Author of Out of the Bishop's Closet: A Call to Heal Ourselves, Each Other, and Our World.
Antonio (Tony) Feliz was a High Priest in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A graduate of BYU, he worked for the Church in various capacities including service in the Church Welfare System. He had a lovely wife, three children, a nice home, and a good position in his ward teaching young people. But he is also gay. He knows it. No one else does. And thus began his struggle.
It seems that others saw his sexual orientation early on, including one priesthood leader who confronted him directly. Of course, Tony denied the charge, but knew inside himself that he had to finally discover his true identity. After years of struggle, he extended a business trip to San Francisco and hooked up with a gay man with whom he had a sexual relationship. In this encounter, he claims he discovered who he really is.
Now he must face the fact that his entire life is about to change. His marriage is finished, and of course he must resign his Church callings and his employment with the Church. But he's willing, although not happily, to do all this in order to be true to himself.
In the process of doing some research in the Church archives, he runs across some information concerning Joseph Smith, Wilford Woodruff, and others, that bothers him. He begins to read the early documents to support the idea that same sex unions can be blessed as well as heterosexual unions. He also reads in the early documents the idea that women were ordained to priesthood during Joseph Smith's years. Both practices were discontinued after Joseph's death.
He finally leaves his family behind in Utah and moves to California to start his new life. His journey leads him to Kansas City, where he is confirmed in both the Roman Catholic and RLDS Churches, within weeks of each other!
