at Lift + Love, community and support are at the heart of everything we do. This webpage is dedicated to fostering connection for LGBTQ Latter-day Saints, their families, church leaders, and allies. Here, you’ll discover that others are walking this journey alongside you. By sharing experiences and offering encouragement in Christ-centered environments, we help everyone find strength, hope, and belonging. 

community + support

online support groups

monthly online Zoom meetings

lgbtq+ youth (12-18)
lgbtq+ young adults (18-30)
lgbtq+ adults (30+)
lgbtq+ women
lgbtq+ men in mixed orientation marriage
lgbtq+ women in mixed orientation marriage
spouses of lgbtq+
dads of lgbtq+ kids (any age)
moms of lgbtq+ kids (any age)
parents of trans or non-binary kids (any age)
adult gender support community (18+)
ally comunity
meeting schedule

in-person gatherings

independently-hosted LGBTQ-inclusive Come Follow Me study groups for LGBTQ+ individuals, family members, friends, leaders, and allies.

find a local gathering
start a local gathering

meet the online support group hosts

jenie support bio
david doyle bio photo
alisha bio photo
amberly bio photo
heather bio photo
jeff case bio photo
anita bio photo
allison photo bio
christina bio photo
liv bio photo
matt cannady bio photo
meghan decker bio photo
page checketts bio photo
josh rollins bio photo
carey baldwin photo bio

Jenie Hunter - Mamas of LGBTQ Kids Support Group Host

Jenie is a certified LCS life coach with an advanced faith-based certification from Jody Moore. She earned a B.S. in Management from the University of Central Florida. Jenie specializes in family coaching with emphasis on helping LDS LGBTQ families. Along with individual coaching she hosts a weekly podcast Lift+Love and hosts bi-monthly support groups for LDS moms. She is passionate about creating a safer place in our church community for all of God’s children. Jenie is inspired daily by her husband, their four daughters and one son. In her free time, Jenie loves the beach and any traveling adventures with her family. For information about coaching, visit www.jeniehuntercoaching.com or email Jenie at jeniehuntercoaching@gmail.com

sign up for the mamas of lgbtq+ kids support group here

David Doyle - LGBTQ+ adult support group host

David Doyle lives in Florida and works supporting research and academic projects. In 2017, a blog post he wrote about his experience as a gay man of faith unexpectedly went viral, shifting his journey from quiet privacy to public storytelling. David has become a thoughtful and compassionate voice in conversations about queerness and spirituality--sharing his reflections through essays, podcast appearances, and his own blog. His volunteer with several non-profits is in support of affirming queer people of faith and encouraging them as they navigate their own paths of belief and identity.


Read more about David’s story here: (https://www.liftandlove.org/stories/the-david-doyle-story)

sign up for the lgbtq+ adult support group, click here

Alisha Anderson - LGBTQ+ women support group host

Alisha Anderson (she/her) was born in Northern California. She is an artist, whose art flows from the confluence of identity and earth. She has a B.F.A. from BYU, a Masters of Science from the University of Utah, and a Masters of Fine Arts from the University of New Mexico. Her art is research-based, and often place-based, with a focus on marginalized places and people. 

Since coming out as gay, she's been turning that artistic lens to queerness as a way to process her own queer journey. She shared some of that artwork at the Gather Conference in 2024. She currently resides in Utah, is working on a project with the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, and was recently the Visiting Artist in BYU’s Art Department.

Learn more about Alisha’s art here: https://vimeo.com/954553770

sign up for the lgbtq+ women’s support group here

Amberly Bean - LGBTQ+ youth support group host
Amberly was raised in an amazingly loving and supportive home. The foundation of Christlike love while growing up helped her feel comfortable coming out (albeit discreetly) while still in high school. Having and acknowledging her queerness from her teen years has shaped Amberly’s life views as well as her views of the church, gospel, and her relationship with Jesus Christ.

