On Saturday, the leader of the Mormon church gave a speech denouncing gay and transgender people during his church's annual meeting.
Mormon leader Dallin H. Oaks made provocative statements including that “gender is eternal" and said gay marriage should be illegal.
The remarks did not sit well with a group of Mormon moms who have gay kids and yet want to remain in the church. As reported by KUTV, a group called the Mama Dragons took Oaks to task on Facebook.
“We as Mama Dragons would like to reiterate our unequivocal support of our LGBTQ children and the entire queer community. We remain committed to our mission of providing support and education to mothers and to condemning discrimination in any form. We love you. We celebrate you exactly as you are,” their statement read in part.
The group's message was echoed by the Mormon leader of the band Imagine Dragons, who tweeted in support telling gay Mormon kids that "you are loved and perfect the way you are."
While the statement garnered mostly positive comments, some said that the women and their children should leave the church given its long history of anti-gay activism.
"Having 'been there, done that,' I can testify to you (see what I did there?) that true happiness and peace for an LGBTQ person can not be reached until they stop trying to be any part—no matter how small—of the Mormon faith," wrote one man. "Any encouragement of them to remain involved at all is damaging and certainly not helpful."
Disagreement in the Mormon church is not a small matter as anyone who opposes church leaders can be labeled an apostate and thrown out of the church.