Origins of the Family Proclamation

Was the proclamation on the family written by attorneys to support the fight against gay marriage in Hawaii?

No, but sort of yes. No, it was not written by attorneys, but it was used in the 1993 Hawaii Supreme Court case on gay marriage, known as Baehr v. Lewin (later Miike).[1] In 1994, members of the Quorum of the Twelve began writing the proclamation in a "revelatory process,” with revisions by the First Presidency.[2][3]

The Hawaii legal case likely prompted the need to articulate these principles in one place.[4]

Was it used directly in the Hawaii gay marriage case?

Yes. The family proclamation was included as an appendix to an amicus curiae brief filed by the Church in Baehr v. Miike in 1997, which included legal arguments against same-sex marriage.[5]

Was the proclamation on the family really inspired if it was written up to fight gay marriage in court?

Yes, probably. Revelation is often catalyzed by pressing questions or issues.[6] Elder Russell M. Nelson[BIO] said they foresaw the issues that were coming.[7] Elder Dallin H. Oaks[BIO] described the process of developing the proclamation as revelatory and inspired.[8]

Apostles at the time of the proclamation’s production have described it as “inspired,”[9] “prophetic,”[10] “a revelation,”[11] and “eternal truth, the will of the Lord for His children.”[12]

But wasn’t the proclamation on the family written by a BYU law professor?

No, probably not. Initial drafts of the family proclamation were reportedly written by members of the Twelve[13] after the initial suggestion by President Boyd K. Packer.[BIO] Lynn Wardle,[BIO] a BYU law professor known for his opposition to gay marriage, consulted[14] on the Church filing in Hawaii's Baehr v. Miike case.[15]

Wardle could have also consulted in drafting the family proclamation, but there is no known evidence to support this.

Did any women general authorities participate in writing the proclamation?

No. In a 2005 interview, Sister Chieko Okazaki[BIO] said it was written without any input from the women in Church leadership and asked, "How come we weren't consulted?"[16]

A capture of a video broadcast showing President Gordon B. Hinckley at the pulpit in front of a black background reading the Family Proclamation for the first time as part of his message at the General Relief Society Meeting held September 23, 1995, in Salt Lake City, Utah. — President Gordon B. Hinckley reading the Family Proclamation for the first time on September 23, 1995 at the General Relief Society Meeting.

Does the proclamation have any new ideas or doctrines in it?

Not really. It's more of a compilation of teachings that have been taught for many years within the Church.[17] As far back as 1831, the Church has articulated the key principles found in the proclamation.[18]

Is the proclamation on the family official doctrine?

Yes, probably.[19] It's a formal statement issued by the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.[20] Since its publication, Church leaders have consistently shared and taught from it.[21] In 2025, Elder Ronald A. Rasband said the proclamation “came to prophets by revelation” and that it is “the will of the Lord.”[22]

The proclamation has not been canonized by the sustaining vote of the Church.

Is the family proclamation sexist?

Arguably. It defines men's and women's roles within the family, with men "presiding, providing, and protecting" while women are "primarily responsible for the nurture of their children."[23]

However, Church leaders have consistently maintained that men and women are “equal partners” in raising families.[24] Additionally, the family proclamation allows for "individual adaptations" as circumstances require.[25]

Is the family proclamation only about same-sex marriage and gender roles?

No, it is intended to address a broad range of issues related to the family. When introducing the proclamation, President Hinckley also addressed various social issues related to families, including out-of-wedlock births, welfare dependency, violence in the media, adherence to civil laws, and marital fidelity.[26]

