Mormon Studies Review
Keywords
gender, eternal identity, proclamation, family, doctrine
Abstract
Gender is eternal, at least from the perspective and teachings of most Mormon traditions. Whether mainstream or fundamentalist, Mormonism teaches that gender is a fixed characteristic that predates earthly existence and follows us into the afterlife. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints codified this belief in “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” a 1995 document likely authored by Latter-day Saint lawyers and designed to thwart same-sex marriage advancements in Hawaii and elsewhere.3 Whether received by divine revelation or responding to perceived secular need, this proclamation reiterates key components of Latter-day Saint doctrine related to gender and family. According to this document, “All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.”4 Moreover, it is not just gender that is eternal; the Doctrine and Covenants also promises that families will also persist in eternity (D&C 132:19).
BYU ScholarsArchive Citation
Basquiat-Jones, Jennifer Huss
(2022)
"Contradiction among Essentialism: How Some Mormon Fundamentalists Do Gender,"
Mormon Studies Review: Vol. 9:
No.
1, Article 5.
Available at:
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/msr2/vol9/iss1/5