Remembering ‘My Husband’s Not Gay,’ the unbelievable reality show about married Mormons attracted to other men
The Real Housewives Of Salt Lake City, but do you remember “The Real Gay Men’s Wives of Salty Lake City”?Excuse us, maybe we should refer to it by its actual name—we mean My Husband’s Not Gay, the controversial reality TV special that aired on TLC in 2015.Yes, nearly a decade ago, the network formally known as The Learning Channel aired an hour-long special all about a group of Mormon men living in SLC, Utah who were either married to women or pursuing committed relationships with women despite experiencing SSA, a.k.a. “same-sex attraction.”Subscribe to our newsletter for your front-row seat to all things entertainment with a sprinkle of everything else queer.All of the men featured acknowledged that they are, in fact, attracted to other men, and yet they—and their spouses—maintain they are “not gay,” as the title suggests.A natural response to that might be, “Okay, so they’re bisexual then, right?
Or maybe they more broadly identify as queer!” But we can assure you that was not the case… These were all devoted members of the Church of Latter-Day Saints, which says any form of sexual activity outside of marriage is a sin, and which also does not perform or support same-sex marriages, so… you do the math!Were her actions just?When My Husband’s Not Gay premiered in January of 2015, it was met with pushback from the broader queer community and a number of LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, including GLAAD, which called the show “irresponsible” for “showing content that gives the idea that sexual orientation is a choice.”At the time, a Change.org petition suggesting TLC cancel the show received over 100,000 signatures, arguing it sent a message that “being gay is something that can and ought to be changed, or that you should reject your sexual orientation by marrying someone of the opposite sex.”It’s unclear if there was ever a plan for TLC to broadcast My Husband’s Not Gay as a full series, so it’s hard to say for sure if the petition and public outcry was effective in stopping.
