VOICES OF HOPE
Stu
Stu grew up in American Fork, Utah, and was raised in the LDS church. Currently studying English Composition at the University of Utah, he wants to someday work in the medical field. Stu’s favorite activities include hiking, whitewater rafting, rock climbing, and almost anything else done outdoors. His trials have led him to view life as an adventure, and he loves sharing it with his friends and family. Stu believes the Atonement is real and applies to his life every day. He knows that prayer and a relationship with his Heavenly Father has been critical to his happiness.
Full Interview [ 46 minutes ]
Highlights Interview [ 11 minutes ] CLICK HERE
And Then May We Stand Still - Stu
After months of working, school and insufficient sleep, things in my life started to deteriorate. Imperceptible at first, I began to starve emotionally. I was alone all the time. I knew no one in my classes, rarely saw my roommates or family, and spent the night in a dark cave in a dark mountain in a dark canyon. In that moment, when there seemed to be walls barring me from the rest of the world, the walls inside me began to disintegrate. When I was denied all the healthy connection I had enjoyed to that point, the walls I had erected to protect myself from my attractions crumbled.
One night, alone and cold, the attractions I had felt and so long ignored seemed to crash against the bulwarks I had built against them. It felt like a dam inside me broke, and there was one flooding, rushing thought that swept over my whole mind: “I am gay.”