Jeff Green Outs Mormonism As Less Church and More Business

Jeff Green, the billionaire founder of the advertising technology company The Trade Desk and one of the wealthiest people in Utah, has resigned from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints [LDS] in a scathing letter in which he accuses the church of a misuse of its wealth and cites its stances on a range of social issues.

Green says that LDS leadership “is not honest about its history, its finances, and its advocacy” and that while “most members are good people trying to do the right thing” he feels “the church is actively and currently doing harm in the world.”

Green’s rebuke was outlined in a letter sent to LDS President Russel Nelson in which he says he has not been a “believing, attending, or practicing” member of the Mormon Church for more than a decade. The difference now is that he wants his name removed from all LDS records now:

“Although I have deep love for many Mormons and gratitude for many things that have come into my life through Mormonism, I have not considered myself a member for many years, and I’d like to make clear to you and others that I am not a member.”

Green, with an estimated net worth of $5.2 billion, joined a growing group of billionaires in signing The Giving Pledge, vowing to donate more than 90% of his wealth before or at the time of his death. His choice to leave the church is based on the fact that LDS “has been wealthy for many generations and yet doesn’t do nearly as much as it could.” The church uses its funds to buy real-estate and investments that add to its wealth, rather than using its money to help its members and it’s community.

“Given you claim to represent the will of God and act as a special witness of Jesus, the Mormon church should be doing more to help the world and its members with its wealth. Instead, I think the church has exploited its members and their need for hope to build temples, build shopping malls, cattle ranches, fund Ensign Peak Advisors investment funds, and own mortgage-backed securities, rather than alleviating human suffering in or out of the church.”

Even worse for Jeff Green in that he feels the Mormon Church “has strained and divided millions of families” through its stances on a range of social issues that have “hindered global progress in women’s rights, civil rights and racial equality, and LGBTQ+ rights.” He’s also donating $600,000 to the Utah-based LGBTQ advocacy group Equality Utah, with half of the funds going to scholarships for LGBTQ students in the state.

Green says deciding to leave was an “extremely difficult” process and took “several years of study and reflection,” but feels that remaining would have led to a “less fulfilling [and inauthentic] life.” He now wants “a life of honesty, morality, truth, and a desire to pursue a more socially just world—not because I desired a different lifestyle”:

“Whenever someone leaves a high-demand, insular religion—it brings some initial pain for all involved. I feel deep empathy for those who have been ostracized from the Mormon community or who choose to leave because of their beliefs, values, or even just who they are. Leaving almost always means losing some amount of family harmony. And those who stay feel loss and pain for those who have left, especially when in the believers’ minds, they are losing family forever. I live with this discomfort every day.”

At the end of the letter, Green requested his name be “permanently and completely” removed from LDS membership rolls:

“I am aware that the church handbook says that my resignation ‘cancels the effects of baptism and confirmation, withdraws the priesthood held by a male member and revokes temple blessings [but] my resignation should be processed immediately, without any 'waiting periods. I am not going to be dissuaded and I am not going to change my mind. I expect this matter to be handled promptly, with respect and with full confidentiality. After today, the only contact I want from the church is a single letter of confirmation to let me know that I am no longer listed as a member of the church.”

For its part, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not responding to Green’s letter.

And Jeff Green isn’t the first prominent Mormon to publicly criticized the church; in March, James Huntsman—the brother of former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman Jr.—filed a federal lawsuit against the church that accused the organization of using tithes for commercial purposes rather than for charity.

It’s not a church or religion or faith for those in positions of authority, it’s a business, and people who belong to this business, this cult, need to know that.

Bobservations

There is some hopefulness on Consuelo.

I’ve seen her on the deck, twice, coming for food we’ve left out. But she’s scared and so she won’t come to me or come into the house. She looks a little ragged—it rained one night—but otherwise okay.

We’ve set out old clothes, her scratching post, a cat carrier with blankets, food, w treats, but still she won’t come out when we’re around. I think she’s just scared right now. Our next step, I think, is to get a feral cat trap, and see if we can trap her. That way we can get her back inside.

Fingers permanently crossed.

It’s been more than thirty years since the AIDS Memorial Quilt was created in San Francisco, and in those years,  it has traveled the world and touched millions of hearts. Now, the Quilt is going home for good.

