Wendy Montgomery

Wendy Montgomery is a devout Mormon, and is the mother of five children. In 2008, she and her husband joined other members of the Mormon Church in walking the streets of Bakersfield in support of Proposition 8. They didn’t know at the time that their 9 year old son was gay. He came out to them in January of 2012, when he was 13. It has at times been incredibly painful. But it has also been an enlightening, spiritual and joyful journey.

The story of the Montgomerys and how they navigated the minefield of having a gay child while staying active in the Mormon faith was documented in the Family Acceptance Project’s award-winning short film, "Families are Forever." Wendy is a vocal advocate for inclusion and equality for all LGBT Mormons who feel on the outside looking in, and is a contributing author to the website, "No More Strangers" and “Rational Faith”.

In May 2014, Tom and Wendy and their family were the recipients of several awards, including the “Voice Ally” Award from the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles (presented by NFL Hall of Famer and Mormon Steve Young and his wife, Barb Young) and the “Let Love Define Family” Award from Raise A Child. In September 2014, Wendy and Tom were the recipients of the “Tree of Life” award from Affirmation. Interviews and news stories about Wendy and her family can be found on Religion Dispatches, The Associated Press, Huffington Post, NPR, Yahoo, The Advocate, and ABCnews.com.

Wendy sits on the Board of Directors for Affirmation, the country’s largest Mormon LGBT organization. Their family lives in central CA. From quiet, unremarkable lives of routine and religion, to activism and national leadership, the Montgomerys have been speaking out; not only in defense of their son, but in support and love of all LGBT people. Wendy is a voracious reader, loves history, and is doing everything she knows how to make the LDS Church more welcoming and inclusive of its gay members.