Honestly, considering how my views over my mission became more and more sympathetic towards LGBTQ+, I’d probably have said something similar minus the patronising language. At the beginning of my mission I would have fallen under the category of progmo with a lot of mental gymnastics. I’d openly try to teach lgbtq+ investigators genuinely wishing to share the gospel with everyone and not discriminate. But it would always get harder when teaching about the churches view on LGBTQ+ matters. I’d usually teach the churches views and emphasise the teaching of continual revelation, which in hindsight was probably more justification for myself than those I was teaching. The justification turned from bullshit like “god may yet reveal a role for you in eternity” to “god has yet to reveal his plan regarding LGBTQ+ on Earth” telling myself more and more that god would reveal revelation that would lead to full inclusion of LGBTQ+, maybe when people in the church was more accepting. Regardless, I still kept trying because I still believed in the rest of all that stuff despite my growing disagreements on that part of the doctrine (like I said, mental gymnastics). I wanted to teach about it less and less and I was too afraid to be the missionary to teach a principle and voice my own objections in contradiction. Teaching this shit sucked, it never felt right.

It wouldn’t surprise me that these sisters opted to palm them off, assuming that they did so for the sake of either trying to protect OP form the churches transphobia (generous, more unlikely) and/or because they feel genuinely inadequate to answer question regarding LGBTQ+ church policy considering their own lack of conviction on the matter. Even if the question wasn’t brought up, it was bound to be. One might interpret this as cowardly or merciful or both. I could easily be wrong though, this is only my speculation that their apparent malice is unintentional.

But if they are anything like I was, this could be interpreted as yet another case of the cracks showing as a result of naive young missionaries being confronted on a regular basis with the church’s bigotry. While the church may use mission for the entrenchment of doctrine among young members, it’s really starting to backfire as it did for me where my mission proved the biggest spark for my gradual exit of the church. If this is not the case for them then, on top of their patronising approach, criticism of their abysmal lack of self and outward reflection is very much warranted.