Pride Month 2020: Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds' campaign for LGBTQIA+ rights in the Mormon community
Imagine Dragons lead singer Dan Reynolds has made no secret of his dedication towards fighting for the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community. But what makes his fight relatively unique among his allies is that he hails from a highly religious Mormon community and has actively worked towards reforming that community from within, extending his advocacy towards ensuring Mormon youth stand a fighting chance.
Reynolds is no stranger to advocacy. He has been vocal about suffering from ankylosing spondylitis and his partnership with Novartis' ThisASLife to raise awareness about the disease. He has also spoken about his experiences with depression and therapy, with many of the songs on the Imagine Dragons debut album 'Night Visions' being inspired by these, and has worked towards raising awareness for mental health issues and helping destigmatize these experiences. Additionally, the singer and members of Imagine Dragons, have been actively involved with various causes including supporting young people battling cancer as well as providing aid to refugees, particularly from the Middle East.
But one area that has earned Reynolds significant praise is his support for LGBTQIA+ youth. Most prominently, Reynolds, along with his friend Tyler Glenn of the Neon Trees, helped organize the Loveloud charity festival in 2017 to "fight against teen suicide and to bring communities [...] and encourage acceptance" of LGBT youth, as stated in a press release for the event. Loveloud benefitted several LGBT organizations including The Trevor Project and GLAAD.
Glenn, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, spent years feeling conflicted between being Mormon and being gay, and reaching his limit chose to release a scathing album against the community and distance himself from it. But despite being disheartened by the lack of acceptance he found, he saw the importance of partnering with Reynolds and extending their support to the Mormon LGBTQIA+ youth.
Reynolds, a member of the church himself, elected to blend his faith with his activism instead of denouncing one in favor of the other. To that end, he has actively worked towards shifting perspectives within the Mormon community. Long before his mainstream success with Imagine Dragons, however, Reynolds was writing music about the struggle of the gay community to exist freely within the community and finding himself at odds with what his religion stood for. Addressing the crowd at Loveloud he shared, "It was hard to watch them have to hide, and go to dances with girls and not live their truths. It was the first time I felt that religion was doing harm."
Lamenting his choice to not reach out to his friends when they needed him the most, the singer soon made it his mission to never remain silent again. His journey from a bystander to a vocal activist is documented in his film, 'Believer', which draws inspiration from the Imagine Dragons song of the same name and focused on LGBT youth suicides in Utah as well as the "intersection between LGBT people and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."
It chronicles the experiences of LGBTQIA+ youth and what they go through while trying to live within a religious community, these experiences being told in the form of messages from youth describing their pain. It additionally touches on youth suicide and also showcases what life is like for those excommunicated from the community. The film, along with the Loveloud concert, premiered at Sundance in 2018, with a second Loveloud festival being held later that year.
But despite its overt criticism of the Mormon community, Reynolds has made it clear that this was his attempt at a call-in, not a call-out. During a radio interview shown in the documentary, he states, "I don’t feel a need to denounce Mormonism. I do feel a need as a Mormon to speak out against things that are hurting people."
For Reynolds, his activism is centered around shifting attitudes towards LGBTQIA+ youth within the Mormon community, which, despite having certain progressive rules including allowing gay and lesbian members into its fold, does still limit their freedom in other ways, including demanding they remain celibate or enter into a heterosexual marriage. Speaking about the high rate of suicide among Mormon youths aged 10 to 17, Reynolds has stated in an interview with LA Times, "I’m tired of people telling me the increased rate of suicide in Utah is because of the altitude. The altitude isn’t changing. If the leaders of the church aren’t going to change the doctrine, then the culture needs to change. That’s the goal."
And it appears the efforts of activists like Reynolds are paying off. In addition to lending its support to the first festival, the church said in a statement about the second Loveloud festival, "We remain committed to support community efforts throughout the world to prevent suicide, bullying, and homelessness. Every young person should feel loved and cared for in their families, their communities, and their congregations. We can come together, bringing our perspectives and beliefs, and make each community a safe place for all. We appreciate the sincere efforts of many who are trying to prevent suicide, bullying, and homelessness among vulnerable groups, including LGBT youth. We are grateful to be a part of the work to find solutions."
The festival went on to be a huge success, with Utah's Lieutenant Governor Spencer Cox also making an appearance to announce Governor Gary Herbert's declaration of July 28, 2018, as 'LoveLoud Day in Utah'.
While the church has not explicitly declared an intention to change to its doctrine, its support does indicate a willingness from the community to, at the very least, have a conversation about what it means to embrace its own youth unconditionally. But progress has still been made, even if only in the form of baby steps such as Pride Month signs being displayed openly in store windows. Speaking about the shift Glenn shared in an interview with the LA Times, "You can’t help but stop and be grateful that we’re at a place where those walls have been taken down. It is cool."
Last year, Reynolds furthered his fight by raising awareness around conversion therapy and its harmful effects. While accepting the award for Top Rock Artist at the Billboard Music Awards along with his band members, Reynolds stated, "I just want to take this moment to say that there are still 34 states that don’t have laws banning conversion therapy. On top of that, 58 percent of our LGBTQ population live in those states. This can change, but it’s going to take all of us talking to our state legislature, pushing forward laws to protect our LGBTQ youth. And lastly, we have seen with conversion therapy that our LGBTQ youth have double the rate of depression, triple the rate of suicide after conversion therapy. It’s not working and needs to change."
"Conversion" or "reparative" therapy is a largely discredited practice that makes false claims around being able to change a person's gender identity or expression. Despite having been denounced by medical and mental health organizations decades ago, these practices continue to be used in communities hoping to 'force' the queerness out of their youth, even when they are known to lead to depression, anxiety, drug use, homelessness, and suicide, among other things. Reynolds is one of the few high-profile celebrities raising awareness against these harmful, life-threatening practices, and that makes his activism invaluable for the cause.
But despite all the progress being made, the fight is far from over. On the contrary, it is only the beginning. But at least LGBTQIA+ youth know they're not alone in their struggle thanks to the efforts of vocal activists fighting for their rights. In an interview with Billboard Magazine, Reynolds shared, "We are excited to celebrate our LGBTQ youth through music and spoken word. My hope is that they feel loved, accepted, and perfect just the way they are. I invite all the political and religious leaders of Utah to join us as we show our LGBTQ youth that they are not just loved, but truly accepted and appreciated."