Rexburg event focuses on reaching out to gay Latter-day Saints
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REXBURG — Becky Mackintosh has learned a lot since 2012 when her son, Sean, told her that he was gay. Her love for her son was never in question, and Sean knew that. But, looking back, there were things she says she would have said or done differently. Now she hopes she can help prepare other parents if they find themselves in a similar situation.
Mackintosh will share what she has learned in a presentation for I’ll Walk With You Rexburg on Saturday, March 19, at 7 p.m. at the Rexburg Tabernacle, 51 N. Center Street, Rexburg. Admission is free.
Mackintosh writes and speaks on what she has learned and the importance of keeping everyone in the family circle, regardless of religious beliefs.
“It was important to start talking about our story and the realness of having a son who was gay,” she says. “It’s often something that is uncomfortable or hidden, and I didn’t feel it should be shameful or something that was hidden. This was a reality of many, many families — much more than people would even fathom. We needed to be real about this and talk about the reality of our family, in order to let others know they weren’t alone.”
Mackintosh’s presentation is entitled “Embracing Your LGBTQ Loved Ones and Your Faith.” It is the second in a three-meeting series hosted by I’ll Walk With You Rexburg. The first meeting, in February, featured Brigham Young University Honor Code administrator and gay Latter-day Saint Ben Schilaty, and the third (to be held Saturday, April 30) will feature author and podcaster Richard “Papa” Ostler.
As an organization, I’ll Walk With You Rexburg aims to support LGBTQ Latter-day Saints and their families as they navigate matters of faith and sexuality. According to advertisements, the meeting is “supportive of, but not affiliated with, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”
By sharing her story, Mackintosh hopes LGBTQ Latter-day Saints and their families will find that they don’t have to choose between their faith and their family members.
“My focus was on loving my son,” she says. “There was no way I was going to put him outside the family circle. We were a family no matter what. … I felt like I wouldn’t be living the gospel if I turned my back on my son. To me, the gospel is a gospel of love.”