Carol Lynn Pearson
| Carol Lynn Pearson | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | United States |
| Alma mater | Brigham Young (MA, theatre]] |
| Occupation | Poet, playwright, novelist, social critic |
| Website | CarolLynnPearson.com |
Carol Lynn Wright Pearson (born September 27, 1939) is an American poet, author, screenwriter, and playwright. A member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Pearson is best known for her book Goodbye, I Love You, a memoir of her marriage to a gay man who died of AIDS in 1984. She frequently addresses the topics of LGBT acceptance and the role of Mormon women.
A fourth-generation Mormon, Pearson was born in Salt Lake City to Lelland Rider Wright and Emeline Sirrine Wright. They would settle in Provo, where Pearson attended Brigham Young High School. Her mother died of breast cancer when Carol Lynn was fifteen. Carol Lynn studied music and theater at Brigham Young University, where she won the award for Best Actress two years in a row.
Pearson married actor, musician, and songwriter Gerald Neils Pearson (1942–1984), whom she had met in a college production of The Skin of Our Teeth, on September 9, 1966 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The two were devout Mormons who both descended from several generations of Latter-day Saints. They were married for 12 years and had four children together, settling in Provo, Utah.
Gerald had told Carol Lynn while they were engaged that he had had sexual relationships with men, but had left that phase of his life behind. Mormon authorities also assured the couple that marriage would turn Gerald into a heterosexual. However, he eventually confronted his homosexuality and after a move to California prompted by his desire to explore this side of himself, they separated and were divorced in 1978. He returned to live with her and their children after being diagnosed with AIDS in 1984, and she cared for him until his death. Her book Goodbye, I Love You is about their life together.
Since then, Pearson has become an unofficial spokesperson for acceptance of gay people by their Mormon families, as well as a stronger leadership role for women in the Mormon community. Many of her works address these issues, and she speaks on these and related subjects around the country. She notes, "I love the Mormon community ... and I have a unique opportunity to build bridges."
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