Squirrel Cage by Cindi Jones – A Mormon Male to Female Transition Story

If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time, you’ve likely come to the realization that subject of religion, as it relates to the LGBT world, fascinates me. I’ve read many books on the topic, most from a gay Christian viewpoint or opposing a far right wing Christian viewpoint that aims to politically limit constitutional rights for LGBT people. I’ve read and reviewed books written by ministers in certain denominations but, for the most part, most of what I’ve reviewed did not single out the practices and preaching of any particular church other than my occasional habit to name churches that were more LGBT accepting than others in a general overview (see my Christmas Eve post for an example of that).

All that is about to change! Unless you’ve been living under a rock the past couple of years, you know that the Mormon Church and, specifically, the base of the Church in Utah, financed a very large portion of the successful Proposition 8 campaign to repeal same sex marriage in California. Many salvos have been fired at the Mormon church from celebrities, politicians, activists and everyday people like you and like me over this. Sadly, the Prop 8 campaign is just one thing, albiet the most visible one, in a string of Momon actions against LGBTs.

Today, I want to talk about one woman and her struggle for life and acceptance in the backdrop of the Mormon Church. The 2006 book by Cindi Jones, Squirrel Cage, details her transexualism and her transition from male to female with heavy emphasis on her life growing up as male in Salt Lake City, Utah, her struggle – as a “he” – to conform to what the church wanted, her attempts to do a mission as required by her faith and then to marry and live as required by the church and, to eventually be found out by the church and have it attempt to “cure” her. Yes, 2006. I’m sure if we dig still deeper, we’ll find a long, long history of Momon meddling in the lives of our LGBT brothers and sisters over their sexual orientation and their lives.

David, who would eventually – successfully – transition to Cindi, tells a sometimes harrowing tale made lighter by the use of his muse, which took the form of a squirrel who would advise him during the tumultuous times. Her story, including the imaginary squirrel muse, is all true. Names have been changed to protect the innocent and the not so innocent.

This is a great transition story. It’s also a great human story. Most who are transgender have a story to tell. Many went through hell with family, friends and employers as they discovered their true gender identity and progressed toward change. Not so many have suffered at the hands of the religious establishment as David turned Cindi has. That makes this a pretty unique read.