The AIDS Memorial Quilt, spurred on by the NAMES Project Foundation, will be moved from Atlanta to the National AIDS Memorial in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park for long-term preservation and educational purposes; related archival collections will be under the care of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress in Washington.

If you’ve never seen it, all or part, it is an amazingly beautiful sad, heartbreaking memorial to those we’ve lost to AIDS. I’ve seen parts in San Francisco and Miami and saw it on the Mall in DC twice.

It breaks your heart, but gives you hope. It deserves a permanent home.

In other good LGBTQ+ news … Cyndi Lauper will receive the inaugural High Note Global Prize from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the High Note Global Initiative.

Lauper is being lauded for co-founding True Colors Unitedin 2008 after learning that while 10% of American youth identify as LGBTQ+, up to 40% of American homeless youth is LGBTQ+. True Colors United works to prevent and end youth homelessness, focusing on the unique experiences of LGBTQ youth.

True Colors United offers free training and resources on how to meet the needs of LGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness. They advocate in government and media to help ensure critical funding and services for all youth and create opportunities for youth who have experienced homelessness to be key leaders in the effort to end the problem.

Congratulations Cyndi. Girls just wanna have fun, but they wanna help. too.

More LGBTQ+ good news … LGBTQ advocates and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have reached a deal to ban harmful gay conversion therapy for minors in the state of Utah. The deal was announced by Governor Gary Herbert on Twitter.

The proposed rule is expected to be published Dec. 15 and could go into effect as early as Jan. 22, according to a news release.”

But then … The Notre Dame Academy has come under fire after Carly McGoldrick, a parent who identifies as bisexual, reported that when the school took 8th graders on their annual trip to Chicago to see The Nutcracker, the chaperones made the kids leave the theater when it was revealed that Clara’s parents were played by two men:

“I’ve been in contact with an audience member … who said the walk-out was disruptive and confusing. It happened about 5 minutes before the performance actually began, and I can only imagine how humiliated the students were. Waiting for NDA to …  issue an apology for embarrassing [the students] in front of an entire auditorium.”

Kim Grilliot, NDA president, issued an apology, after McGoldrick’s tweet started a firestorm of anger:

“We apologize for our decision for 8th graders leave to a performance of The Nutcracker before it began due to casting choices. The mistake is contrary to our inclusive spirit and reminds us our actions should affirm that we are all God’s children.”

Well, isn’t that special, but … NDA also claims the school’s Spirit of Inclusion statement, adopted in 2014 ,affirms that NDA welcomes "all into our Gospel community including but not limited to people of all colors, religions, ethnicities, sexual orientations, gender expression, abilities, economic classes and nationalities.”

Except, I guess when it comes to Clara having two dads. For their part, the 8th graders painted a rock on the school’s campus in rainbow colors with the words “God Loves U” in response to the incident.

Listen to the children is the lesson here.

Ehsan Abdulaziz, a forty-six-year-old millionaire property developer, claims he never raped that 18-year-old girl; he simply tripped and fell on her while his penis was out of his pants.

Seriously.  Abdulaziz had already had sex with the teenager’s 24-year-old friend, whom he already knew, in the bedroom and said his penis might have been poking out of his underwear when he fell on the girl. He says he simply wanted to see if the young woman wanted a t-shirt to sleep in, or a taxi home, but claims she pulled him on top of her and placed his hand between her legs.

Now, his semen and DNA were found inside the girl, but Abdulaziz said it was possible he had semen on his hands from having sex with the 24-year-old earlier.

A jury acquitted him in just 30 minutes of deliberations. Seriously.

It appears he goes by the name Wake.

Hot. The long hair. The facial hair.  The body. The soulful eyes. The smile. The shower.

I’m fully woke. Just sayin’.

The Mormons Now Like Children of The Gays ... But Not Their Parents

Out there to Utah, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints President, Russell Nelson, has made some changes to the Mormon church’s doctrines regarding The Gays …well, children of The Gays:

“Previously, our Handbook characterized same-gender marriage by a member as apostasy. While we still consider such a marriage to be a serious transgression, it will not be treated as apostasy for purposes of Church discipline. Instead, the immoral conduct in heterosexual or homosexual relationships will be treated in the same way.”

