(Salt Lake City, Utah) Mormon leaders have dismissed accusations by an LGBT Latter Day Saints organization that the church is dragging its feet on holding a promised meeting with the group.

The rebuke followed a news conference on Monday where members of Affirmation – an organization for LGBT members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – expressed exasperation over the Church’s delay of a face to face meeting.

Mormon church officials agreed in April to meet with leaders of Affirmation. The meeting was to have been with Fred Riley, commissioner of Family Services for the LDS, and Harold C. Brown, the agency’s past commissioner.

Affirmation had sought such a meeting for several years. 

LDS President Thomas S. Monson agreed to the meeting in April and asked Riley to arrange it. It was to have taken place August 11.

But in a letter late last month to Affirmation Assistant Executive Director David Melson, Riley called off the discussion, noting he was preparing to leave his position and that the meeting would best be handled by his successor who has not yet been named.

With the face-to-face meeting in limbo Affirmation went to the news media to outline problems facing LDS gays.

“Gay members do not always feel safe in an LDS Church environment,” Melson told reporters citing high suicide rates and among LGBT Mormons.

“There are many that still believe that it would be better to be dead than a homosexual,” he said.

Melson also said there is a high rate of homelessness among gay members of Church are often shunned by their families.

In a terse rebuttal issued by Trotter the Church said that it had not cancelled the meeting with gay members of the denomination.

“It has always been the intent of the Church to engage in an open and honest discussion with Affirmation leaders to listen to their concerns,” the statement from Trotter said.

“When the Church was originally approached by Affirmation, Church officials offered a much earlier meeting date. The meeting was put on hold until August at Affirmation’s request. The Church asked for the same courtesy as it hires a new director of Family Services, a position crucial to this conversation.”

©365Gay.com 2008