The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced it will reverse policies implemented in 2015, which declared same-sex couples "apostates" and refused to baptize their children without special permission from church leaders.
"While we cannot change the Lord's doctrine, we want our members and our policies to be considerate of those struggling with the challenges of mortality," church authorities announced in a statement released Thursday.
While same-sex marriage will still be considered a serious "transgression," LGBTQ Mormon activists believe this reversal will encourage more open dialogue.
Troy Williams, executive director at Equality Utah, has been working with the church to advocate LGBTQ issues.
"We are the watchdogs for the community. We worked on past policies that protect and include our community," he said. "Right now, we're actually in action to prohibit the practice of conversion therapy in our state."