Yes, they still think being gay is immoral, but … the church wants to “reduce the hate and contention so common today” and so they will change their policy on the children of same-sex couples, saying they can now be baptized in the faith without special approval.

Not their loving same-sex parents, mind you.

The rules about children of The Gays being unable to be baptized went into effect in 2015 and saw the exodus of thousands of LGBTQ Mormons and their allies from the church.

The interesting thing about Russell Nelson’s latest semi-pro-LGBTQ announcement, is that he was the one who introduced that hate-filled policy back in 2015 in the first place.

So, is this a shift in attitude, a public relations game, or a money beg since so many people left, and are still leaving the church because of their antiquated hate?

Please don’t ever forget that it was the Mormon church that was a major funder of California’s Proposition 8 that took away marriage rights from LGBTQ people in 2008.

They paid for hate. And maybe now they’re paying for it and so they backtrack because, let me make this queer, you are still unwelcome in the church if you are gay. 

The Children of The Gays are welcome, their parents are not.

LGBTQ Nation

Bobservations

So, we were at the Elephant’s Delicatessen in Portland last week ordering breakfast and a woman noticed Carlos’ cane and came up to talk. Turns out her father has Retinitis Pigmentosa, too, and has been blind since he was a child. We stood and chatted while waiting and then she asked Carlos how long he’d been visually impaired.

Carlos thought she was asking how long we’d been waiting and he said:

“About fifteen minutes.”

The look on that woman’s face is etched in my brain! And for the rest of the time we were on vacation, I’d turn to Carlos and say …

“About fifteen minutes.”

… and howl.

Oh look, closeted gay man, who only came out when we learned he molested young boys, Kevin Spacey, has a film coming out.

Billionaire Boys Club is Spacey’s first film since he was replaced by Christopher Plummer in All The Money in the World after multiple allegations of sexual assault.

Check that off the list of films not to see.

What’s this … FamilySearch, the world's largest genealogy organization, is redesigning its website so the LDS Church-sponsored database can store and provide records of same-sex families.

The Mormon Church doing something right and decent for the LGBTQ community?

Maybe Hell is freezing over.

On the other hand … a few weeks back Pope Frankie Goes to Hollywood, er, Francis told a gay man that God had made him that way and lotsa folks in the LGBTQ community lost their shiz.

I, however, said, “Wait.”

And this week Frankie condemned abortion and once again clarified the Catholic Church’s view of what is considered a “family” is a heterosexual family only.

So, again I say, F%k off Frankie.

But then … in heavily Catholic Ireland this week it was announced that gay men convicted of sex crimes prior to the decriminalization of homosexuality a quarter of a century ago will receive an official apology in Ireland’s Dáil—the Assembly of Ireland—and Seanad—the Senate of Ireland:

“The all-party supported motion will say the law prior to 1993 caused harm to gay people and to their family and friends. The motion is expected to get the support of the Cabinet at its meeting this morning and later Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is set to deliver a key speech in the Dáil. Politicians from across the Dáil and Seanad will also speak on the motion that will acknowledge the hurt caused to people who were deterred by the law from being open about their identity. It will say this prevented many of them from engaging in civil and political life. There will also be calls to ensure Irish foreign policy promotes the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people globally.”

Good news on that front, eh?

In a majority six to one vote, the Richmond Public School board voted to change the name of J.E.B. Stuart [a Confederate General] Elementary to Barack Obama Elementary School.

_____ must be livid because schools named after him get sued for fraud.

Openly gay Pennsylvania lawmaker Brian Sims blasted Vice President Mike Pence on Facebook upon Pence’s arrival in Philadelphia and offered a one-finger salute and said:

“OFFICIAL WELCOME: Vice President Mike Pence let me be the first person to officially welcome you to the City of Brotherly Love, and to my District in the State House!

To be clear, we’re a City of soaring diversity. We believe in the power of all people to live and to contribute: Black, Brown, Queer, Trans, Atheist, Immigrant, we want you and we’ll respect you.

So, keep that in mind while you’re here raising money to attack more families, spread more lies, blaspheme with your bible, and maybe even talk to a woman without your wife in the room. We have plenty of them, and they’re pretty much all more powerful and more real than you have ever been.

So…get bent, then get out!”

Bravo, sir, bravo.

John Kelly is once again ALLEGEDLY barely tolerating _____ according to those close to him.

