Out singer Tyler Glenn appeared on Facebook Live this week to address leaders of the Mormon Church who in November revised a church manual to step up their opposition to same-sex marriage and homosexuality in general.
Glenn, the Mormon lead singer of Neon Trees, showed photos of two young men in his video who he says are LGBT and Mormon and committed suicide within the past week.
Glenn addressed Russell Nelson, the president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, saying, "There is blood of your members on your hands. ... Please make a space for your gay members. Please tell them they are OK and they're made in the image of God and they're not flawed. Please stop telling them that they are abnormal. Please, please, please, how many more? How many more?"
"Dear Russell Nelson, you spearheaded this policy in November, and you and your colleagues claim to speak directly to and for God," he said in the video. "As his mouthpieces on this earth today, you have yet to respond to the confusion, chaos, and disruption that you have caused so many current and former members of your church, both queer and straight alike."
Suicide is the number 1 cause of death for people under 24 in Utah, which has a large Mormon population. The state also has one of the highest rates of LGBT suicide in the nation.
The policy Glenn is referring to is a leadership manual published by the church that was revised in November to state that being in a same-sex marriage is considered apostasy, which means a rejection of church teachings, and it could ultimately lead to dismissal from the faith.
At the time, the manual was also revised to say that children living with same-sex parents were not allowed to be baptized until they are at least 18, and only if they are no longer living with those parents and publicly oppose same-sex relationships. Many Mormons have left the church in response to these updates to the manual.
Watch Tyler Glenn's Facebook Live video below.
LGBT youth (ages 24 and younger) who are considering suicide can reach the Trevor Project Lifeline at (866) 488-7386. If you are a trans or gender-nonconforming person considering suicide, Trans Lifeline can be reached at (877) 565-8860. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at (800) 273-8255 can also be reached 24 hours a day by people of all ages and identities.