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94 Primary Sources

Footnotes

BIORussell M. Nelson
Russell Marion Nelson Sr. (September 9, 1924–September 27, 2025) was the 17th president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a retired heart surgeon. Nelson was born and raised in Salt Lake City, and received his medical degree from the University of Utah. As a cardiac surgeon, Nelson was a part of the medical team to develop the heart-lung machine in 1951. After spending two years in the U.S. Army Medical Corps during the Korean War, Nelson accepted a professorship at his alma mater and continued his practice as a cardiothoracic surgeon. Nelson accepted a call to join the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1984, and was called as president of the Church in 2018 after the passing of Thomas S. Monson. Nelson and his wife Dantzel White (d. 2005) had ten children. After Dantzel’s death, Nelson married former therapist and professor Wendy L. Watson.
BIODallin H. Oaks
Dallin H. Oaks (1932–present) was born in Provo, Utah, and became an apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1984. After the death of his first wife, June Dixon Oaks, in 1998, he married Kristen M. McMain in 2000. He graduated from Brigham Young University (1954) and the University of Chicago Law School (1957). After practicing and teaching law in Chicago, he became the president of Brigham Young University from 1971 to 1980. He was then a justice of the Utah Supreme Court (1980–1984) before resigning to become an apostle. He was made the first counselor in the First Presidency and president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 2018.
BIOBoyd K. Packer
Boyd K. Packer (1924–2015) was born in Brigham City, Utah. He enlisted in the army during World War II and trained as a bomber pilot in the Pacific. He attended Weber College and Utah State University. He earned an EdD from BYU. He worked in the Church Education System until he was called to serve in the Quorum of the Twelves Apostles in 1970. He served as an Apostle until his death in 2015. He served as acting president of that quorum from 1994–2008 and as president from 2008 until his death.
BIOLynn D. Wardle
Lynn D. Wardle (1947–present) is a former professor of law at the Brigham Young University J. Reuben Clark School of Law. Wardle played an instrumental role in the Church's advocacy against the legalization of same-sex marriage.
BIOChieko Okazaki
Chieko N. Okazaki (1926–2011) was born in Hawaii, the daughter of Japanese immigrants. She earned degrees in education from the University of Hawaii and the University of Colorado, working as a teacher and principal. In 1990 she was called as First Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency of the Church, where she served until 1997. She was the first woman of color to serve in a Church general presidency.
[1]↩︎
Baehr v. Lewin (1993) was a case where three same-sex couples petitioned the Hawaii Supreme Court to recognize their unions.
[2]↩︎
The Family Proclamation was first read on September 23, 1995. In 2017, Dallin H. Oaks explained that it had developed over the course of a year:
The inspiration identifying the need for a proclamation on the family came to the leadership of the Church over 23 years ago. . . . Subjects were identified and discussed by members of the Quorum of the Twelve for nearly a year. Language was proposed, reviewed, and revised. Prayerfully we continually pleaded with the Lord for His inspiration on what we should say and how we should say it. We all learned “line upon line, precept upon precept,” as the Lord has promised.
During this revelatory process, a proposed text was presented to the First Presidency, who oversee and promulgate Church teachings and doctrine. After the Presidency made further changes, the proclamation on the family was announced by the President of the Church, Gordon B. Hinckley.
- Oaks gives account of the creation of the Family Proclamation.
[3]↩︎
Sheri Dew’s biography of Russell M. Nelson includes information she gathered from private interviews and conversations with Nelson over the years. In it, she says:
One day in 1994, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spent a day in their council room in the Salt Lake Temple discussing issues surrounding the family. They considered everything from the increasingly ubiquitous nature of pornography to potential anti-family legislation of various kinds. This was not a new discussion, but that day the entire agenda revolved around this one vital topic. The Twelve reviewed both doctrine and policies, considering those things that could not be changed—doctrine—and those things that possibly could be—policies. They discussed issues they saw coming, including an intensified societal push for gay marriage and transgender rights. “But that was not the end of what we saw,” Elder Nelson explained. “We could see the efforts of various communities to do away with all standards and limitations on sexual activity. We saw the confusion of genders. We could see it all coming.” This extended discussion, along with others over a period of time, led to the conclusion that the Twelve should prepare a document, perhaps even a proclamation, outlining the Church’s stand on the family to present to the First Presidency for consideration.
- Process of writing Family Proclamation described in Russell M. Nelson biography by Sheri Dew.
[4]↩︎
Nearly 10 years before the Hawaii Supreme Court began hearing the case on gay marriage, Dallin H. Oaks, a newly-called apostle, wrote in an internal memo:
