One man’s words are another man’s tears.
Dan Reynolds chokes up as he reads an email from a fan named Tom.
The Imagine Dragons frontman has scads of such messages in his inbox, sent from the band’s LGBTQ following, a number of whom are Mormon, like Reynolds.
“I want to tell you something personal to show you how important you are to me and how much you’ve helped me,” the email begins, as Reynolds reads it aloud. “I’m struggling a lot with self-acceptance and anxiety. This is because of many reasons. There is one big thing that annoys me the most. My sexuality. I hate myself for a lot of this.”
Tom wonders if Reynolds supports gay marriage and says that, while it “means the world” if he does, it’s OK if he doesn’t, considering his religion.
“I know that he is hurt,” Reynolds says, “and is looking for someone from this band that he likes to tell him, ‘No, Tom, I’m not judging you.’ ”
Head in hand, eyes welling up, Reynolds confronts an inner struggle on camera: The duality of being a rock star with thousands of LGBTQ fans while also serving as one of the most prominent faces of a religion that doesn’t condone those sexual orientations.
This scene, from May 2017, is captured in “Believer,” a documentary that addresses how The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints regards its LGBTQ members as well as Reynolds’ quest to influence those views.
The film, which premieres Monday on HBO, follows Reynolds as he reaches out to Neon Trees frontman Tyler Glenn, a friend and former Mormon, who is gay, as they work to put on last summer’s inaugural LoveLoud festival in Orem, Utah.
The Imagine Dragons-headlined concert was launched to promote acceptance and support for LGBTQ people, with proceeds from ticket sales benefiting local and national LGBTQ charities.
In detailing the challenges of organizing LoveLoud — the struggle to find a venue, initially slow ticket sales — “Believer” addresses, among other things, the high suicide rates among LGBTQ teens in Mormon-heavy Utah, which rose a staggering 141.3 percent from 2011 to 2015.
“Believer” also delves into Reynolds’ desire to speak out on these issues while not alienating Mormon friends and family members. Read more via Las Vegas Review-Journal