Mormon Stories Podcast Carol Lynn Pearson – Mormon Author, Poet, Playwright, & Feminist | Ep. 2121 (Re-Broadcast)
Mar 9, 2026
Carol Lynn Pearson, acclaimed Mormon author, poet, playwright, and activist for women and LGBTQ+ people. She recounts her marriage and loss, the writing of Goodbye, I Love You, and how theater and memoir shaped her outreach. Conversations explore feminism, Heavenly Mother imagery, Prop 8 activism, HIV/AIDS caregiving, and practical advice for families and young people.
04:51:58
Engagement Confession And Cultural Blind Spots
- Gerald disclosed prior homosexual experiences during engagement, and Pearson accepted the marriage believing it was a resolvable mistake.
- He later broke the engagement briefly, returned, and they married; she later reflected that cultural ignorance shaped their choices.
Whitman Poem Moment That Revealed Inner Conflict
- Months into marriage Gerald cried while listening to Matthew Arnold, revealing ongoing inner conflict about his identity.
- Pearson describes feeling paralyzed and interpreting his sobs as evidence the hoped-for change hadn't occurred.
Why Goodbye I Love You Reached Mormon Audiences
- Goodbye, I Love You resonated widely because it offered vulnerable human stories, not polemic, filling a Mormon community need.
- Deseret Book unexpectedly bought large orders and readers offered gratitude across LDS demographics.
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Intro
00:00 • 5min
Early life, heritage, and BYU drama
05:06 • 5min
Mormonism's nourishment and questions about women
10:34 • 11min
Expectations after college and art's meaning
21:32 • 11min
Meeting Gerald and early marriage
32:44 • 8min
Discovering Gerald's same-sex feelings
40:38 • 3min
Broken engagement and reconciling
43:27 • 11min
Marriage, intimacy, and early hints of trouble
54:56 • 7min
Gerald's inner struggle and poetry moments
01:01:39 • 11min
Publishing Beginnings and Gerald's support
01:13:02 • 18min
Early books and Mormon women's history
01:31:04 • 18min
Gerald's widening exploration and Whitman reading
01:49:19 • 5min
The revelation of Gerald's affairs
01:54:22 • 2min
Moving to California and trying to save marriage
01:56:31 • 10min
Trust, gay community, and difficult compromises
02:06:10 • 9min
San Francisco gay scene and activism
02:14:52 • 4min
AIDS diagnosis and Gerald's death
02:19:03 • 17min
Writing Goodbye, I Love You
02:36:21 • 10min
Ongoing outreach and Facing East play
02:46:27 • 9min
Prop 8, activism, and church conversations
02:55:42 • 9min
Local stake education and community healing
03:05:11 • 4min
Practical advice for young people
03:09:26 • 4min
Marriage advice about marrying a straight partner
03:13:54 • 3min
Couples, separation, and weighing sacrifices
03:16:54 • 3min
Life after leaving and finding healthy relationships
03:20:13 • 5min
Stories of successful gay families
03:25:31 • 7min
Advice for parents of gay children
03:32:55 • 14min
Message to those considering suicide
03:47:05 • 3min
Women, feminism, and Mother in Heaven
03:50:15 • 20min
Historical backlash and the September Six
04:10:02 • 7min
Practical steps toward cultural change
04:17:11 • 8min
Synchronicity, creative humor, and other works
04:25:31 • 5min
Staying in the church and focusing on love
04:30:58 • 20min
Pioneers poem benediction
04:51:01 • 2min
Outro
04:52:52 • 4sec
#13465
• Mentioned in 4 episodes
The miracle of forgiveness
Spencer W. Kimball
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The Steward
Carol Lynn Pearson
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Consider the butterfly
transforming your life through meaningful coincidence
Carol Lynn Pearson
Consider the Butterfly (paperback Embracing Coincidence) gathers Carol Lynn Pearson's essays and stories about synchronicity and meaningful coincidences experienced throughout her life.
She frames these events as spiritual cues and invitations to pay attention to guidance and the 'lighthouses' that appear in everyday moments.
The book offers anecdotal reflections intended to inspire readers to notice and cultivate intentional awareness of serendipitous occurrences.
Pearson's perspective blends personal memoir, spirituality, and practical reflection to encourage living with openness to mystery.
The work has been used by readers seeking a gentle spiritual practice centered on noticing signs and deepening meaning.
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Facing East
Carol Lynn Pearson
Facing East is a theatrical drama by Carol Lynn Pearson that centers on a Mormon family's mourning following their gay son's suicide, exploring themes of faith, guilt, and community response.
The play aims to open conversation about the real human cost of rejection and to foster compassion toward LGBTQ+ individuals and their families.
It was produced in Salt Lake and had performances with talkbacks that encouraged dialogue across diverse audiences.
By depicting intimate family dynamics and institutional responses, Pearson sought to humanize the issue and reduce stigma.
The play has been performed regionally, earning attention and awards, and has been used as a tool for education and empathy-building.
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Mother Wove the Morning
A One-Woman Play
Carol Lynn Pearson
Mother Wove the Morning is Carol Lynn Pearson's one-woman theatrical piece in which she portrays multiple historical women searching for the divine feminine.
The performance traces prehistory's goddess-centered cultures through biblical and historical eras, addressing the loss and yearning for a motherly divine presence.
Pearson wrote and performed the play extensively, using costume changes and monologues to embody figures such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and other seekers.
The work aims to reintroduce the concept of a Heavenly Mother into spiritual conversation and to reclaim women's spiritual authority within religious traditions.
