Content Warning: Mention of sexual acts, suicide, & suicidal ideation
Join us for a very special episode & guest, Daniel Spencer (@DanBamBam on Social Media) to share his heartwarming story with us. From growing up as a closeted gay Mormon teenager in a country where being gay isn’t just illegal, but dangerous, to his mission experiences and discovering his talent not just for comedy but for starting important conversations at BYU and beyond!
Daniel Spencer (@DanBanBam)
1671: Growing Up Mormon in Zimbabwe – Daniel Spencer Pt . 1
Content Warning: Mention of sexual acts
Dan tells us about his Mormon upbringing in Zimbabwe, from how his parents met each other, ended up in Zimbabwe, and what may be different for Zimbabwean Latter-day Saints from the more common US & Utah-based stories. We learn what his teens were like, including sexual mores and education where Dan grew up and he shares his own experiences. We also learn when and how Dan began to gain his testimony of the Gospel, his decision to attend BYU and serve a mission, and what his experiences were like going through the Temple for the first time and his early mission experiences.
1672: Being Gay at BYU – Daniel Spencer Pt. 2
Trigger Warning: Suicides & Suicidal Ideation
Daniel returns to share what the remainder of his mission was like, his studies at BYU, dealing with his homosexuality, learning more about the Church’s history and truth claims, and his attempts to learn to speak his truth out loud after decades of hiding who he was. Daniel attempts to use social media to bring attention to important issues as well as give people a chance to speak their truth, even if anonymously.
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Show Notes:
Part 1
Part 2
- Black Menaces Instagram, TikTok, Podcast
- Insta: @blackmenaces
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- Black Menaces Podcast
- Comedy Church
- CESLetter.org
2 Responses
The Zimbabwean “war of independence” was NOT fought against Britain. The insurgency was against the illegal white government of Rhodesia. In the early 1960s Southern Rhodesia had been a British Crown colony, and its then white Prime Minister, Ian Smith, attempted to negotiate independence from Britain. But the UK government under PM Harold Wilson refused to grant independence without there being universal suffrage – i.e. “majority (black) rule”. Then in 1965 Smith declared UDI – Universal Declaration of Independence – and sought the support of apartheid South Africa, with which it has a border. Britain obtained UN sanctions against the Smith regime, but the latter kept going for many years with the support of South Africa. Daniel could learn a great deal about his own country, which he apparently doesn’t already know, simply by reading this Wikipedia article. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodesia%27s_Unilateral_Declaration_of_Independence#:~:text=The%20Unilateral%20Declaration%20of%20Independence,as%20an%20independent%20sovereign%20state.
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