182: Josh Castro-Mitchell | From the Philippines to Utah: Finding My Happiness

Latter Gay Stories

Josh was thriving as a young, out, gay teen in the Philippines, but Mormon missionaries knocked on his door and he and his family ended up joining the Church. Soon after, his mother married a man from Utah, and Josh found himself living in a small religious town in Northern Utah. His life went from being openly gay and accepted to hiding his sexuality and being an ethnic minority in a community of opinionated Mormon farmers. Utah forced him to hide inside a “shell” because he found it impossible to live who he really was. In this interview Josh shares what he experienced as a convert from Catholicism to Mormonism, how he navigated homophobia in a small Utah town, and where he’s at today—including his intergenerational, interracial, same sex marriage. This is part two of a three-part series beginning with episode 181. #Philippines #Mormon #Thrive #ComingOut #Marriage