Becoming a progressive Mormon Bishop, Son Comes Out as Gay - Evan and Wes Smith Pt. 1 | Ep. 1666

The Progressive Mormon Bishop and the LGBTQ+ Question: What Happens When Church Leadership Confronts Personal Crisis

When a devout Latter-day Saint ascends to the position of bishop, one of the most visible and authoritative roles in local LDS ecclesiastical structure, he typically arrives with decades of unquestioned faith and institutional alignment. But what happens when that same leader's child comes out as gay? According to the Mormon Stories Podcast episode featuring Evan and Wes Smith, this collision between personal love and institutional doctrine has become one of the defining tensions within contemporary Mormonism, forcing thoughtful bishops to ask uncomfortable questions about whether the church's approach to LGBTQ+ issues can, or should, evolve.

The story of Evan Smith becoming a progressive Mormon bishop while serving in an international law firm in Boston, and his son Wes coming out as gay, offers a rare, documented window into how institutional authority intersects with family loyalty. It raises a fundamental question that many scholars and observers have long posed: Can meaningful doctrinal change occur from within, or must pressure come from outside the system?

Background: The Architecture of Mormon Authority and LGBTQ+ Policy

To understand why the Smith story resonates so powerfully within Mormon circles, one must grasp the current institutional landscape. The LDS Church's official stance on same-sex attraction has evolved marginally over three decades, from language of "choice" to acknowledgment of "orientation", yet core prohibitions remain unchanged. Members experiencing same-sex attraction are encouraged toward celibacy or heterosexual marriage.

Bishops occupy the frontline of this doctrine's implementation. They conduct worthiness interviews, counsel members on dating and sexuality, and serve as gatekeepers to temple participation and ecclesiastical advancement. For Evan Smith, holding this position while his son navigated his sexual orientation created an unprecedented personal-institutional conflict.