When I was younger, I used to want to be a Mormon so I could hang out with all the hot young missionary guys. I actually stopped by a temple to find out more. I got the 411 on Mormon queers and hotstepped it outta there. The next week I picked up my first Mormon boy - black slacks and all.

Ah, the memories...

Alex, I'm going to disagree with you on this one. In my opinion, this calendar is like selling a calendar with pictures of nuns or priests partially exposed. When Mormon missionaries go out on their missions, they are performing a religious duty that is no different from a priest committing his/her entire life to God. When Mormons are on their missions, they aren't supposed to call home (except on Mother's Day or Christmas), go to the movies, or even go swimming. They're supposed to be with their missionary companion at all times. And they're only allowed one day a month to do laundry and write letters to home. The rest of their time is supposed to be spent knocking on doors and doing community service. Say what you like about the tenants of Mormon dogma, but I think it's a really noble thing to devote two years of your life (in the case of guys . . . 18 months in the case of women) to serving God.

Granted the men in this picture consented to being photographed. But the dude who is the "entrepreneur" here is a smarmy guy in my opinion. The Mormon church was absolutely within its purview to excommunicate him. He's making money by specifically violating the Church's very strict standards of modesty by asking missionaries to pose partially nude.

Alex, not to mention the fact that the picture shown here has a missionary posing with his name tag on, too.

I get that everyone has their fetish. And I'm certainly not one to blindly defend the Mormon church. I just think that you're being overly critical of the Mormon church on this one, Alex.

Serena, there's a calender out there somewhere of the hot priests of Rome (maybe Italy as a whole?). They are mostly head shots, but saying it is not objectifying them is a bit like saying Mapplethorpe only photographed flowers.

Wow.... do they still have that home delivery program? Where do I sign up?

Serena's argument has its merits; OTOH, for literally decades, our community has tolerated and even reveled with San Francisco's Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence which mocks the Roman Catholic church in similar manner. Few community leaders have majorly criticized the Saint Sisters for not showing "due" respect for Roman Catholic traditions.

My disappointment with the calendar is that the guys still haven't taken enough of their clothes off. I can see this much skin on the average urban neighborhood basketball court. So what's the BFD?

Yes, it is admirable that some Mormon boys set aside two years to serve God in their own way, but so do young Burmese Buddhist monks (among other sects of Buddhism) and this hasn't garnered much respect of Buddhism from the Mormons.

Speaking of Asian Buddhists, one last thing I'd like to say about the Mormon boys on this calendar is ... Suay mak mak! (Thanks, Robert, for teaching me that ... and I hope it catches on!)

And I assume no one here has ever seen the movie "Latter Days".

Kop Khun Kop Allen! (thank you)

Suay means beautiful, but usually in the feminine manner. I would say these boys are definitely Lor mak mak meaning masculinely handsome. Although, it is perfectly fine to call a young gay Thai man Suay! In fact they would be complimented.

Mai pen Rai! (it doesn't matter) is the ethos of Thailand.

Oh, and Buddhist monks and boys that are sent to the monastery for training in religion (two months, six months or a year) are...celibate.

I think part of the appeal of this calendar is the zone of lusting after what you cannot have. Unless you are Bil of course :) You will note he said "first" Mormon boy. How many others? I have to live vicariously.

And Kop Khun Kop to you too, Robert! (Are the K's always capitalized in the Thai "thank you"?)

To me, the Thai expressions have a personality and charm all their own --- yet more for me to stuff into my aging pad Thai noodle!

As RG said above, lusting after what you cannot have is the appeal. Claiming celibacy is throwing down the gauntlet. During my years in the priesthood, I could sense that I was a fantasy sex object for a wide range of parishioners simply because of my status as a religious leader who was supposedly above the grip of ordinary appetites. Everyone thought about having sex with the priest. Grandparents, teenagers, men, women and everything in between. It was clear to me that their desire was based mostly (despite the fact that I looked pretty good in those days) on my proclaimed inaccessibility. It was a useful and powerful tool to maintain authority. That is why the Catholic clergy don't want to give it up. It is part of the "smoke and mirrors" that makes the medicine man revered in his tribe until the day some doctor without borders arrives with aspirin.

3 - Although 2 came together (pun not intended)

My God, I loved Bloomington. The Mormons up here are so darn staid and, well, religious.

Call me creepy if you want but I "dated" those mormon boys before.

They were peddling on the street and I walked by and "let myself" tempted by their spiel. As we were all pressed by time I gave them my phone number.

A week goes by then we set a time to meet up and talk. I told them upfront that I wasn't going to convert but I was interested in their missionary work (uh huh). We spent 1 hour at the farmer's market then went our separate ways. They gave me a booklet and never called me again :(

There's at least 5 sets living in my neighborhood because the lord likes to keep my supplies fresh!

I think Serena has a point. I didn't notice the name tags. I guess it's kinda like police officers or firemen doing something like this - they don't use a uniform that identifies their particular bureau or city.

Alex, that's my point exactly. You don't have to agree with the standard. But the fact is that there is a standard of behavior when you are in uniform representing an organization. It's a part of your "employment contract," so to speak. And if you violate the terms of that agreement, you deserve to be dismissed.

Ya'll can joke all you want about how cute these boys are. But the fact of the matter is that the guy who designed this calendar is a sleezy dude who got his comeuppance.

They were not at all upset in the beginning, but (IMHO) when they saw the tee-shirt on sale on the calendar website (I HEART MORMON BOYS)with a male model wearing it, they got the gay willies.

I say he should do another one -- ex-Mormons (but please, more flesh this time).