While Kelly himself once believed he stood between _____ and chaos, he has told at least one person that he may as well let the president do what he wants, even if it leads to impeachment.

Um, John? You, like Pope Frankie, can f%k off, because you are as complicit as anyone in this hate-filled regime because, worse that acting like a spoiled petulant wannabe dictator baby, you stand by and allow it to happen and say nothing.

Kiss my ass.

Oh, and for anyone who didn’t know this, it was John Kelly, back in April, who suggested that separating children from their parents at the borders was a good way to stop illegal immigrant.

So, yeah, f%k off again.

In sad news, openly gay actor Russell Tovey has parted ways with his fiancé, British rugby player Steve Brockman. Tovey broke the news of the break-up in a comment to a follower on Instagram, who had asked if the couple was still together:

“No darling.”

Um, Russell? Steve? If either of you needs a shoulder to cry on, or, you know, whatever, I’m here for you.

Laura Ingraham is at it again; and by ‘it’ I mean acting the racist tool on Fox.

Laura Ingraham actually described the detention centers where immigrant children are being kept after being torn from their parents as “essentially summer camps”:

“As more illegal immigrants are rushing the border, more kids are being separated from their parents. And temporarily housed at what are, essentially, summer camps.”

Ingraham can take her place in the F%k Off Line.

Oh, and while we’re here, let’s, all of us, stop calling then “detention centers” and “tent cities” and shelters” and call them what they are: Internment Camps.

And if you needed any more proof that ____ is kissing the asses of Kim Jong Un, Xi Jinping, or Vlad Putin while denigrating our allies around the world, look no further than the fact that the White House has removed all photographs of French President Emmanuel Macron and replaced them with photos of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.

Makes sense, because this week the United States of America pulled out of the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Human rights are clearly no longer important in America.

The move comes amid criticism over _____’s policy of separating child migrants from their parents at the US-Mexico border.

The Little Dick-tator got his diaper in a wad and left the group.

Aidan Turner. Hot. Irish. Actor. He has appeared on TV, film, and stage, and starred in the BBC’s Being Human—I never saw that one, though I was hooked on the American version—as well as in PBS’ Poldark and as Kili in JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit. He has also voiced a role in the first painted animation movie, Loving Vincent.

But again, smoldering, brooding, Irish, and hot as evidenced by the fact he was voted Sexiest Man in the World by UK Glamour magazine in 2016.

Bobservations

Is Melania at it again?

Two years ago, Melania _____ apparently “copied” several lines in her RNC speech from a speech given by Michelle Obama in 2008. This week Melania announced her “new” anti-cyberbullying initiative—ironic given who her husband is and what he does on social media—and as a part of that initiative, the White House released a booklet that Melania said was intended to “help kids act thoughtfully and kindly” online.

Nice, except that it seems like the booklet was almost completely copied from a document released by the Federal Trade Commission in 2014 under President Obama. Right there is the cover and a page from each booklet …gosh, it’s like the 2014 version is looking in a mirror.

That kind of suggests that the booklet was blatantly plagiarized—like a Melania speech, perhaps—especially given that the official White House’s website claimed the booklet had been written “by” Melania _____ and the FTC, implying she had significant input other than making sure her name was spelled correctly.

Oh, but the nude First Lady centerfold was her idea.

The City of Del Rio … in Texas … elected Bruno Lozano, as its mayor, with 62% of the vote. The startling part is that, while Lozano is veteran of the U.S. Air Force, a Democrat and the youngest person ever to be elected mayor of Del Rio, he is also openly gay.

And yet his sexual orientation had little effect on his campaign—save the one Facebook post from a non-supporter who labeled him a “faggot with AIDS”—even including his marching in the town Veteran’s parade while wearing high heels!

Lozano served in the Air Force during Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and decided not to re-enlist because, “I am not ashamed of who I am . . . I kept going. I moved on with my life”:

“Stonewall happened because drag queens and a minority group stood up to animosity, and I had to go back in the closet [while in the Air Force] because of that same hatred. I know what that was like, and it translates to today’s campaign. I’m not going to bow down. I am who I am. Accept me or not.”

Bravo, sir.

The Snowflake-In-Chief is still butt-hurt that the press, other than those Fox News hacks, don’t kiss his ass and is now threatening to revoke the press credentials of any reporter who isn’t nice to him.

