Gender Was Determined Before Birth

There was a time when we all lived together in Heaven with God. We call this the Premortal world. God had created our spirits and we lived in His presence, learning to love Him and to know Him as our Father. In this place, we had no body, but we did have our spirits, the essentialness that makes us who we are. Our spirits took a form like the ones that we have now. In other words, we looked like us, but without a solid body. When God created us, He gave us a set gender and we had clear gender identity there. We had personality, character, interests, and all those things which make human beings who they are. In time, God called us all together and told us of His great plan for us. We’d come to a special place He’d create just for us, but away from Him. We’d learned truth. We’d learned to love Him. Could we find the truth and live it when we were away from home?As parents we know it is easier for our children to live what we’ve taught them when we’re standing right beside them. It’s when they’re away, and especially when they move out on their own, that they find out who they are and how strong they are. It’s that time that tests them. God is literally our Father, and He knew the time must come when we must be tested, when we can find out who we really are. In order for us to return, we would have to live a sinless life. God knew we could not do that, of course, and so He said He would send someone to help us make our way back home. He loves us and wants us to return. Lucifer offered himself to be the person who helped. However, He didn’t approve of the plan God had laid out for the person who came to help us. He felt the best way was for the Savior to control our every thought and movement, turning us into mere puppets, with him as the puppeteer. In this way, we’d never make a mistake and would be guaranteed the ability to return home. He felt agency, which we had in our premortal life, should be removed during our time on earth. In return for this, he wanted all the glory and honor.

Jesus Christ Offered Himself for Us

This, of course, was not at all God’s plan. What would be the purpose of coming to earth if we were merely puppets with no ability to think for ourselves, or to make choices? Fortunately, Jesus offered to help us in a way that exactly matched the plan the Father had for us. He would come to earth Himself, taking on a mortal body and all the challenges that would come with life on earth. This would allow Him to understand our own trials. He would live a sinless life for us, and then, just prior to His death, would take upon Him all the sins that ever had been and ever would be committed on earth, each one individually, making the atonement a personal one for each of us. Then He would allow Himself to be killed and rise again from the dead. This extraordinarily loving sacrifice would allow us to repent of our sins, since He would have paid the primary price of sin, and to return to our Father in Heaven someday. All would be resurrected and live forever, and those who loved God enough to live the gospel and to repent when needed would be allowed to return to His presence forever. For all of this, He wanted nothing in return. He asked that the glory and honor go to God.

Some Rejected the Savior

One third of the people in this premortal life preferred Lucifer’s easy route. They rebelled and refused to accept the Father’s plan, or Jesus as their Savior. Since Jesus would be the Savior of all who came to earth, those who rejected His loving offer were not allowed to come to earth. Lucifer was cast out of heaven and his followers went with him. They have since devoted their lives to trying to make us as miserable as they themselves are.

The rest of us, all who have ever come to earth, agreed to God’s plan, and accepted Jesus’ offer of atonement. And so the earth was created and we began taking our turns here on earth.

Those who have children know that babies seem to come to earth with pre-formed personalities. Each baby born into our family has a clear personality from the first day, one they brought with them from Heaven. Experiences on earth can alter those, but they start out as a real person who is who he had chosen to be in Heaven. Gender is a part of that real person. The gender was chosen when our spirits were created.

Where did same-gender attraction come from?

Elder Lance B. Wickman said:

“Gratefully, the answer is that same-gender attraction did not exist in the pre-earth life and neither will it exist in the next life. It is a circumstance that for whatever reason or reasons seems to apply right now in mortality, in this nano-second of our eternal existence.

The good news for somebody who is struggling with same-gender attraction is this: 1) It is that ‘I’m not stuck with it forever.’ It’s just now. Admittedly, for each one of us, it’s hard to look beyond the ‘now’ sometimes. But nonetheless, if you see mortality as now, it’s only during this season. 2) If I can keep myself worthy here, if I can be true to gospel commandments, if I can keep covenants that I have made, the blessings of exaltation and eternal life that Heavenly Father holds out to all of His children apply to me. Every blessing – including eternal marriage – is and will be mine in due course.” (Same Gender Attraction)

Note that if same-gender attraction will not exist in the next life, a marriage created here based on that temporary attraction, will be entirely unappealing in Heaven, and is one reason God cannot adapt His eternal plan to our temporary desires.

The church leaves the explanation of why there is gender confusion or homosexual tendencies to science. The why really doesn’t matter. What does matter is that a person choose to follow the commandments of God, whatever challenges may be placed in the path as they strive to do so.

Next: Gay Mormons: A summary of what the church teaches about homosexuality