LDS & LGBTQ Leaders Deepen Relationship at D.C. Temple

Latter-day Saints sat peacefully with dozens of LGBTQ advocates in the Celestial Room of the Washington D.C. Temple last week during a special private tour of the church’s holiest space, which normally is closed to the public. Perfect quiet is normal etiquette for a Celestial Room, but the LGBTQ leaders from across the country said the moments they shared in the temple with their friends from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints strengthened relationships that are actively working to beef up both gay rights and religious rights across the United States. "We truly can have LGBTQ liberty and religious liberty together. These are not oppositional viewpoints," said Angela Hughey, president of One Community, a coalition seeking equal treatment for LGBTQ Arizonans.