In my opinion, the interests at stake in the proposed legalization of so-called homosexual marriages are sufficient to justify a formal Church position and significant efforts in opposition.
- Oaks argues that gay marriage is a primary target for LGBTQ lobby.
[5]↩︎
The Church filing included many legal arguments in the amicus brief. The brief concluded with the following:
Homosexual relationships will not and cannot provide the essential benefits to society that the traditional family has, and therefore should not be accorded the preferential status of marriage. Recognition of homosexual marriage will trivialize the traditional family - the basic building block of society - thereby having deleterious effects upon society as a whole. At a time when the traditional family needs more protection than ever before, Hawaii's prohibition on homosexual marriage is surely narrowly tailored to further a compelling state interest.
- Church includes Family Proclamation in Amicus brief to Hawaii Supreme Court.
[6]↩︎
For example, in 1891, Wilford Woodruff told a congregation his decision to issue the "manifesto" that ended the practice of polygamy was informed by legal and social pressure.
To Woodruff, the continued practice of plural marriage was opposed by "the laws of the nation . . . the opposition of 60 million people, and at the cost of the confiscation and loss of all the <of our> the Temples."
Woodruff said, "The Lord showed me by revelation and revelation exactly what would take place if we did not stop this practice."
- Wilford Woodruff describes in his speech how government threats catalyzed revelation for the Manifesto.
[7]↩︎
In Sheri Dew’s biography of Russell M. Nelson, she includes several quotations from interviews and interactions with Nelson. Regarding the creation of the proclamation, the book says:
The Twelve reviewed both doctrine and policies, considering those things that could not be changed—doctrine—and those things that possibly could be—policies. They discussed issues they saw coming, including an intensified societal push for gay marriage and transgender rights. “But that was not the end of what we saw,” Elder Nelson explained. “We could see the efforts of various communities to do away with all standards and limitations on sexual activity. We saw the confusion of genders. We could see it all coming.”
- Process of writing Family Proclamation described in Russell M. Nelson biography by Sheri Dew.
[8]↩︎
Dallin H. Oaks described the proclamation production process this way:
It was a surprise to some who thought the doctrinal truths about marriage and the family were well understood without restatement. Nevertheless, we felt the confirmation and we went to work. Subjects were identified and discussed by members of the Quorum of the Twelve for nearly a year. Language was proposed, reviewed, and revised. Prayerfully we continually pleaded with the Lord for His inspiration on what we should say and how we should say it. We all learned “line upon line, precept upon precept,” as the Lord has promised (D&C 98:12). During this revelatory process, a proposed text was presented to the First Presidency, who oversee and promulgate Church teachings and doctrine. After the Presidency made further changes, the proclamation on the family was announced by the President of the Church, Gordon B. Hinckley.
- Oaks gives account of the creation of the Family Proclamation.
[9]↩︎
In 1996, a year after the proclamation was first read, apostle Richard G. Scott said:
Learn the doctrinal foundation of the great plan of happiness by studying the scriptures, pondering their content, and praying to understand them. Carefully study and use the proclamation of the First Presidency and the Twelve on the family. It was inspired of the Lord.
- Richard G. Scott says the Family Proclamation was inspired of the Lord.
[10]↩︎
In a 2005 General Conference, apostle M. Russell Ballard said:
Brothers and sisters, this year marks the 10th anniversary of the proclamation to the world on the family, which was issued by the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1995. . . . The proclamation is a prophetic document, not only because it was issued by prophets but because it was ahead of its time.
- M. Russell Ballard says the Family Proclamation is a prophetic document.
[11]↩︎
In a 2010 general conference talk, apostle Boyd K. Packer referred to the proclamation as “a revelation,” though the written version of his talk says it is “a guide.” Packer said (emphasis added):
Fifteen years ago, with the world in turmoil, the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles issued “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” the fifth proclamation in the history of the Church. It qualifies according to the definition as a revelation, and it would do well that the members of the church to read and follow.
The latter sentence in the written version of the talk says:
It is a guide that members of the Church would do well to read and to follow.
- Packer calls the Family Proclamation a "revelation" in the video version of the talk.
- Packer calls the Family Proclamation a "guide" in the written version of the talk.
[12]↩︎
In a 2017 General Conference address, Dallin H. Oaks gave some background on the coming forth of the proclamation. He then said:
I testify that the proclamation on the family is a statement of eternal truth, the will of the Lord for His children who seek eternal life. It has been the basis of Church teaching and practice for the last 22 years and will continue so for the future. Consider it as such, teach it, live by it, and you will be blessed as you press forward toward eternal life.
- Oaks gives account of the creation of the Family Proclamation.
[13]↩︎
