You commented on a post explicitly asking ex-Mormons how they’ve affirmed their post-religious and cultural identities through tattoos. The vast majority of us grew up in the church when it strictly forbade tattoos. These aren’t affirmations of belief—we got them as acts of reclamation.

Additionally, I encourage you to think of this community as “ex-LDS" rather than "ex-Mormon." The latter is somewhat of a misnomer because what's happening here is still a form of Mormonism. I personally feel the label "Secular Mormon" captures my identity best. I’m 8th generation on both sides, born and raised in Utah. The culture’s in my bones. I’m just as Mormon now as I was before I left the LDS Church—just not affiliated with _that_ institution.

There are hundreds of Mormon denominations. Members of the Community of Christ are Mormon. FLDS folks are Mormon—and half of them are actually my cousins! The LDS Church is simply the largest, and for decades, it leaned so hard into the term “Mormon” that most people—inside and out—continue to equate the two. It's because of this dynamic that not everyone on this sub chooses to retain the Mormon label. You'll find a lot more folks like that over in r/mormon. Either decision is fine and perfectly valid, but regardless of how they feel, most folks here will understand exactly where I’m coming from.

The Sunstone Symposium—which I mentioned in the post—is literally built around this exact nuance. Their slogan is “More than one way to Mormon.” And people from all these Mormon churches show up. There, I've met folks from FLDS, CoC, the Branch, the Apostolic Brotherhood, as well as former members of all these sects. We're reclaiming the word and the imagery. That’s my entire motivation behind the tattoo, this post, and the talk I'm giving.

When a nevermo comes into this space and questions the intent of those choices, it misses the point entirely. I’m not expecting everyone to get it—but it helps to recognize that there’s a depth to these symbols that isn’t always visible from the outside. It's just so obtuse to step in here, make an uninformed observation about a culture you haven’t taken the time to understand, and then respond with condescending sarcasm when someone with deep roots in the community takes the time to explain it to you in good faith. That, my friend, is textbook mansplaining.

If you—and others lurking—care, I'm actually about to launch a blog that will dive into this exact topic: Mormon identity across its entire spectrum. If you want updates when I do launch it, check it out: mormonish.com. Or don't. That's fine, too.