Amberly loves supporting the youth, especially queer and church adjacent ones because of her own struggles at that age wanting to stay involved in the church but also to be honest with herself. She loves the monthly lift & love youth calls because as she says, “To know these kids is to love them!”

sign up for the lgbtq+ youth support group here

Heather Leavitt- LGBTQ+ young adult group host

Heather Leavitt (she/her) has been a clinical Social Worker for 24 years graduating from Brigham Young University and University of Denver what seems like eons ago. She’s lived all over the United States and has been lucky enough to spend some time having overseas adventures as well. She currently lives in Colorado with her two sons, a few dogs, one cat and occasionally some stray backyard chickens. She loves reading, gardening, and her not too early morning yoga class. Heather is passionate about diversity and inclusion especially inside the LDS Church, and has become (mostly) comfortable in the very complex state of paradox that is faith, hope and religion.

sign up for the lgbtq+ young adult (18-30) support group here

Dr. Jeff Case - LGBTQ+ men in mixed-orientation marriage support group host

Jeff Case is a clinical psychologist who specializes in trauma and suicide. He is an Air Force brat who grew up around the world and then joined the Army while in college. He is a Veteran of the Iraq war. He and his wife have been married for 25 years and have three children. After leaving the Army in 2014, he and his family moved to Pleasant Grove, UT. Jeff is a life-long member of the LDS church and identifies as a gay child of God. 

Watch Jeff’s presentation at Gather Conference 2023 here

sign up for the LGBTQ+ men in mixed-orientation marriage support group here

Anita Ervin - Parents of Trans or Non-binary Kids Support Group Host

Anita and her husband (Ben) have been active in the LDS church their entire lives. Their family's story had a "plot twist" when their oldest child came out as queer at the age of 18. This led to Anita's deconstruction and reconstruction of her faith so that she can stay connected to God and her faith, even when things are hard at church.

Today, two of their kids are out as transgender or gender non-conforming as well as queer. Anita has been involved with Lift+Love as a group leader for the Parents of Transgender/Non-Binary Kids group since 2021. She has found strength as she has connected with other parents who understand the pain points that exist for families striving to stay engaged in the LDS faith and also supportive of their kids' identities. She believes very strongly that her first responsibility as a mother is to love her children the way that God loves them - fully and without reservation.

sign up for the parents of trans or non-binary kids support group here

Allison Dayton - Mama’s of LGBTQ Kids Support Group Host

Allison started Lift+Love to support lgbtq+ individuals and their families in the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Allison lost her brother, who was gay, to suicide at the same time her 17-year-old son was coming out. Looking for resources to help her family, she couldn’t find anything that embraced her religious beliefs and her son’s divine identity. Lift+Love has grown to fill that much-needed space supporting thousands of individuals and families as they navigate their unique journeys of protecting their identity or that of their precious children and integrating their new reality into their devotion to Jesus Christ. Allison is a writer, speaker, including at BYU Women’s Conferences. In 2022 she moderated an lgbtq+ Conversation Circle at the UN Women’s Conference. Allison and her husband, Kenn, live in the foothills of Salt Lake City, Utah, have three grown children, a son-in-law and a granddaughter, Georgia, who rules their world.

You can read more about Allison’s experiences in her LDSLiving article here

You can watch Allison’s presentation at Gather Conference 2023 here

sign up for the mamas of lgbtq+ kids support group here

Christina Dee- Ally community group host

I am excited to be a part of the Lift and Love team! I am a lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. My allyship journey began when I learned of the November 2015 policy that prevented children of same-sex parents from getting baptized. As I wrestled and prayed about it, the prompting I got was to learn as much as I could from those who are LGBTQ. I have learned so much from them! I have been involved with the Mormons Building Bridges community and several other LGBTQ organizations. It has been a huge blessing in my life. Our LGBTQ siblings have truly strengthened my relationship with Christ. One of my greatest desires is for people to truly see and cherish them just as God does.

