Stacey Harkey, formerly part of the original cast of BYU TV’s Studio C, is our guest today! He is known as an actor, writer, personal trainer, and for his involvement with Diversity Equity and Inclusion training and consulting in Equality Utah. Stacey shares his journey as a black and gay convert to the LDS Church. He navigated code-switching between Mormonism and Baptist culture, eventually questioning the Church's teachings about race. Returning to BYU after serving a mission to Brazil, he finally felt more comfortable and accepting of his identity. Stacey advocates for understanding and nuance, emphasizing that anger is not an effective way to create change. His story of self-discovery and resilience offers hope and inspiration to those facing similar struggles. https://www.mindbodyonline.com/explore/fitness/instructors/stacey-harkey https://www.instagram.com/staceyharkey/?hl=en https://www.equalityutah.org/staff/stacey-harkey https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/bmp-45-a-school-full-of-michael-scotts/id1626952486?i=1000614262822 Episode Show Notes: https://www.mormonstories.org/podcast/coming-out-studio-c-stacey-harkey/ Chapters: 00:00:00 Intro & Intentions 00:03:25 Background on his parents 00:06:30 Stacey’s childhood, as a Mormon and Baptist 00:11:45 Code switching 00:17:25 Racism baked into the Church - the Curse of Cain 00:24:00 Teenage and high school years, sexual orientation 00:33:20 Attending BYU 00:37:06 Comparing Gerardo’s experience with Stacey’s in upbringing (Conversion therapy) 00:40:55 Serving in Brazil 00:44:45 His mission experience 00:48:00 Dating after the mission 00:55:00 Coming out 01:21:25 His reaction to the Exclusion Policy 01:26:35 The rise of Studio C and being gay 01:34:55 The Church Becomes a burden, switching to mid-singles ward 01:49:45 DEI platform, trying to make the community better 01:57:25 The Rise of Studio C 02:13:15 Controversial sketches 02:26:12 Working at JK Studios 02:31:30 Did Stacey skip the ex-Mormon angry phase? 02:43:03 Reprogramming for sexual health 02:48:24 How Stacey views God 02:51:30 Concepts from Mormonism that he wants to hold onto 02:57:37 Intersectionality 03:00:20 Final message of hope ___________________ At Mormon Stories we explore, celebrate, and challenge Mormon culture through in-depth stories told by members and former members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as well as scholars, authors, LDS apologists, and other professionals. Our overall mission is to: 1. Facilitate informed consent amongst LDS Church members, investigators, and non-members regarding Mormon history, doctrine, and theology 2. Support Mormons (and members of other high-demand religions) who are experiencing a religious faith crisis 3. Promote healing, growth and community for those who choose to leave the LDS Church or other high demand religions 🤝Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today One-time or recurring donations: https://donorbox.org/mormon-stories?default_interval=m Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories Venmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/mormonstories Paypal: https://paypal.me/mormonstories Our Platforms: 🌐Mormon Stories Blog: https://www.mormonstories.org/episodes 🎙️Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories ✳️Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4sDzk7dRjODTSEqzZKZJzk?si=148b0efc1ccc4404&nd=1 🍎Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mormon-stories-lds/id312094772 🖼️Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mormstories 📱TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mormonstoriespodcast 🎮Discord: https://discord.com/invite/kuX5p6yyjF Contact us: 📧 MormonStories@gmail.com 📬PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117 #MormonStories #Mormon #lds