The ally within | John Dehlin | TEDxUSU

Growing up as a conservative Mormon in Texas, there was little in John's upbringing that would have predicted he would become an ally for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Mormons. He discusses his transformation from homophobe to LGBT ally and his research on the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Mormon experience from a sample of over 1,600 LGBT Mormons. John Dehlin, a Psychology Ph.D. candidate at Utah State University, is interested in the nexus of religion and mental health. John's master's thesis focused on the treatment of religion-based obsessive-compulsive disorder (also known as "scrupulosity"), and his dissertation explores the experiences of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Mormons (and former Mormons). Prior to graduate school, John worked for 16 years in the high-tech industry, including positions with Bain & Company, Microsoft, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. John is the founder and host of Mormon Stories Podcast, and his work with the podcast has been highlighted in the New York Times, Good Morning America, and on the CBS Evening News. John is married to Margi Weber Dehlin and has four children. In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)