Richest Born-and-Raised Utahn, Former Mormon, Condemns Church for LGBTQ Harm

Jeff T. Green is the richest born-and-raised Utahn, and following his departure from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, he has raised accusations against the Mormon church, saying they are “actively and currently doing harm in the world” in a letter announcing his resignation.

In the 900-word letter, sent to LDS President Russell Nelson, Green says that he believes most members are “good people trying to do right,” but he harps on the dishonesty of the Mormon church, saying leaders have not been honest about its history, finances, and advocacy.

“I believe the Mormon church has hindered global progress in women’s rights, civil rights and racial equality, and LGBTQ+ rights,” he says in the letter.

Green pledged in November 2021 that he would give away at least 90 percent of his wealth, and Green says his next major donation will be $600,000 to Equality Utah. Green says in his letter that “almost half of the fund will go to a new scholarship program to help LGBTQ+ students in Utah,” including those who may need to leave or want to leave Brigham Young University.

Green is a former Mormon missionary and Brigham Young University graduate, now a 44-year-old CEO and chairman of advertising tech firm The Trade Desk, worth an estimated $4.9 billion. He currently lives in Southern California and left the Mormon church informally “more than a decade ago” according to his letter, after “not believing, attending, or practicing,” which he says marked his official and immediate departure from the church.

“Although I have deep love for many Mormons and gratitude for many things that have come into my life through Mormonism, I have not considered myself a member for many years, and I’d like to make clear to you and others that I am not a member,” he writes.

Despite BYU’s ban on same-gender romantic behavior, numerous students organized an unofficial BYU Pride march in 2021. The university revised its student honor code in 2020 to remove a clause prohibiting “all forms of physical intimacy that give expression to homosexual feelings,” though the director of Honor Code Office, Kevin Utt, later clarified the code still prohibits any same-gender romantic behavior.

The school’s policies don’t explicitly mention trans people, though by 2017, faculty members were advised that any “women with shaved heads” or “men wearing makeup” should be reported for violating their Honor Code.

Green requested his removal from the church’s list of members and adamantly condemned the church’s indulgent spending, instead saying that Mormon leaders should use their “more than $100 billion in assets” to do “more to help the world and its members.”

“After today, the only contact I want from the church is a single letter of confirmation to let me know that I am no longer listed as a member,” he concludes.