Customer Reviews

Confessions of a Mormon Boy: Behind the Scenes of the off-Broadway Hit

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Steven Fales created quite a stir with his one-man stage show, "Confessions of a Mormon Boy", which debuted originally in Salt Lake City, not far from the headquarters of the LDS Church, which had excommunicated him just over a year earlier for his homosexuality. In a refreshingly nonjudgemental way, his show relates episodes in his life that led up to that day, which also resulted in leaving his wife and two children behind, as well as his subsequent life as a wannabe actor in New York City, who resorted to becoming a popular male escort to survive financially and drugs to deaden his depression over the direction his life had taken.

The stage show has evolved over the years, and this book includes the "script" for the most current, off-Broadway version, as well as the original (more Mormon-oriented) version he performed in Utah. There are also photos, copies of the communication from the LDS church that excommunicated him, and various personal observations on how doing "Mormon Boy" has been therapeutic for him.

Prior to reading this, my sole impression of how the LDS church dealt with gays was based on having seen the film "Latter Days", which the author here is quick to point out was not accurate. While the Mormon church is still bigoted against homosexuals, the author still found empathy and support among its members and some of its leaders, who were also among the financial backers for his show. He also mentions Affirmation, the support group for gay Mormons, and other similar groups are listed in a directory in the book.

An interesting, witty and heartfelt look at a world few of us know, from a talented writer who benefited the most from this work.

Steven Fales was born into a typical mormon family in Utah, but realized at a young age that he is gay. The Mormon church (the Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints) teaches that homosexuality is a disease, and Fales at first bought into that nonsense without question. He tried the Church's "reorientation" therapies, got married at a young age and quickly fathered two children.

Of course, everyone suffered as a result. The marriage ended in divorce, and Fales was excommunicated. Fales' life went into a tailspin, but he managed to pull himself out and come to grips with the circumstances of his life. That's the story in a nutshell, a rather remarkable one at that.

Fales' one-man play tells his life story (so far, he is still a relatively young man)in an honest and direct manner. He does not "trash" the Mormon Church. Quite to the contrary, he goes out of his way to mention the good qualities of the Mormon culture -- hard work, charity, treating others well (as far as their religion will allow).

This book consists mostly of the script of the play. While the script is, of course, written for a performance, it is quite readable as a book. It is also quite short.

If you do not know much about the Mormons, Confessions will give you a small and incomplete introduction. Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith provides another very worthwhile but equally incomplete look at Mormons, focusing on some the nuttiest of the lot. For a far more complete look at the Church of Later Day Saints, read Mormon America: The Power and the Promise.

Steven is amazingly honest in sharing his life with us as readers and ultimately showing us, that no matter what happens in life, if we can personally take responsibility for our life and choices, we can quit being a victim and start turning our lives around. We have so many possibilities if we can get out of the victim mentality.

"Confessions of a Mormon Boy" is human, it is sad, painful, and yet reaffirming, enlightening and ultimately uplifting. Gay Latter-day Saints, as do Gay people in general, face difficult choices in life, but one choice they do not face is to be who they are. Gay Saints and Gays in general are born this way; what to do about and with it is the journey of a lifetime, one that is spiritual, emotional, moral and most genuinely human. Brother Fales, thank you for your honesty. God bless you; you inspire.

An inspiring story of how a Mormon man comes out, and eventually makes peace with who he is.

While it is not the right, or authority of any one member of the LDS church to judge another human being all Latter Day Saints accept the responsibility of upholding the commandments and doctrine of God.
As a member of the church I have never met anyone that condemns another person because they are Gay. And any situation that involves someone being excommunicated is treated with great care nor is that person looked down on by others.

Gays have been persecuted and abused for their life style and treated as something less than human. It's tragic and it's wrong. I'm happy to see changes for the better being made. Yet while gays are finding progress being made; some great, some small; there is still areas which are not subject to public popularity, or anything else and one of them is the commandments and doctrine of God. It's common to see people, organizations, and institutions bend under pressure if their views or policies become unpopular. God does not change His laws because something is unpopular. It is up to us to accept His laws and live by them.

I can't understand, but only imagine, a small part of the pain and suffering a person must feel to be excommunicated. It's human nature to be angry at anything or anyone who is associated with the church because of that.
On the other hand it is unfair of one reviewer to say, "... his church that was quick to rid itself of a human life." That judgment of the church is not only cruel but short sighted. The LDS church does not throw away human lives nor are they "bigoted". As you speak or write those words you hang those labels around the necks of more than 12 million Mormons and everyone that hears or sees your words will think of them when someone says they're Mormon. If you are gay and have been struggling against the rumors, lies, and stereotypes spread by others, you can easily comprehend how damaging a few disparaging words can be. Yet, you use the same practice on us that you have been fighting against. So, along with the litany of other misconceptions Latter Day Saints must deal with you now add "bigot" and antipathy to it.

I can not speak with the understanding or knowledge of what it's like to live in this world as a gay person. Yet I do posses the understanding and knowledge that someone who is gay is a living, breathing person; a human being and just as everyone on the face of this earth they earn respect and courtesy on the merits of their individual actions. All human beings are Gods children and His laws and commandments are the same for every one of us. It is the responsibilty of each individual to either ignore or abide by them.