Dan Reynolds - “Believer” and the Plight of LGBTQ Mormons | The Daily Show

Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds describes what compelled him to examine anti-LGBTQ discrimination in the Mormon community with his documentary “Believer.”

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Please welcome
Dan Reynolds.

(cheering and applause)

-Welcome.
-Thank you.

Uh, first of all,
congratulations.

Last night you played
Madison Square Garden.

-Yeah. -Are you still
coming off of that buzz?

Yeah?

Is that, like,
one of those buzzes

that just never goes away,
or do you...

You're just like,
"Yeah, on to the next one."

No, I think it was something
I've dreamt about

-since I was really little.
-Yeah.

And my mom and dad
came out and...

So, it was, uh,
it was nerve-racking,

but it was also a moment that
I think was a little surreal,

where I thought, "Okay,
I think we've done something."

-You know? Yeah.
-I think you've done something.

-I think you've done more
than something, man. -Oh.

-Congratulations on that. Um...
-Thank you.

(cheering and applause)

And-and congratulations

on this documentary
that's coming out.

This-this is
a really insightful story

that you've chosen to tell:

the story of the Mormon Church

and how they've dealt
with the LGBT community.

This is a really powerful story.

Why did you choose to tell it?

So, I grew up Mormon.
Super conservative family.

Eight boys, one girl.

Um, in middle school,

one of the first friends I made
was gay and Mormon.

And I saw...

It was the first time
that I really felt

like what I was being taught
at church

-didn't sit right in my heart.
-Right.

Um, and I watched the conflict
that he had every single day.

Um, not just bullying at school,

but also just feeling
like he couldn't come out.

He'd go to dances with girls.

We wouldn't even talk about it
because it was so...

he felt so much shame.

Um, so, flash forward.

(clears throat) High school.

Had a lot of friends.
Lost two to suicide.

Um, went to BYU.

Got kicked out of BYU myself

for having sex
with my girlfriend,

which was a shaming experience
for me.

-I felt so much...
It was the first time -Right.

that I really spiraled
into this place of depression.

That, on a very small scale,
is what our LGBTQ youth feel

every single day
in orthodox religion, which is,

they are told
something that is beautiful,

something that should be
celebrated--

their sexuality,
which is unchangeable--

is sinful, and that
they should feel bad about it.

And then we expect them

to have healthy lives,
and they don't.

-They have high suicide rates.
-Right.

They have high depression,
anxiety.

Um, so religious guilt is
so prevalent in their lives.

You look at Utah right now.

It has one
of the highest suicide rates

in the nation, very Mormon.

Um, and LGBTQ youth are
eight times more likely

to take their life
when not accepted

in their home or community.

So, it kind of...
I don't know.

-I just feel like
enough is enough. -Right.

And I've been put
in this position as a Mormon

who is famous,
and there's not many of us.

It's, like, Donnie and Marie.

-You know?
-(laughter)

So, I don't know.
I just feel like I hope

that I can at least
start a conversation.

I think you... I think
you really have. I, um...

(applause and cheering)

I think you've started more
than a conversation.

I think
you've started a movement,

because, you know,
not just the documentary,

but LoveLoud is a festival
that you kicked off in Utah.

A festival where you came out
playing music,

bring people together, uh,
and as the name suggests,

LoveLoud was about being proud,
and it's one of...

One of my favorite moments
in the documentary is

when you come up
with that name.

How did you come up with it,
and why was it so inspiring

for you to use that title?

You know, I think
that most people

that I talk to
who are religious--

Mormons, Catholic,
whatever it is--

and who are conflicted
about this...

They say, "You know what?
I love our LGBTQ youth.

I love them."

But there's always
this little dagger

behind the back of...

You know, "I love you, but..."

-Right.
-"I love you if..."

You know? And so,
it's not real love.

It's an empty word.
It doesn't...

To our youth
that I have spoken with--

they said, "You know what?
I would rather you say

"you don't love me,
you don't accept me

"than open this door and say,

"'Look at the bright light
inside. Come inside,'

-but there's tacks
all over the ground." -Right.

It's not healthy for you.

Um, and so, LoveLoud is about
talking about

what does it mean
to truly love and accept?

It means that you say
to your child

"You are perfect
the way you are," and-and...

(applause and cheering)

And I think that

until that happens,

we're gonna continue to see...

The suicide rate has quadrupled

in Utah over the last six years.

And people say,
"Well, it's the altitude."

The altitude's not quadrupling.

-(laughter)
-You know?

And so, it's just...
it's... it's frustrating to me,

and I get so fired up about it,
'cause I've spent this last year

-meeting with all
these parents... -Right.

...who have lost their children
to suicide

because of religious guilt.

And I love, I love my faith.

I love Mormons.

I think Mormons
are generally good people.

The amount of bigots
is very small.

But the amount of people
who just kind of turn their head

-and say "This doesn't affect
me" is large. -That is a...

that is a difficult decision
and a conversation to have.

I mean, I know I grew up
in a very religious household,

uh, you know, not dissimilar
but not the same as Mormonism.

But it is
a difficult conversation

to have with yourself,

where you have to ask

where the "limits"
of the religion end

and where your compassion
begins,

going beyond
what you've been taught.

When you look at Mormonism
as it stands,

do you think that the church
is in a position to pivot?

Or do you think it's a bit naive
for people to say,

"I want to be Mormon and a
member of the LGBTQ community"?

That's a really good question.

I think, to begin with,

most people from the outside
would just say,

"Dan, this is easy.

"Leave Mormonism.

-Tell all these kids
to leave Mormonism." -Right.

It's not that simple.

Because you could be could...
putting a kid

in a absolute more at risk
situation by saying

leave your family
or leave this religion

that they might believe in.

-Right. -It might be
their whole foundation.

So you can't just drag them out
of the religion.

So, until they're old enough
to make that decision

and they're in a safe space
to do that if they want to,

you just need to make it
a better place for them.

-Right. -The leaders
aren't gonna change.

I hope they change,
but I can't speak for them.

I don't know that the doctrine's
ever gonna change.

But if it never changes,

then we must change the people.

We must change the culture
within religion so that...

You know, it's like... I asked
a-a parent this the other day

who's very conservative
and Mormon.

I said,
"I know you believe this,

"but let me just say
this statistic.

"If your child comes to you
and says,

"'Mom, I am gay,'

"in that moment,
if you don't say,

"'I accept you and love you

"'and that's beautiful
and it's wonderful,'

"if you don't say that,

"they're not accepted
in the home or household,

they're eight times
more likely to commit suicide."

So with that statistic,

do you s... At that moment,

the parent has to accept them,

even if the religion's there,

the Bible, all those things
they believe in.

But are you gonna put your child
eight times more at risk

because of that?

And I hope the answer's no.

Regardless
of what your faith is,

regardless
of what your belief is,

the data is just there.

And it's overwhelming.

So I think
we just don't have a choice.

-We don't have a choice, and...
-(cheering and applause)

I will honestly say,
um, this documentary

is one of the most eye-opening
exposes I've ever seen.

It's done with heart,
it's done with compassion.

-Thank you so much for being on
the show. -Thanks for having me.

An honor to have you here.

Believer airs on HBO June 25.

An amazing man.
Dan Reynolds, everybody.