How very Hitler of him.

Now, a tale of a Republican mayor, Nick Isgro, of Waterville, Maine, who Tweeted an article about Fox News co-president Jack Abernethy standing by Laura Ingraham after she made fun of Parkland student David Hogg for receiving several college rejection letters. Isgro shared the article with this comment:

“Eat it, Hogg.”

Now, Isgro will face a recall vote because of that Tweet after a petition to remove him from office has received enough signatures to force a vote.

This follows on the heels of another Maine Republican, Leslie Gibson, referred to Parkland student and activist Emma González as a “skinhead lesbian.” 

Gibson was running uncontested as a GOP candidate for a state House seat but dropped out following the disparaging comments.

Good.Bye.

Ellen’s, a Dallas restaurant, informed its guests that while the NRA convention was going on in town, they’d be donating some of their profits from the business to Gun Control causes and, naturally, NRA members began threatening the owner and the staff of the restaurant for their right to Free Speech.

Sadly, for the NRA, most polls show more Americans share the restaurant’s view; and on Mother’s Day, Ellen’s owner Joe Groves will present a $15,000 check to the local chapter of Moms Demand Action, a national gun safety group.

And let’s not forget that, after Walmart and Dick’s Sporting Goods made public moves to pull back their gun sales, both stores enjoyed a spike of approval from consumers. More recently, Dick’s has taken the additional step of hiring a lobbyist to further advocate for gun safety initiatives.

As for Ellen’s, Groves thinks the gun group completely mishandled the situation.

“In the end, I think the NRA helped us, not only in allowing us to make this generous contribution, but ultimately to create the conversation we need to have.”

And responsible gun control legislation.

In more good news, because it claps back at Republicans, The Reverend Patrick J. Conroy, the House chaplain who announced his resignation under pressure from soon-to-quit House Speaker Paul Ryan after Conroy issued a House prayer that the GOP tax cuts result in “no winners and no losers” has changed his mind and rescinded his offer to resign.

In a two-page letter, Conroy informed Ryan that he gave in to pressure from the speaker’s staff when he agreed in mid-April to resign, believing that Ryan had the power to fire him, but the chaplain now believes he was pressured into the resignation for lack of cause.

“I have never been disciplined, nor reprimanded, nor have I ever heard a complaint about my ministry during my time as House chaplain.”

Ryan denied that the Jesuit priest’s political views played any role in the ouster and instead insisted he’d heard numerous complaints about Conroy’s lack of interaction with lawmakers.

Maybe just GOP lawmakers because, you know, hanging out with liars and supporters of sexual predators and rapist isn’t very Christ-like?

This week Republican … because, of course … Congressman Dan Donovan of New York introduced a bill that would require U.S Postal Service offices to hang pictures of President ______ and Vice President Pence in their buildings. Donovan said he decided to draft the proposal after a Staten Island resident said photos of former President Obama and Vice President Biden were hung up for years but pictures of _____ and Pence never went up.

Oh, stop yer bellyaching …soon pictures of _____ and Pence will go up on Post Office walls.

Along with the other eight Most Wanted.

And while we’re still waiting for _____to even say his name, Waffle House hero James Shaw Jr.'s campaign to help pay for funerals and hospital bill of the victims of last month’s shooting continue to pour in.

As of now, Shaw’s GoFundMe page has raised more than $231,000.

And not a single penny from Russia.

This week the Mormon Church announced it was severing its 100-year-old ties to Boy Scouts after the organization changed its name to Scouts BSA and began formally allowing girls to join:

“As a global church with millions of children and youth, we need to address diverse needs and fortify all children and youth with gospel-centered growth and learning experiences now more than ever.”

And girls in the Boy Scouts doesn’t fulfill that?

Some hotties … Starz has a couple of new half-hour shows airing now. 

Vida is the tale of two women who return to East LA following their mother’s death. Carlos Miranda plays an ex-boyfriend of one of the girls and, at least from that first episode, proves to be quite hot with a rather nice ass.

Sweetbitter, is the tale of a girl who moves to New York City and lands a restaurant gig. Evan Jonigkeit plays a hottie waiter, while Paul Sparks is the hunky restaurant owner. There is also 

Just sayin’.

That one made me laugh,and then this one did too, you know, cuz Deplorables, like their leader, cannot spell.