NORTH OGDEN, Utah (ABC 4 News) – Two very proud North Ogden parents, who have a gay son, and are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, are getting national attention. They’re finding a balance between supporting their son and keeping their faith.
If you watched this year’s Utah Pride Parade, you witnessed something special. Over 300 Mormons marched in the parade showing their love and support for the Utah's Gay and Lesbian community. Their march is making national headlines on ABC News, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Huffington Post, etc.
In the middle of the parade, the Deseret News snapped a photo of Casey Nichols, a Gay Draper man walking hand in hand with his proud Mormon parents Jan and Mike.
"I feel like I'm so lucky, so blessed in fact," said Casey Nichols, son.
When Jan and Mike first found out their son was gay. They said it wasn't easy.
"You go through these emotions of believing that you're a failure as a parent, that you've done something wrong," said Mike Nichols, father.
In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, members are taught sexuality is between a man and woman. The Nichols didn't want to abandon their faith or abandon their son. Eventually they found a balance.
"You have an awakening one day where you realize your child is what they are," said Mike Nichols.
To show their love and support they marched with Casey and used cardboard and letterhead to make a poster stating their faith. It read, “I can be a Mormon and still love and support my gay son.”
"That's the message I want to get out there that I can balance both," said Jan Nichols, mother.
"For me it was a great experience to have both worlds collide, to see that my family who are active in the LDS church and my gay community together it was very special to me," said Casey Nichols.
And Nichols are hoping other parents follow their march.
"We support him, we want to be with him, we're not ashamed to be around him, we're not embarrassed for people to know that Casey is our son," said Mike Nichols.
The Nichols will have even more opportunity to spread their message of love and support. ABC 4 is told the New York Times is interviewing the Nichols’ Wednesday night for Thursday's paper.
