Mormon GOP official in Utah comes out as gay

A Republican official in Utah who is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS) on Wednesday revealed that he is gay. 

“What I have to say is not easy for me and may not be taken well by everyone who hears it,” Utah County commissioner Nathan Ivie said in a video. “I just hope you’ll hear what I have to say with the same spirit I have to share it with.”

{mosads}“I might as well just jump up and say it — I’m gay,” Ivie continued. “That’s my reality. And that’s what I need to talk to you about today.”

Ivie, 40, is a horse trainer from the town of Benjamin who was first elected in 2016 in his first run for public office, KSL reported.

He opened up about questioning his sexuality at the age of 9 in the video.

“I believed there was something wrong with me and I fought from the beginning to find some way to change myself,” he said, disclosing that he is the survivor of a failed suicide attempt at 22 years old. Though he recovered, he said he always felt “uncomfortable in my own skin.”

Ivie and his wife of 13 years have decided to separate and plan to “move forward as a different kind of family” with their two children.

The Republican said he “will continue to serve my county as Utah County commissioner with all of my heart. I know there are haters in every area of our lives, but we cannot let that be what defines us as a community.”

He told the Salt Lake City Tribune that he has received an outpouring of support from both sides of the aisle since releasing his video, which has been viewed more than 12,000 times on Facebook as of Thursday morning. 

“The Democratic Party should not have a monopoly on tolerance,” he said. “I hope this illustrates that you can be gay and Republican. You can believe in limited government and personal liberties.”

The Associated Press noted that Ivie is a member of LDS, but he declined to comment on his faith.

LDS in April announced that it would allow baptisms and give blessings to children of parents who are in the LGBT community.