I just watched the documentary from Dan of Imagine Dragons about his Mormon LGBTQ fest, Love Loud and I’m conflicted. On one hand, I applaud the effort and cause. On the other, knowing that this very popular band has a singer that is a devout Mormon who likely gives massive amounts of money through tithing to an organization that is so oppressive and against so much of what I believe, gives me pause, and makes me rethink how I feel about Imagine Dragons and this documentary.
What's really messed up about this situation, and especially the story of the singer of Neon Trees coming out as homosexual, is that their lives are all about the church, its culture, and family bonds within the church, which is completely understandable. They absolutely love the church that at the same time, shuns them if they're LGBTQ. It’s so contradictory, but their love of the church and its community runs deep.
It was strange to watch as an outsider of the church. I was moved by many aspects of the documentary, but there was always an asterisk associated with those moving moments.
I'm not trying to comment on the church and their stance (ok, I am—it's wrong), I'm just saying that while I applaud the effort of the Love Loud fest, I still feel uneasy about supporting its inherently flawed cause.
Also, this post was basically five minutes of brain dump. Don't be offended. I love you.