This post was submitted by Kelly Catherine Chapman.

I am a former member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (a.k.a. The Mormon Church) and resident of Utah – and a member of the LGBT community currently living in Washington, D.C. This trifecta of identities gives me some acute insight into Representative Chaffetz’s and Senator Bennett’s recent proposed legislation regarding the DC Council’s vote to legalize same-sex marriage.

As a Mormon, I knew the frustration that all Mormons share with regards to politics: no one takes Mormons seriously! Mormons grieve over the fact that arguably qualified, intelligent candidates like Mitt Romney, and potential future candidates such as Governor-turned-Ambassador Jon Huntsman, are hastily dismissed as presidential material by many, simply because of their religious beliefs.

Having lived in Washington, D.C. for nearly three years, I also know the frustration of Washingtonians who yearn for more representation in Congress and bemoan the fact that unlike any state, where when the Governor signs a bill it becomes law (except California…?), we have to wait every time to see if 500+ people have any issues with it, or would like to use an attempt to block it as a political tool.

And finally, as a member of the LGBT community, I know the frustration of not being taken seriously in, well, a hell of a lot of ways – except maybe taken as a serious problem.

With these views in mind, I have some advice for Representative Chaffetz and Senator Bennett, and their LDS colleagues and successors: If LDS politicians want to be taken seriously on the national level, they need to prove they are capable of separating their religion from their roles as public servants.

As governor, Huntsman was able to do so wonderfully – although not initiating or supporting gay marriage legislation, he was a strong proponent of anti-discrimination legislation and has come out in support of civil unions. Steps like these help Mormons be taken more seriously, seemingly without detracting from Huntsman’s own religious views.

Unfortunately, Rep. Chaffetz and Sen. Bennett’s legislation, in addition to the Mormon Church’s spearheading of Proposition 8, solidify views that Mormons could not possibly be trusted in a national office – “Why should anyone respect them as politicians when they cannot even respect the boundary between church and state?” It is one thing to meld the two areas together in one’s own sphere of governance – but it is another to effectively force one’s religious views on the government processes of other jurisdictions. (Now, some may argue that both Chaffetz and Bennett are not injecting their religion into DC’s gay marriage issue, but simply calling for a more democratic process by a popular vote. In response, one only needs to say “Prop 8” and then wonder if the Church is already setting aside funding for the off-chance it goes to popular vote in DC).

There is one place my seemingly dichotomous and unrelated identities converge. As a Mormon, as a resident of DC, and as a member of the LGBT community, I have learned three-fold what it is like to feel as though the larger part of society does not take you seriously, and you are effectively powerless. All three groups are precarious outsiders in the realm of politics, each taking turns scratching at the door, trying different techniques, and finding differing degrees of success. Although it is unlikely that DC residents will see more political power in the near future, there is hope for the other two. In an unexpectedly symbiotic relationship, by supporting the right to political process of the LGBT community, Mormon politicians can slowly garner respect by showcasing their own respect for the separation of church and state, the decisions of other jurisdictions, and civil rights

Chapman is currently a student at Georgetown University Law Center, a former employee of The Carlyle Group, and a former intern for Governor Jon M. Huntsman, Jr. of Utah.

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