Episode 813: Trevor Schoeny, Gay Latter-day Saint, Recent RM, Must Listen

Listen, Learn & Love Hosted by Richard Ostler

Richard Ostler

Religion & Spirituality

4.8 • 839 Ratings

🗓️ 19 February 2025

⏱️ 90 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

My friend Trevor Schoeny (RM from Lubbock Texas, returned Dec 2024, from Virgina/DC, BYU student, Age 23) joins us to share his story as a gay Latter-day Saint. Trevor starts with realizing he is gay and then coming out to his parents after his senior year (positive experience). Trevor talks about stepping away from the Church (which helped him eventually come back to the Church) and his brave (and somewhat surprising) decision to serve a mission (and walk back into a place of trauma)—because he wanted to help others heal from pain and find love. Trevor (who reads scriptures throughout the podcast) talks about all the things he learned and taught on his mission including: * Fear has no place in the Gospel * His crucible moment when he decided to stay on his mission * No one should feel they are not celestial material * Importance of vulnerability * Finding our story in the scriptures I was so moved listening to and learning from Trevor—a great man who was been through the “winepress” representing the difficult road of a queer Latter-day Saint—and his ability to help others find hope, belonging and peace. You are a man of great courage. You are a good man, Trevor. I’m honored to have you on the podcast. Everyone in the Church needs to hear like Trevor as we build Zion. Please listen and share this episode. Links: Trevor on FB: https://www.facebook.com/trevorschoeny Trevor on IG: https://www.instagram.com/trevorschoeny/ Trevor’s e-mail: [email protected]

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome listeners to another episode of Listen, Learn, and Love hosted by Richard Osler.
0:08.8	Before I introduce my guest's name, I'd just like to introduce him, and then I'll get to his name, and he'll tell his story.
0:14.0	But about two years and four months ago, I got an email from, I'll say his name now, Trevor Shaney, telling me that
0:23.2	he was going on a mission as a gay Latter-day Saint and mentioned in a complimentary way that the
0:28.8	prior guest podcast has been helpful to him. And then I got added to his email. You know,
0:34.5	those weekly emails you get for a hundred and some odd weeks as a missionary?
0:39.0	Well, I didn't know I'd still have those because our kids are home from missions, but to be on
0:44.1	Trevor's email distribution lists and read his emails every week was one of the spiritual highs for me.
0:50.6	And he will talk about that, but there's three emails in particular that I've never forgotten.
0:55.4	I just reprinted them out, and we may talk about them at the end of the podcast.
1:00.2	But Trevor was out during his mission as a gay missionary.
1:04.4	He was out after his senior year concluded, and he grew up in the D.C. area to his parents.
1:10.4	He's 23. He's served to his parents. He's 23.
1:11.9	He's served in West Texas.
1:14.0	He's currently a BYU student home for just a couple of months, studying IT,
1:19.6	maybe going into the healthcare business where there's probably room for improvement in that industry,
1:25.1	great industry, but oh, as smart IT people can make things better.
1:29.5	13 companions.
1:30.6	He was out to all 13 companions.
1:33.3	He was out to both mission presidents, out to investigators and members at times.
1:38.2	And I just think Trevor will help you connect with Christ.
1:43.0	It will help you if you're LGBTQ Latter-day Saint wondering,
	...

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