sex attraction". Daily Universe. Brigham Young University. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  19. ^ "Email Discussion Groups". North Star. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  20. ^ Samuels, Diana (February 26, 2010), "Memorial held for gay Mormon who committed suicide in Los Altos", San Jose Mercury News
  21. ^ "Evergreen International home page". Archived from the original on April 15, 2012. Retrieved December 14, 2015.
  22. ^ a b Stack, Peggy Fletcher (September 27, 2015). "Conversion therapies don't work, experts say, so why do gay Mormons still seek them out?". The Salt Lake Tribune.
  23. ^ Potok, Mark (May 25, 2016). Quacks: 'Conversion Therapists,' the Anti-LGBT Right, and the Demonization of Homosexuality (PDF). Southern Poverty Law Center. p. 39. In 2014, Evergreen International President David Pruden led the group's merger with another ex-gay organization called North Star, dropping the Evergreen name. Pruden did not join the merged group but stayed as executive director of the National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality. ... In 2015 ... couples who worked for North Star and Evergreen were featured in a TLC reality show, 'My Husband's Not Gay,' that essentially endorsed the idea that gay men should be encouraged to marry women and work to diminish their homosexual feelings. Two of those men, Preston [Pret] Dahlgren and Jeff Bennion—who at the time were members of the board of North Star—testified for the defense at the JONAH trial as purported 'success story' witnessses for whom conversion therapy had worked. Both admitted under oath to still being attracted to men despite undergoing years of conversion therapy.
  24. ^ "Who We Are". North Star. Archived from the original on October 6, 2007. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  25. ^ Bennion, Jeff. "North Star's New Leadership Structure is Taking Us to the Next Level". North Star. Archived from the original on March 27, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  26. ^ "Leadership Team". North Star. Archived from the original on April 18, 2015.
  27. ^ "Nightline: Journey Into Manhood". ABC News. November 8, 2010. Retrieved March 27, 2017. You can see Mansfield and Bennion featured in this ABC Nightline report on Journey Into Manhood as well as North Star Board of Directors member Preston (Pret) Dahlgren
  28. ^ a b Wolfe, Sam (August 29, 2015). "Gay-conversion therapy should be exposed for what it is, consumer fraud". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
  29. ^ "Journey Into Manhood Weekend by People Can Change". Brothers on a Road Less Traveled (formerly People Can Change). Retrieved March 26, 2017.
  30. ^ Mansfield, Ty. "Becoming Dis-illusioned about "Reparative Therapy" and "Sexual Reorientation"—Part 1". North Star. Archived from the original on March 27, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  31. ^ "Calendar". North Star. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  32. ^ Bennion, Jeff. "Personal thoughts on the Journey Into Manhood Weekend". North Star. Archived from the original on March 27, 2017. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
  33. ^ Dark, Stephen (June 4, 2014). "Dialogue and Dogma". Copperfield Publishing. Salt Lake City Weekly. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
  34. ^ "7 members of the North Star community to be featured in TLC special, "My Husband's Not Gay"". North Star. Archived from the original on March 27, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  35. ^ Moore, Tyler. "Clarifying North Star's Position on Changing Orientation". North Star. Archived from the original on January 9, 2013. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  36. ^ Pierce, Scott D. (January 8, 2015). "Utahns in 'My Husband's Not Gay' promote discredited 'conversion therapy'". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  37. ^ Ford, Zack. "Quick Verdict In The Case Against Ex-Gay Therapy". ThinkProgress. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  38. ^ Bensen, Wayne. "TLC Show was Part of Cynical 'Ex-Gay' Rebranding Campaign". Truth Wins Out. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  39. ^ [35][36][37][38]
  40. ^ Potok, Mark; Schlatter, Evelyn. "Quacks: 'Conversion Therapists,' the Anti-LGBT Right, and the Demonization of Homosexuality" (PDF). Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
  41. ^ "Ferguson v. JONAH – Unofficial Trial Transcripts". eqcf.org. Equality Case Files. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  42. ^ "TLC show about Mormons with same-sex attraction creates media uproar". Deseret News. LDS Church. January 7, 2015.
  43. ^ "Voices of Hope Profiles". North Star. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  44. ^ "Journeys of Faith". North Star. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
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