It has been presented widely and recorded on DVD, resonating with audiences seeking inclusive images of the divine.
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The Order Is Love
Carol Lynn Pearson
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Millie's Mother's Red Dress
Carol Lynn Pearson
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No More Goodbyes
Circling the Wagons Around Our Gay Loved Ones
Carol Lynn Pearson
No More Goodbyes compiles stories, testimonies, and practical guidance aimed at Mormon families and communities grappling with homosexuality.
Pearson uses personal experience, collected accounts, and her perspective as a Mormon insider to advocate compassion, reduce stigma, and prevent suicides among gay people.
The book addresses the cultural and ecclesiastical challenges faced by LGBTQ+ Mormons and provides examples of families who chose love and inclusion.
Published in 2007, it served as a resource during heated public debates about same-sex marriage and Mormon involvement in political measures.
Its invitational tone seeks to move readers toward empathy and constructive action.
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Embracing Coincidence
Carol Lynn Pearson
Embracing Coincidence republishes Carol Lynn Pearson's reflections on synchronicity, offering true-life anecdotes that highlight the spiritual significance of meaningful coincidences.
Pearson encourages readers to notice and interpret these events as guidance and affirmation, providing practical and poetic meditations for daily life.
Her approach blends memoir, spiritual insight, and gentle exhortation toward increased attentiveness to life's small miracles.
Through varied stories, she demonstrates how paying attention to coincidences can lead to clarity, encouragement, and personal transformation.
The book appeals to readers interested in spirituality outside strict doctrinal confines and in cultivating wonder.
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Pedestals and podiums
Utah women, religious authority, and equal rights
Martha Sonntag Bradley
Martha Sonntag Bradley's Pedestals and Podiums investigates the cultural and political roles of Mormon women, particularly during periods of social change such as the ERA debates.
The book analyzes how institutional and lay reactions shaped women's public participation and the tensions between tradition and activism.
Bradley uses historical sources to document episodes of conflict and accommodation, revealing how church leadership and local culture influenced women's civic engagement.
The work situates Mormon women's experiences within broader American feminist movements and explores consequences for gender dynamics in Utah.
It has become a key reference for understanding the intersection of religion, gender, and politics in Mormon history.
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Daughters of Light
Carol Lynn Pearson
Daughters of Light collects stories and historical examples of nineteenth-century Mormon women who exercised spiritual gifts, led Relief Society activities, and participated in public life.
Pearson drew from periodicals like the Woman's Exponent and historical records to showcase women's roles as healers, prophets, and leaders in early Latter-day Saint communities.
The book aimed to recover forgotten narratives and inspire modern Mormon women by reconnecting them with an often-overlooked heritage of female spiritual authority.
By emphasizing these precedents, Pearson argued for a richer recognition of women's contributions within church history.
The work helped fuel later feminist and historical conversations among Mormon scholars and activists.
#22261
• Mentioned in 2 episodes
Beginnings
Marybeth Peebles-Kleiger
#57654
The Diaries of Carol Lynn Pearson
Volume One, 1956 to 1990
Carol Lynn Pearson
The Diaries of Carol Lynn Pearson (Volume One, 1956–1990) collects diary entries chronicling Pearson's life, relationships, creative work, and interactions with Mormon leaders over several decades.
The published volume provides firsthand insight into the cultural, theological, and personal developments within Mormonism across the latter half of the twentieth century.
Pearson's candid entries reveal encounters with scholars, general authorities, activists, and artists, offering historians and readers a textured primary source.
Signature Books released the diaries to illuminate previously private conversations and to preserve an important personal archive relevant to Mormon studies.
The series intends to continue with further volumes, deepening understanding of Pearson's influence and context.
#82389
Goodbye, I Love You
Carolyn Pearson
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The Flight and the Nest
Carol Lynn Pearson
The Flight and the Nest documents ways early Mormon women pursued professions, education, and public engagement, challenging assumptions about nineteenth-century gender roles.
Pearson highlights women who became doctors, lawyers, educators, and activists, arguing that these histories complicate modern narratives of female subordination.
The book draws on archival research and period writings to reconstruct a more complete picture of women's agency in early Mormon society.
By recovering these stories, Pearson sought to encourage contemporary women to reclaim spiritual and civic leadership.
The work complements her other historical projects aiming to restore women's visibility in Mormon history.
#10734
• Mentioned in 5 episodes
The Ghost of Eternal Polygamy
Carol Lynn Pearson
Today, we are thrilled to kick off Carol Lynn Pearson week on Mormon Stories Podcast! Join us for the re-broadcast of two very important interviews with a one-of-a-kind Mormon woman. Then, we will close out the week by welcoming Carol Lynn Pearson back on the podcast to celebrate the release of her new book, The Diaries of Carol Lynn Pearson, where we will also be joined by the director of Signature Books, Barbara Jones Brown.
Carol Lynn Pearson is the author of a 1986 memoir, Goodbye, I Love You, about the death of her gay husband from AIDS.
Her musical, My Turn on Earth, is among the most successful Mormon musicals of all time.
Carol Lynn is an advocate for women and LGBTQ+ Mormons. Her 2007 book, “No More Goodbyes,” tells the stories of gay Mormons (and those of other faiths), coping with family, religion, and, occasionally, suicide.
Today's interview was filmed in 2010, and was originally broken into four parts and released as episodes 173-177. We have compiled them into a singular episode in order to re-introduce it to our listeners.
Please help us support Carol Lynn Pearson and purchase her new memoir, here.
CONTENT WARNING: This series contains discussion of suicide and suicidal ideation. Please listen responsibly.
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