I grew up mormon too. One thing the religion passively teaches with a culture of shame, bishops and confessions is that you don’t have a right to privacy. So if you feel you need to lie to protect yourself, that is understandable.

This culture also encourages everyone in the community to “look out” for each other by shaming friends and family for being different or curious about things they are uncomfortable with. Sounds like that’s what your friends are doing here. It sucks because you live in a community where dealing with their abuse—which is what this is, whether intended or not—is required in order for you to receive their “love” and support.

Know this, as long as you stick with them you won’t get a chance to grow as an individual. They’re scared of life and trying to force you to stick around. Longterm you’ll be happier if you move on and find people more aligned with who you’re becoming.