In a biography of Dallin H. Oaks, Church historian, Richard E. Turley wrote:
During the fall of 1994, at the urging of its Acting President, Boyd K. Packer, the Quorum of the Twelve discussed the need for a scripture-based proclamation to set forth the Church’s doctrinal position on the family. A committee consisting of Elders Faust, Nelson, and Oaks was assigned to prepare a draft. Their work, for which Elder Nelson was the principal draftsman, was completed over the Christmas holidays. After being approved by the Quorum of the Twelve, the draft was submitted to the First Presidency on January 9, 1995, and warmly received.
In 2017, Dallin H Oaks said:
Subjects were identified and discussed by members of the Quorum of the Twelve for nearly a year. Language was proposed, reviewed, and revised. Prayerfully we continually pleaded with the Lord for His inspiration on what we should say and how we should say it.
[14]↩︎
In a memo leaked to the press in 2008, Loren C. Dunn reported that Elder Dallin H. Oaks held a consultation with Wardle on the Church's legal strategy in Hawaii.
- Dunn says Oaks met with Wardle over gay marriage issues.
[15]↩︎
The Church filed an amicus curiae (Latin for "friend of the court") with the courts, which is something that can be filed by people or entities that aren't directly involved in the lawsuit, but that have an interest in the outcome. Amicus curiae briefs usually offer insight or information relevant to the case.
The Church introduced the proclamation on the family in the amicus curiae brief to the courts, stating:
Central to the teachings and beliefs of the Church is the family, which the Church teaches is the foundation of society and the crucial relationship through which children are taught basic values and public virtue.
- Church includes Family Proclamation in Amicus brief to Hawaii Supreme Court.
[16]↩︎
In a 2005 interview with Gregory Prince (published in Dialogue in 2011), Sister Okazaki said:
in 1995 when “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” was written, the Relief Society presidency was asked to come to a meeting. We did, and they read this proclamation. It was all finished. The only question was whether they should present it at the priesthood meeting or at the Relief Society meeting. It didn’t matter to me where it was presented. What I wanted to know was, “How come we weren’t consulted?”
- Chieko Okazaki says the General Relief Society Presidency wasn't consulted on the writing of the Family Proclamation.
[17]↩︎
Concepts such as pre-mortality, the definition of marriage, Mother in Heaven, and the equality of the genders have long been preached in the Church.
Before publicly reading the proclamation for the first time on September 23, 1995, Gordon B. Hinckley prefaced it by saying:
we of the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles now issue a proclamation to the Church and to the world as a declaration and reaffirmation of standards, doctrines, and practices relative to the family which the prophets, seers, and revelators of this church have repeatedly stated throughout its history.
[18]↩︎
Since the Church's origins, the basic definition of marriage between a man and a woman has remained constant.
For instance, Joseph Smith received a revelation in 1831 declaring that "marriage is ordained of God unto man."
In 1899, apostle James E. Talmage wrote that Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother both existed as discrete personalities.
In 1903, the Latter-day Saint Millennial Star called marriage a "sacred ordinance between a man and a woman."
In 1912, the First Presidency declared that spirits had a premortal existence as "sons and daughters of the Eternal Father."
[19]↩︎
Before President Gordon B. Hinckley read the proclamation in Conference, he said it was being issues “as a declaration and reaffirmation of standards, doctrines, and practices relative to the family which the prophets, seers, and revelators of this church have repeatedly stated throughout its history” (emphasis added).
Regarding this phrase, Elder Ronald A. Rasband said in 2025: “[President Hinckley] emphasized the proclamation holds firm to the laws of God as doctrine given through His servants . . .”
- Hinckley says Proclamation given to "warn" amidst "sophistry" and "deception."
[20]↩︎
The proclamation opens with:
We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim . . .
The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles at the time the document was presented:
Gordon B. Hinckley Thomas S. Monson James E. Faust Boyd K. Packer L. Tom Perry David B. Haight Neal A. Maxwell Russell M. Nelson Dallin H. Oaks M. Russell Ballard Joseph B. Wirthlin Richard G. Scott Robert D. Hales Jeffrey R. Holland Henry B. Eyring
- Members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in October 1995.
- Text of "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" issued by the Church (September 1995).
[21]↩︎
In a 2025 BYU Devotional, Elder Ronald A. Rasband said:
My brethren and I, and many other church officers, have given the proclamation to kings, religious and civic leaders around the world. We have spoken its truths in global conferences, legislative bodies, and in our own church chapels. President Eyring spoke of it at a gathering in the Vatican in 2014, and President Nelson subsequently gave one to the Pope in their 2020 meeting.
When I was called as an apostle in 2015, I was advised that I now carried the responsibility as a member of the Council of the Twelve to teach the proclamation.
It has also been used in Church curriculum. For example, the 2003 Eternal Marriage student manual pulls its "guiding principles" from the family proclamation.
