Isabelle Argyle

Persuasion Effect Project

English 2010

March 25, 2019

Just Listen to My Side for a Second

All throughout our lives we are told to do this or do that. It gets frustrating and annoying

if the truth be told. People don’t want to continuously be pushed around, they are wanting to live

their lives the way they want and that is how it should be. Now, it’s the same with what is about

to be brought up. LGBTQ rights. The members are treated as less then but why should they be

told what to do when all they are trying to do is live their lives like everyone else? It’s not only

LGBTQ rights, but it’s also like the segregation issues society experienced, along with how

women were treated back in time. In the state of Utah, the LGBTQ Community has higher rates

of saying they feel belittled or hated more so than anywhere else in the United States. The

Community is struggling as is and they should not be treated as less than for who they love.

Now that I’ve caught your attention, I need to share my point of view on the social issue.

I grew up in the state of Utah, also known as the ‘Mormon State’ or what many people tend to

label it as. Everywhere you look you will most likely see a church or a temple, possibly even

missionaries. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind it, but there comes a time where it needs to be

split between church and state. I say this in the nicest way as I understand their teachings are

good to listen to, but if they are to say my beliefs and morals are wrong something that I am a

part of is, then I no longer want to listen. I am a member of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,
Transgender, Queer + community who also happened to grow up as a member of the LDS

religion. I have nothing against Mormons, but I believe the teachings they are teaching is wrong.

The main teaching that sticks out to me the most is how they say, “Love one another and

try to show kindness in all that you do (LDS.org).” I believe this is a statement that is spoken but

often contradicting things when they talk about the LGBTQ community. They tell us it doesn’t

matter who we love, and we can do as we please, but if you are to kiss another person of the

same sex then you are “sinning.” As soon as it is the same sex, then their “love one another”

statement is false. It’s false because they tell us it’s okay but as soon as it’s something, they don’t

agree with then it’s not okay. They also have teachings of trying to get the LGBTQ Community

to really find out who they are before assuming they engage in the same-sex attraction. Now in

my mind, how does this seem fair? Not only does it make LGBTQ Community members feel

like they can’t be themselves, but it can also make them feel ashamed for who they are. When we

see one another, we shouldn’t be belittling, we should spread love, positivity and hope that all

will be equal some day in this world.

Now how does this relate to the segregation and women’s rights issues back in history?

Well, all of the groups had people that were against the color or the thought of others doing what

they were doing. People of color weren’t considered to be classy enough to drink from the same

fountain or use the same bathroom. Women weren’t considered to be strong enough or masculine

for that matter so they were forced to do “stay at home” jobs or watch the kids, do the cooking

and the cleaning. The women were expected to do these jobs while the men were to go out and

show how strong they were and work hard jobs to provide for the family. These situations are

similar to the LGBTQ Communities as they are told to do something they don’t want to do. It’s
not only unfair to the people, but its unhealthy for their mentality of being forced to do

something they don’t want to.

In conclusion, the LDS are very strong about their teachings but many tend to believe

they force their teachings on to people that don’t really care to hear about it. They aren’t treating

the members as equals by saying we are sinning by trying to love who we truly love. It’s unfair

to not be sinning by loving the other sex but as soon as same-sex attraction comes along, it’s

totally wrong and not anything they believe in. Truly though, what is the difference between the

two? It’s not only something that needs to be worked on by them, but also by the community to

share our teachings as well. If we are to share our differences then we can possibly come to the

point where society comes to agree to disagree. By both coming together I believe it will make a

great impact and we can see where both of us are coming from with our beliefs and values. By

respecting each other’s beliefs and values, it shows respect and integrity to those who are

involved.