Mormons & Homophobia

Father and son authors Ross and Ryan Poore talk about their new novel "The Blood Doctrine" that addresses homophobia and the Mormon Church with Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™. This courtroom thriller explores the life of a missionary man whose chosen path is to spread the word of his Mormon religion and the motivations that drive him to brutally murder a gay man in the name of his faith. Utilizing the tool of fiction, Ross and Ryan Poore who are fierce gay allies, explore historical text, documented sermons and the teachings of Brigham Young, Sidney Rigdon, John D. Lee and others within the LDS to unravel the extremist anti gay position of church members and teachings that continues today. In addition “The Blood Doctrine” explains how The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints strategically raised millions of dollars to pass California’s Proposition 8 in 2008. When asked as a heterosexual man what his personal commitment is to LGBT equality, Ross stated, “I come from a family where I have a brother who is gay, I have a nephew who is gay, I have a cousin who is gay and I have a cousin who is transgender. My sister is president of PFLAG (Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians and Gays) in Salt Lake City so my commitment is to make sure they have the same rights as everyone else. In Utah the state legislature struck down an effort to just have the rights of gays to have fair housing and have equal rights in employment this session and I’m trying to figure out why that is a threat to society. And what it boiled down to is the (LDS) church didn’t want to be in compliance with those issues. They didn’t want to have to follow that guideline and that law. I think that if anyone’s rights are taken away, my individual rights are also diminished.” Ross Poore is the son of a coal miner and has earned four degrees from the University of Utah with a doctor's degree in educational leadership. He has served as a high school principal, counselor and teacher. His last professional years were spent as an academic director at a psychiatric treatment center for adolescents. He has been married to Chris for 45 years and has two sons and one grandson. Ryan Poore has worked in the media and entertainment industry for well over 15 years. Because of his media experience he visualizes his stories as virtual film sets before he begins to write. For More Info: missionarymurder.com

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