It seems at times that American discourse is so engrossed in the intersectional categories of people (e.g., “that gay BYU student”), that we hardly see the unique person underneath the label anymore.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland’s remarks at BYU revealed an already-existing conflict over how The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its critics conceive of identity. As prophets affirm repeatedly, our true identity existed long before any of our present experiences, and is remembered, more than discovered.