now THAT's an ALLY! James C. Jones booted from Deseret Book lineup for queer advocacy
His online course is about racism - but it was James C. Jones’s advocacy against queerphobia that got his course booted from the Deseret Book lineup. Peggy Fletcher Stack of the Salt Lake Tribune describes what happened:
After two months of strenuous preparation, Jones had put together five 10-minute lectures and a five-minute introduction. They included multiple stories, scriptures, quotes from Latter-day Saint general authorities, and practical suggestions. The how-to videos were deep and well-sourced, with a religious tone and a powerful message.
Deseret Book’s team videotaped Jones in April, postproduction was completed during the summer, and the course, which was about an hour altogether, was slated to air online in October as part of the publisher’s MasterClass “Seek” series.
On Dec. 1, however, Jones got an email, saying his course had been canceled because of a Facebook post from August, when the Black podcaster had criticized a controversial speech by apostle Jeffrey R. Holland at Brigham Young University [the “musket fire” speech]. . . . Jones felt he needed to speak up for the marginalized everywhere, including LGBTQ members (emphasis added).
(Read the whole article from the Jan. 17 issue here. Subscription required — support local journalism!)
In the end, Deseret Book generously released the content to James, who then offered it to the world as the first course in BTB Academy (1-minute course preview here; sign up here). The class doesn’t meet at a certain day and time, so you can take this video course at your convenience and at your own pace.
James’s queer advocacy cost him his place in the Deseret Book lineup. But he never waffled, knowing that he had to say what he had to say.
Likewise, your advocacy and mine, on behalf of our own group or another, may be costly. But “the time is always right to do what’s right,” said MLK. No matter what it costs. #goodtrouble #btbpodcast
-Marci
PS: James co-hosts the “Beyond the Block” weekly podcast with Derek Knox, a queer convert to the church. Each week, Derek and James deliver hard-hitting scripture analysis from the Come Follow Me curriculum, in order to “center the marginalized in Mormonism.”
Photo: Derek Knox on the left, James Jones on the right