sign up for the ally community group here

Livier Mendoza Haynes- LGBTQ+ women’s group host

Livier opened her mouth for the first time when she was born in California and hasn’t been quiet since. While growing up, her parents taught her how to work hard and dream big. Both of these wonderful values have helped her to live in three different countries and travel to many other places around the world. Although she loves to travel, Livier always goes back to the place that she considers home: Mexico. Raised in a staunch Catholic family, Livier always believed in God, but she struggled with and questioned several different doctrines until she met missionaries from The Church or Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 2010. As she listened to what those Elders had to say, Livier felt like everything fell into place, not only in her mind but also in her heart. As the youngest of three children, Livier always admired her oldest sister and followed her steps to attend and graduate from Law School before being called to serve her mission in 2013 in the Mexico City Northwest Mission. Livier has always liked to challenge herself, which has guided her to every sort of activity from belly dancing to riding a camel in the Sahara desert. Her passion for personal growth and her wandering, gypsy soul helped her decide to move to Salt Lake City where she currently lives. Livier overall keeps herself busy doing her best to stay in touch with her family and friends all across the globe, and furthermore, as a convert, she makes an effort every day to be a modern-day pioneer.

Watch Liv’s presentation at Gather Conference 2023 here

sign up for the LGBTQ+ women’s support group here

Matt Cannady- adult gender support community group host

Matt Cannady is from the midwest and was the second of 6 children growing up, served a full time mission in western Nevada, earned a Bachelor's of Science in Geology and a certificate in GIS (geographic information science) from Brigham Young University Idaho in 2008, and a masters certificate and masters degree in GIS (MSGISc) from Denver University in 2020 and 2021 respectively. Matt worked from 2009 to 2020 as a petroleum analyst for a mid-level upstream liquid energy company, which involved moving to Denver and then Dallas. Matt has been married for 19 years and has 4 children with one waiting in heaven, and is currently a GIS Manager for a small city in Michigan. When not working, taking care of family or church responsibilities, Matt enjoys watching, playing, reading, crafting, and exploring.

sign up for the adult gender identity support group here

Meghan Decker- LGBTQ+ women’s group host

Meghan Decker is a respected writer, speaker, and lesbian Latter-day Saint. She is co-author of Reaching for Hope: An LDS Perspective on Recovering from Depression, which has provided insight for thousands of readers who experience depression. Her book Tender Leaves of Hope: Finding Belonging as LGBTQ Latter-day Saint Women shares her own experience and amplifies the voices of scores of LGBTQ women who are seeking to hear God in their lives. Meghan has five daughters and fifteen grandchildren, and they enjoy gathering to explore, eat, and trade book recommendations. She is grateful every day to feel God’s lovingkindness and gentle guidance.

Watch Meghan’s presentation at Gather Conference 2023 here

sign up for the LGBTQ+ women’s support group here

Page Checketts- adult gender support community group host

Page Checketts is passionate about healthy communities. She has spent decades working & volunteering in public health organizations large and small. She founded the Utah Child Care Cooperative in 2019 to fill a critical community gap and is a strong advocate for childcare. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic she worked full-time managing contact tracing efforts at the University of Utah. She was the grant coordinator for the University of Utah’s Health Equity collaboration with the Utah Department of Health.  She is currently the Secretary for the Utah Public Health Association. In her early career, Page was a Registered Nurse with specialization in liver and kidney transplants and medical oncology. She has a Bachelor’s of Science from Brigham Young University, and dual Master’s degrees from the University of Utah in Public Policy and Public Health. When not working and volunteering in health-related fields, you can find Page reading, hiking or spending time with close friends and her large family.

sign up for the adult gender identity support group here

Josh Rollins - Dads of LGBTQ+ kids support group host

Josh Rollins lives in Riverton, Utah with his wife, Jen, of 26 yrs and their five children; Jace (24), Chelsea (22), Aidan (19), Brinley (15) and Landon (14). Three of the five children are queer. Jace is transgender, Chelsea is bisexual, and Aidan is gay. All three of them came out while Josh was serving as Bishop from November 2015 to November 2020.

