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Gay Neon Trees Frontman Slams Mormon Church in Emotional New Song

Rocker Tyler Glenn of Neon Trees released a new solo single aimed at the Mormon Church.

Tyler Aaron Glenn is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He is the keyboardist and the lead vocalist of the American rock band Neon Trees. Tyler Glenn is also gay. Raised in the Mormon faith, Glenn has been an avid advocate of the LDS (Latter-day Saints) church until six months ago. He considered himself as an ambassador to his church. In November 2015, LDS Church announced that it would excommunicate members who participated in same-sex relationships. This changed everything for Glenn. If you want to see what Tyler Glenn thinks about LDS church now, all you have to do is watch his solo track titled Trash that he released last Friday. In the video, Glenn literally trashes the LDS church and its stand and views on the LGBTQ community.

Gay Neon Trees Frontman Slams Mormon Church in Emotional New Song[/tweetthis]

The video shows Glenn drinking liquor. In Mormonism, consumption of alcohol is prohibited. Throughout the track, Glenn is surrounded by Mormon imagery. One scene shows the altered portraits of Joseph Smith, the founder of the church. The lyrics of the song borders on his self-loathing towards the religion's stand on the LGBTQ community. Part of the lyrics include “one man's trash is another man's treasure.” According to Glenn, he wrote it as a reflection of a violent relationship. The performance of Glenn throughout the video is violent and incendiary.

In an interview given to the Rolling Stone, Glenn said that his entire take on his religion, his self-worth, his sexual orientation has beenwired within the framework of the Mormon religion. Now, the religion does not have a place for him.

In 2014, after publicly announcing his sexual orientation, he told the Associated Press that he was looking forward to speaking about the acceptance of gays in his religious culture. He said he could be a role model to the LGBT Mormon youth. He also said that he got a lot of positive feedback from many of the church leaders.

According to Glenn, there have been about 40 suicides from the time the church announced its policy. The people who committed suicide includes children as well. His track is a statement that artistically shows the pain of a faith crisis and of self-doubt. However, it also says that there are ways to reclaim their rights as well.

Glenn is planning a solo album that extensively addresses the issue in the future. He says that his band supports his creative endeavor, however, he is not sure whether they would support the content in its entirety. He loves them and hopes that their relationship does not change as a result of the track. Apart from that, he stands behind the song.

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