“My Husband’s Not Gay” is based on couples where the men explain they have attractions toward other men, but fight those desires for religious reasons.
A new reality show being launched on TLC features Mormon couples wherein the husbands are gay but have married women anyway, in their quest to follow their faith. The show, due to be released in January, explores the lives of four gay Mormon men, three of whom are married to women while the fourth is dating one. This is not a new phenomenon in the Mormon Church, with Josh Weed, a noted Mormon family therapist married to a woman, admitting in 2012 that he is gay.
In a recently released preview of the show, there are conversations with the men, who deny their homosexuality, even while admitting they have serious attractions to other men. They say they are attracted to the women to whom they are married, with one saying he chose “an alternative to an alternative lifestyle;” another says he and his wife believe they “can overcome anything” through their faith. One of the wives admits she’s “a little defensive” when her husband is identified as gay; a man is shown in a spiritual meeting saying that homosexual acts are not in line with the gospels.
The Mormon Church has long been known for its anti-gay stance, but they have softened their position somewhat to say that being gay is no longer a sin, so long as the individual does not act on those desires. In order to help explain the church’s new stance, a website called MormonsAndGays.org was launched. While the church’s stance has changed somewhat, it still maintains that any sexual activity should only take place in the confines of a heterosexual marriage.