Oh hey, it's me!
I'm Salena and I was a Mormon.
About me
I have nothing but fond experiences growing up in the church. I grew up in a family that loves the church deeply. I was so grateful for it! It wasn’t until after I got married in the temple at 19, that certain things didn’t feel as right or at home like they had used to. Those feelings never went away, even with the distractions of having children. I felt guilt as a parent and major inadequacy as a member.
On my shelf
On the Mormon Spectrum
# Why I left More stories of 'Why I left' the Mormon church
In 2013, after doing months of my own research, I decided I couldn’t believe it anymore. There was just too much. It was one thing after another and it all just fell. I felt betrayed but also relieved. During that time I became close to friends that identified as gay. I had a hard time believing any God that I wanted to believe in, would create someone a certain way and then tell them that it was wrong. I knew that I didn’t fit anymore. The church was no longer a positive thing for the person I wanted to be.
Questions about Mormons My Answers to Questions about Mormonism
#Link to this answer of 'What resources have helped you through the process of leaving?' by Salena What resources have helped you through the process of leaving? See more answers about 'What resources have helped you through the process of leaving?'
One thing I love about the church is the people. I love my Mormon extended family and members I grew up with. I loved having that community and I feared losing it. Then I found an amazing group of people in my area that were all having the same feelings. It created a fast bond and some have become family.
These last 3 years have been so hard, so painful, and so damn rewarding. I feel more me than I ever have.
Which is both awesome, and let’s be honest..sometimes sorta crappy.
But it’s me and I kinda like me.
#Link to this answer of 'Where will you go?' by Salena Where will you go? See more answers about 'Where will you go?'
To the man asking where I went: I went where that one girl Salena is 🙂
More LGBTQ+ Ally Stories
Noal DavisBorn & raised in Norther Utah, I quickly learned that my personal value was only connected to my obedience to the Mormon faith. I was, but am no longer, a Mormon
AmethystI love books, hairstyling and the forest. I'm a lesbian. I'm an artist, poet and writer. I'm an over opinionated, cussing, sarcastic teenager with a load of anxiety and terrible mental health. I was a Mormon.
DawnieI live in beautiful Washington state. I am married with six grown children and three grandchildren. I am an educator, artist, curious learner, lover of board games, puzzles, and animals. I WAS a mormon for 30+ years. 
HannahI'm a nerdy trans woman who enjoys D&D and gaming. I was a mormon.
ByrdI'm transmasculine, genderqueer, generally queer, and a refugee of Trump's America. I was a mormon.
Connor Ross AldridgeI enjoy philosophical discussions, to inquire reasonable explanations of phenomena's. I'd seek educational institutions to help the public to better understand anthropology as a scientific theory for acknowledging human origins. I was a mormon.