Josh is an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Saints and currently serves as Gospel Doctrine instructor. He continues to wrestle with the paradox of having queer kids while striving to strengthen his testimony, his relationship with his Heavenly Father and with his Savior Jesus Christ. He cleaves to the promise stated in the 9th Article of Faith: We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.

sign up for the dads of LGBTQ+ kids support group here

Monica Bousfield - Spouses of LGBTQ+ support group host

“Monica earned her Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Science from Utah Valley University in 2000 and her Master of Science in Human Resource Management from Regis University in 2018. She currently works in the Human Resources Department for a local municipality, where she brings compassion, professionalism, and a deep commitment to inclusion to her work.

Monica’s personal experiences have shaped her dedication to inclusion, especially as she and her husband, who is gay, raise their two children with pride and openness in Colorado. They are parents to a daughter who came out as queer in 2020 at age 12 and a son who is autistic and identifies as queer.

Monica enjoys reading, baking, exploring Colorado’s outdoors, and attending concerts with her kids.” 

sign up for the support group for straight and cisgender spouses of LGBTQ+ people here

Carey Baldwin - Support Group Coordinator

in-person gatherings

  • Gatherings are independently-organized groups of LGBTQ Latter-day Saints and friends, family, and local leaders. Using the Gatherings framework, you can bring people together through community and Christ-centered conversation. As you discuss the gospel in a way that is inclusive of LGBTQ individuals, everyone is strengthened and learns from each other.  

  • Gatherings are designed to be inclusive of LGBTQ+ Latter-day Saints, family members, friends, allies, local community leaders, and local church leaders. Anyone who is seeking a safe place to discuss the gospel or build community and understanding as their authentic self should feel welcome, regardless of church activity or membership status. Specific groups might include any combination of LGBTQ+ folks, relatives, and friends/allies of all ages. Many gathering groups are open to everyone, but some are specifically geared toward certain age groups or other demographics. 

  • Gatherings meetings are in-person facilitated discussions that happen on a monthly basis. The host (or someone in the group who has agreed to lead) facilitates the discussion, which can include one or more topics from the Gatherings materials as a starting point. Attendees should be encouraged to participate and have time to share their insights and experiences. Some groups are very casual, while others are more like a fireside setting. Some groups may choose to include refreshments or a potluck meal as part of the meeting. Some groups arrange for guest speakers or watch Gather Conference videos together. Each gathering group is unique, based on the plans of the hosts and the needs of the specific group. In addition to gospel discussions, some groups plan social events and group outings.

  • The Gatherings materials provide a framework for you to lift and love others as you seek to minister to all of God’s children. Each month, the Gather team provides free printable discussion materials based on Come Follow Me, which also include stories of faith from LGBTQ+ Latter-day Saint perspectives that are related to the topics for that month. The wide range of Gatherings material includes options for scripture study, questions to ponder, and ways to share your own story. The discussion outline includes far more content than can be covered in one meeting. Prayerfully consider what to discuss in your local group. Some groups may focus more on scripture-study, while others may focus on personal stories, becoming better allies, or community building. Find the free Gatherings materials here.

  • See our online directory to find a group near you

  • Each group is independently hosted and operated by individuals, so if you want to start a group, please do! You don’t need permission. Decide when and where you will hold your meetings and invite people! Consider the folks in your area who might want to participate and extend them a personal invitation to join in. Friends, family, and fellow ward members are a great place to start! We recommend obtaining permission from your local leaders before announcing your Gathering group meetings at church meetings. If you would like to add your contact information to the online directory of Gatherings, we can list your first name, email address, and the city/state or country where you are located so that interested people in your area can contact you for more information. If you would like to add your new group to our list, click here to let us know.

find an in-person gathering

Our directory has over 114 Christ-centered gathering groups of LGBTQ+ Latter-day Saints (and those who love them) that currently meet in 6 countries and 30 U.S. states. Each gathering group is independently operated and hosted by individuals and is not authorized by or overseen by Gather Conference or Lift+Love. Contact the group leader in your area for more information.

GROUPS IN THE U.S.

find gatherings materials here

GROUPS OUTSIDE THE U.S.

learn more about gatherings here

return to the support page

learn about gather conference here