- Ronald A. Rasband says the Family Proclamation is doctrine.
- Student manual bases its teaching on the Proclamation.
[22]↩︎
On September 23, 2025, the 30th anniversary of the family proclamation being announced, Elder Ronald A. Rasband spoke at a BYU devotional on the subject of family. In his talk, he said:
I happily bear my testimony that I know the proclamation is the Lord's plan for the eternal destiny of all of his children. What to say and how to say it came to prophets by revelation. It was inspired 30 years ago, and it continues to inspire us today, if we are faithful to its words.
I also bless you to strengthen your testimony of The Family: A Proclamation to the World. I testify it is the will of the Lord. May you be blessed by its eternal truths. Family, Creator, eternal destiny, children and happiness.
[23]↩︎
The Proclamation states:
By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children.
- Text of "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" issued by the Church (September 1995).
[24]↩︎
Church leaders have regularly celebrated that marriage constitutes a union of equality. The proclamation instructs that "fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners."
In 2022, Elder Ulisses Soares taught:
According to gospel doctrine, the difference between woman and man does not override the eternal promises that God has for His sons and daughters. One has no greater possibilities for celestial glory than the other in the eternities. . . . Therefore, in this context, we are all considered equal before Him. When spouses understand and incorporate this principle, they do not position themselves as president or vice president of their family. There is no superiority or inferiority in the marriage relationship, and neither walks ahead of or behind the other. They walk side by side, as equals, the divine offspring of God. They become one in thought, desire, and purpose with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, leading and guiding the family unit together.
[25]↩︎
The proclamation states:
Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.
- Text of "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" issued by the Church (September 1995).
[26]↩︎
President Hinckley introduced the family proclamation at the October 1995 General Relief Society session of General Conference, in which he said:
More than one-fourth of all children born in the United States are born out of wedlock, and the situation grows more serious. Of the teens who give birth, 46 percent will go on welfare within four years; of unmarried teens who give birth, 73 percent will be on welfare within four years. I believe that it should be the blessing of every child to be born into a home where that child is welcomed, nurtured, loved, and blessed with parents, a father and a mother, who live with loyalty to one another and to their children. . . .
There are those who would have us believe in the validity of what they choose to call same-sex marriage. Our hearts reach out to those who struggle with feelings of affinity for the same gender. We remember you before the Lord, we sympathize with you, we regard you as our brothers and our sisters. However, we cannot condone immoral practices on your part any more than we can condone immoral practices on the part of others. . . .
With so much of sophistry that is passed off as truth, with so much of deception concerning standards and values, with so much of allurement and enticement to take on the slow stain of the world, we have felt to warn and forewarn. In furtherance of this we of the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles now issue a proclamation . . .
- Hinckley mentions many societal issues in the introduction to "The Family: A Proclamation to the World."
[27]↩︎
The Proclamation warns:
The disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.
- Text of "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" issued by the Church (September 1995).
[28]↩︎
In the book of Luke, Jesus prophesied that "nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven" (Luke 21:10-11).
In 1833, the Lord warned Joseph Smith that if Zion "observe not to do whatsoever I have commanded her, I will visit her according to all her works, with sore affliction, with pestilence, with plague, with sword, with vengeance, with devouring fire" (D&C 97:26).
[29]↩︎
These "calamities" may have been expressed through Biblical types and symbols. In 1927, Orson F. Whitney observed:
Do I err, then, in believing that the universe is built upon symbols, to the end that it may bear record of its all-wise Architect and Builder? God teaches with symbols; it is his favorite method of teaching.
- Whitney comments on importance of symbolism in teaching.
[30]↩︎
For example, Tad R. Callister, an emeritus General Authority Seventy and former Sunday School general president, submitted a piece to Church News saying that various social ills and disasters were symptoms of ignoring family values:
If you were asked, “What is the greatest challenge facing our nation today?” how would you respond? The economy, national security, immigration, gun control, poverty, racism, crime, pandemics, climate change? While each of these is a valid concern and deserves attention, I do not believe that any of them strikes at the heart of our greatest challenge — a return to family and moral values. To put our prime focus on other challenges is to strike at the leaves, not the root, of the problem. It is, as some have noted, to put an ambulance at the bottom of the cliff rather than a fence at the top.
- Tad R. Callister connects social ills to failure to live Proclamation.