there's nothing surprising in that survey. Older Mormons are more socially conservative than younger ones.
Older Mormons are probably less likely to personally know a gay person. Less likely to know a gay person who grew up in the church.
The church teaches explicitly and implicitly. In the explicit teachings that are of a peripheral nature (i.e. not in General Conference, not in official lesson manuals) there has been some softening over the years toward gays. But the implicit teaching is that no way, no how will gays be accepted as they come in the church. A quiet, closeted celibate gay person will be accepted to the extent that a single person can be accepted (which isn't very well in many cases). But if you are open about being gay, whether celibate or not, watch out.
I dare say probably most of us have never met an openly gay active Mormon in our lives. I haven't. The closest I have come was a recently active, but no longer active, closeted gay man. I home-taught him. And there was no way in heck that he wanted it to be openly known that he was gay. Of course at that point he had little desire to be active either.
|