Why do Latter-day Saints Come Out and Walk Away?

In late 2018, one of the founding Studio C actors Stacey Harkey posted a Facebook message, "Here's your fact of the day: I'm gay." At the time, LDS Living portrayed this young man as a model and an inspiration to other Latter-day Saint youth in an article entitled, "I'm Not Ashamed of Who I Am": Studio C Member Comes Out as Gay, Shares Touching Message for LGBT Youth. Six months later, Stacey mentioned his boyfriend in a talk at the Affirmation conference -- with his social media posts increasingly channeling the Mama Dragons/Mormons Building Bridges narrative. It was clear Stacey's relationship to the Church had changed.