Episode 638: Thomas Auseuga, Gay Australian Latter-day Saint

Listen, Learn & Love Hosted by Richard Ostler · Apr 29, 2023 · 1h 16m

My friend Thomas Auseuga joins us from Brisbane, Australia (my first LGBTQ guest from Australia) to share his story. Thomas (who is in his 20's and served a mission in the Philippines) talks about realizing he was different around age 12 and then processing that alone until he came out as gay to his mother at age 16. Thomas talks about believing he was the only Latter-day Saint with these feelings and concluding he was a bad person. He talks about all the gay jokes and rhetoric that led to immense—and deserved—shame. Thomas talks about his young adult years and then coming out again to his…