Loading Harker now calls that sexual questioning, which started at the age of eight, "child abuse" - a view endorsed by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. In the Mormon church, the formal questioning steps up from the age of 12 as "bishops" - lay religious leaders - conduct "worthiness interviews,’’ during which they ask questions of children about whether they masturbate or have impure thoughts. The interviews are part of a process that children must go through before they are allowed access to the temple – an important religious milestone. "I hated them. I detested it," says Harker, now 48, of the questions that he was asked in private by his bishop. The bishop, whose day job was an engineer, had no training in human development.

"I felt shame, I did masturbate. I was made to lie and cover up. You become conditioned to lying about your behaviour. Then you become closeted and are forced to become closeted," he says. Loading There’s growing pressure on the Utah-headquartered Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints over the appropriateness of worthiness interviews. In Australia, an investigation by The Sunday Age and Sun Herald revealed the questioning was described as an "abuse" of children, according to leaked correspondence from the royal commission. The Mormons have just over 60,000 adherents in Australia, according to 2016 Census data. An increasing number have been recruited to the Victorian Liberals by the party's conservative wing.

Mormons regard sexual purity as a key tenet of their faith and regard breaches – sex out of marriage, sex between gay couples, even masturbation – as being akin to murder in terms of sinfulness. Church policy preaches chastity for church members who identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual. Leaders should support and encourage them in their resolve to live the law of chastity. Mormon policy "If members feel same-gender attraction but do not engage in any homosexual behaviour, leaders should support and encourage them in their resolve to live the law of chastity and to control unrighteous thoughts," the policy says. A spokesman for the Australian church defended the worthiness interviews as important in leading, teaching and inspiring children. He said the church teaches that, "God loves all of His children".

Brad Harker with husband Scott. Credit:Steven Siewert "He loves those of different faiths and those without any faith. He loves those who suffer. He loves the rich and poor alike," the spokesman said. "He loves people of every race and culture, the married or single, and those who experience same-sex attraction or identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. And God expects us to follow His example of loving others." Harker’s experience was very different. “The methods of teaching, the shaming it made me feel, the guilt I felt all my life for being gay … you are called an apostate."

He says he had "decades of torment" from the "gay hate" he faced, as he stayed formally in the church until he was 28. "I had an attraction towards men from my early teens, even on my mission I had an attraction towards men," Harker says. "I am still officially a Mormon but I do not practice the religion because I'm gay." It was not until he was 40 that he came out, and when he did, he felt "a burden lifted from my shoulders, I felt I was no longer living a lie.’’ ''Coming out at 40 it still took me a long time after leaving the church, you have this ongoing shame and guilt. My mother cried, she asked me to remain closeted.''

The same-sex marriage debate was painful too, and Harker suffered at his Mormon father voting no: "It was an awful experience to have your family vote against who you are.'' But he had the support of his children and is married for a third time, to Scott, and last year led a float called "The Temple of Equality’’ at Mardi Gras with 80 supporters, half of them Mormon. The 'Temple of Equality' float at Mardi Gras. They dressed in Mormon missionary attire with name tags reading “Elder Equality”. ‘’It stood out as sore thumb in the glam of Mardi Gras,’’ he says.

''My family hated it, my father. My brother supported me and attended the march. My closeted cousins drove the float up the street and came out (afterwards).’’ Harker is hopeful of change. ''I feel there are lot of good people in church. But I truly believe at the higher levels there are these bad intentions sent out that need correction,'' he says. "I have a vision and belief they will eventually change their tune towards LGBTI people.’’ Do you know more? Contact us securely via Journotips