Guest:

Guest Shelly Johnson shares her story of coming out as a lesbian at age 43. Growing up in a deeply Mormon family, Shelly believed her role as a woman was to get married, have lots of kids, and take care of her family. When that guaranteed formula for happiness failed her, she began to question what she was taught. After she realized that “God doesn’t hate gay people,” which is what she had always been taught, she started finding herself attracted to women. This lead to her realization around her sexuality, and then it lead to leaving the church, and eventual divorce. Shelly’s is a cautionary tale about how lack of education around sexuality can lead to unintentional closets.