But just recently, the church held meetings with various gay rights activists (see “Secret Gay/LDS Meetings,” Nov. 18). The big question: Why now? The church declined to answer that question, but many local activists have their own theories, which we wrote about.

Online commenter Loftin—no known relation to City Weekly managing editor Josh Loftin—was unimpressed with our attempt to fill the void.

“The author’s quoting of several people, who all oppose the Mormon Church’s position on same sex marriage,” Loftin wrote, “does not generate much confidence that any of them have a clue concerning the church’s motives.”

That’s valid, Loftin, but your litmus test is arbitrary. First, three of the people quoted in the article recently met with representatives of the church to discuss gay rights (and I interviewed three more who were not quoted). Second, several people in the article were raised LDS. Third, as the ancient author of The Art of War, Sun Tzu, might say, one can “know thy enemy” without mirroring the things that underlie the enmity.