Mormon Transgender Man Risking Excommunication Shares his Story on YouTube

Mormon Transgender Man Risking Excommunication Shares his Story on YouTube

Mormon Transgender Man Risking Excommunication Shares his Story on YouTube
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Emmett Claren is a Mormon transgender documenting his transition from female to male on YouTube.

Emmett Claren's family got baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when he was four years old. From then on, the religion and the Church have been an important part of his life. As he grew up in the faith, he also came to realize that he was different. Once he realized that he was a transgender, he started praying to God on a daily basis to change his body into a boy. He became depressed and angry and started losing faith in God and religion once he realized that God was not altering his body to fit the male body he identified with.

Mormon Transgender Man Risking Excommunication Shares his Story on YouTube[/tweetthis]

He asked God why He was taking him through this living hell. Then, when he was losing all hope, a realization came into his mind that changed his whole life. He realized that God does not make mistakes. He created Emmett Claren exactly like He intended. At that point he realized his goal in life, to help others like him, to be an advocate for others like him.

The first thing he did after his wake-up call was to come out of the closet, and express himself as a transgender to the outside world. Everything about him changed after that. He became more confident and happier. Emmett Claren is undergoing hormone therapy, and he is scheduled for a surgery to remove his breasts next month.

He has been documenting the results of his testosterone therapy on his YouTube channel for the last six months. Claren hopes that his YouTube presence will be a motivation for other young transgender Mormons to come out of the closet. According to Claren, he is in good stance with the Church now, however, he does not know what will happen in the future. His parents struggled to understand the situation, however, they are trying.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints holds a strong stand against the LGBT people/community. Last year, in the month of November, the Church instituted that the same-sex couples will be labeled as 'apostates', and the Church will no longer baptize their children. When it comes to the case of transgenders, the Church prohibits the change of gender via surgery. The Church even frowns upon hormone therapy.

According to the doctrine of Church, gender is an essential characteristic of an individual and it is eternal. Eric Hawkins, official Mormon Church spokesman, said that the Church handles or deals with transgender members on a case-by-case basis. The Church recognizes that the situation is difficult, and it is sensitive to the feelings of transgender members. Bishops work each cases keeping that in mind, but within the guidelines of the Church.

Emmett Claren is of the stand that even if the Church kicks him out and scribble out his name from its records, he will still be faithful, worship God, and follow Jesus Christ.

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