"The Family: A Proclamation to the World" is a 1995 statement issued by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church)—whose adherents are known colloquially as Mormons—which defined the official position of the church on family, marriage, gender roles, and human sexuality. It was first announced by church president Gordon B. Hinckley.
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History
Hinckley first read the Proclamation on September 23, 1995, at the church's General Relief Society Meeting, stating that the purpose was to "warn and forewarn" the world to the danger of deviating from its standards. In 1997, the LDS Church included the text of the Proclamation in an amicus brief to petition the Hawaii supreme court to reject same sex marriage. The LDS Church has published copies of the Proclamation in many languages, distributing them worldwide, and some Latter-day Saints have framed the Proclamation for display in their church buildings and homes.
The Proclamation has been discussed and referenced in the church's general conferences as well as in many other types of church meetings throughout the world. For instance, the Proclamation and the associated issues addressed were discussed during the church's 2008 Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting.
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Although the Proclamation presents no new doctrines or policies, it provides an official statement of the church on gender and sex.
Doctrinal assertions
Items of counsel
Warnings
Criticism
The LGBT advocacy group Human Rights Campaign has cited the Proclamation as an indication that the church restricts those who believe themselves to be gay, lesbian, and bisexual from fully integrating into the LDS Church. However, according to Hinckley:
The church also issued this statement after the Human Rights Campaign's criticism:
Status
The LDS Church has characterized the Proclamation as a reaffirmation of standards "repeatedly stated throughout its history." Apostle Boyd K. Packer also stated in General Conference that it "qualifies according to the definition as a revelation and it would do well that members of the Church read and follow it." It is particularly important because, although not canonized, the Proclamation is only the fifth such statement in the history of the church. The Proclamation was especially authoritative because it was issued in the name of the three members of the First Presidency and the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, each of the fifteen signatories being considered by members of the LDS Church as "prophet, seer, and revelators." The principles established by the Proclamation were cited by Latter-day Saints during the campaign by the LDS Church and its members in support of California Proposition 8 (2008).