North Star (organization)

North Star is an organization for believing LGBT Latter-day Saints.[3] Its stated mission is to "provide a place of community for Latter-day Saints who experience homosexual attraction or gender identity incongruence, as well as their family, friends, and ecclesiastical leaders."[4] It supports the teaching of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including the law of chastity, which prohibits sexual relationships outside of a legal marriage between one man and one woman. The organization takes "no official position on the origin or mutability of homosexual attractions or gender identity incongruence",[4] and does not "endorse political causes or join political coalitions, including those officially sanctioned by the [LDS] Church."[5]

North Star International
Founded2007 (2007)[1]
Type501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
Area served
Worldwide
Volunteers
35[2]
Websitenorthstarlds.org

North Star was founded in 2007.[6] 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.[7][8] It also manages several social media discussion groups for different sexual identities and demographics.[9]

The organization does not take a position on political issues, but has spoken out against using the suicide of gay Latter-day Saints to promote personal political agendas.[10] Evergreen International, a similar organization,[11] was absorbed into North Star in early 2014.[12]

Involvement with conversion therapy

Although the organization does not officially endorse any therapy, two co-founders of North Star,[13] Ty Mansfield (Former President) and Jeff Bennion (Former Chair of the Board of Directors),[14][15] were heavily involved[16] in People Can Change (PCC) and its Journey Into Manhood (JiM) and Journey Beyond (JB) weekends,[17][18] and have allowed and participated in PCC's promotions in North Star online groups, pages,[19][20][21] and its yearly conferences.[22] Many prominent members and leaders of North Star (such as those featured in TLC's "My Husband's Not Gay"[23]) were involved in conversion therapy,[24][25][26][27] and board members Preston Dahlgreen and Jeff Bennion defended the Jewish conversion therapy organization JONAH in the 2015 court case Ferguson v. JONAH.[28][29][30] In September 2015, Mansfield stated that North Star no longer gives endorsements of PCC online or at conferences.[31]

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.[32] The site features essays and over 70 video interviews.[33] A sister project on gender identity and transgender experiences titled "Journeys of Faith" was launched in 2015.[34]

See also

References
  1. "Who We Are". northstarlds.org. North Star International. Archived from the original on 6 October 2007. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  2. "Leadership Team". northstarlds.org. North Star International. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  3. High-ranking LDS leader weighs in on same-sex attraction
  4. "Mission & Values". North Star International. Archived from the original on 2014-01-17.
  5. "FAQ". North Star International. Archived from the original on 17 January 2014. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  6. "Who We Are". northstarlds.org. North Star International. Archived from the original on 6 October 2007. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  7. "Firesides". North Star International. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
  8. Wen, Eden. "Faithful LDS members attend fireside on same-sex attraction". BYU Universe Newspaper. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  9. "Email Discussion Groups". North Star International. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  10. Samuels, Diana (2010-02-26), "Memorial held for gay Mormon who committed suicide in Los Altos", San Jose Mercury News
  11. "Evergreen International home page". Archived from the original on April 15, 2012. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  12. Stack, Peggy Fletcher (January 2, 2014), "Longtime support group for gay Mormons shuts down", The Salt Lake Tribune
  13. "Who We Are". northstarlds.org. North Star International. Archived from the original on 6 October 2007. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  14. Bennion, Jeff. "North Star's New Leadership Structure is Taking Us to the Next Level". northstarlds.org. North Star International. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  15. "Leadership Team". northstarlds.org. North Star International. Archived from the original on 2015-04-18.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  16. "Nightline: Journey Into Manhood". ABC News. 8 Nov 2010. Retrieved 27 March 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 Pret Dahlgren
  17. Wolfe, Sam (29 August 2015). "Gay-conversion therapy should be exposed for what it is, consumer fraud". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
  18. "Journey Into Manhood Weekend by People Can Change". brothersroad.org. Brothers Road (formerly People Can Change). Retrieved 26 March 2017. See time 2:50 of the video linked under "Journey Into Manhood Experiential Weekend"
  19. Mansfield, Ty. "Becoming Dis-illusioned about "Reparative Therapy" and "Sexual Reorientation"—Part 1". ldslights.org. North Star International. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  20. "Calendar". northstarlds.org. North Star International. Archived from the original on 11 October 2007. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  21. Bennion, Jeff. "Personal thoughts on the Journey Into Manhood Weekend". ldslights.org. North Star International. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
  22. Dark, Stephen (4 June 2014). "Dialogue and Dogma". Copperfield Publishing Inc. Salt Lake City Weekly. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
  23. "7 members of the North Star community to be featured in TLC special, "My Husband's Not Gay"". ldslights.org. North Star International. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  24. Moore, Tyler. "Clarifying North Star's Position on Changing Orientation". northstarlds.org. North Star International. Archived from the original on 9 January 2013. Retrieved 27 March 2017.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  25. Pierce, Scott D. (8 January 2015). "Utahns in 'My Husband's Not Gay' promote discredited 'conversion therapy'". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  26. Ford, Zack. "Quick Verdict In The Case Against Ex-Gay Therapy". thinkprogress.org. ThinkProgress. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  27. Bensen, Wayne. "TLC Show was Part of Cynical 'Ex-Gay' Rebranding Campaign". truthwinsout.org. Truth Wins Out. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  28. Wolfe, Sam (29 August 2015). "Gay-conversion therapy should be exposed for what it is, consumer fraud". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
  29. Potok, Mark; Schlatter, Evelyn. "Quacks: 'Conversion Therapists,' the Anti-LGBT Right, and the Demonization of Homosexuality" (PDF). splcenter.org. Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
  30. "Ferguson v. JONAH – Unofficial Trial Transcripts". eqcf.org. Equality Case Files. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  31. Stack, Peggy Fletcher (27 September 2015). "Conversion therapies don't work, experts say, so why do gay Mormons still seek them out?". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
  32. "About Voices of Hope". LDS Voices of Hope. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  33. "Voices of Hope Videos and Essays". LDS Voices of Hope. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  34. "Journeys of Faith". LDS Journeys of Faith. North Star. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
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