In the 1970’s, Anita Bryant was a spokesperson for the Florida Citrus Commission and a phrase she regularly said in commercials was “Breakfast without orange juice is like a day without sunshine.”

In 1977, Anita began her anti-LGBTQ crusade, which marked the beginning of organized opposition to gay rights that spread across the nation. This led to a boycott of Florida orange juice and gay bars all over North America stopped serving screwdrivers. In reaction to Anita Bryant's national crusade, this now-famous sign appeared at the 1979 Gay Freedom Day parade in San Francisco.

Bryant's reputation as a self-righteous bigot ruined her career as companies didn't want to be associated with such a controversial figure.

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And in what seems like karma, in 2021 Bryant's granddaughter, Sarah Green, came out publicly as gay on an episode of Slate's "One Year" podcast by announcing her pending marriage to a woman.

Sarah also shared that on her 21st birthday, her grandmother sang Happy Birthday and said that one day a husband would come along for her.

“I just snapped,” Sarah Green told “One Year.” “[I] was like, ‘I hope that he doesn’t come along because I’m gay, and I don’t want a man to come along.’” To this, Bryant replied that homosexuality is not real.

“It’s very hard to argue with someone who thinks that an integral part of your identity is just an evil delusion,” said Green. “She wants a relationship with a person who doesn’t exist because I’m not the person she wants me to be.”

Despite her grandmother’s hardline stance against a core aspect of her identity, Green mostly takes pity on Bryant.

“I just kind of feel bad for her. And I think as much as she hopes that I will figure things out and come back to God, I kind of hope that she’ll figure things out,” Green said.

We can get the answer to your question from the Church’s General Handbook. Go to 38.6.5 Chastity and Fidelity.

This section says Chastity means having sexual relations only with your spouse. What does “sexual relations” mean? Google says “sexual behavior between individuals, especially sexual intercourse.” Or put another way, sexual activity involving 2 or more people. 

If you’re not involving anyone else, it’s just you alone, I don’t see that masturbation fits into this discussion about chastity as far as the Church’s handbook goes.

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Masturbation is absent from the scriptures or on important church sites about chastity.

For example, there is a section of gospel topics on lds.org where you can get a brief overview of our church’s beliefs. Chastity is one of the topics. “Chastity means not having any sexual relations before marriage. It also means complete fidelity to husband or wife during marriage.”

The page goes on to say that to help us abstain from sex before marriage, we should avoid things that awaken our sexual feelings, such as controlling our thoughts, staying away from porn, and not doing the following with a person we aren’t married to: “passionate kissing, lying with or on top of another person, or touching the private, sacred parts of another person’s body, with or without clothing.” 

Notice masturbation is not mentioned at all.

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Christ taught “by their fruits ye shall know them.” Masturbation yields positive results, especially for people like you and me who are not in a relationship. 

“Orgasm has been shown to help with relieving stress, aiding with pain (especially helpful for menstrual cramping), regulation of hormones and prevention of certain cancers.”   

Our marital status does not change the fact we are people with sexual needs and drives – which are God given. Be willing to trust yourself. 

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Here’s something else that may be helpful. When you feel the Spirit, then you’ve been forgiven or are being made clean, or don’t have a major sin you need to repent of, “for the Spirit cannot dwell in an unholy tabernacle.” If you’ve felt the spirit recently, you’re doing just fine.  

 Nephi 7:16—9:2 - And it came to pass

The phrase "and it came to pass" is used over 1,400 times in the Book of Mormon. For instance, from 1 Nephi 7:16~9:2, of the forty-seven verses, twenty-three begin with "and it came to pass."

It's used to indicate "and then this happened."

And it came to pass that when I, Nephi, had spoken these words unto my brethren, they were angry with me. And it came to pass that they did lay their hands upon me,

But I like to think of it like this - if you are going through something really hard, every trial "comes to pass," it doesn't "come to stay."

That was certainly my case.

I hope I was clear that maybe there's 5 missionaries who are publicly out as gay, but there are many who are gay but in the closet

I think you're referring to the missionaries. Out of the 70,000+ serving, I've only heard of a handful who are out as gay, seriously only about 5. Undoubtedly there's a number who are gay and not out.

For those who are gay and not out, they would likely deny it if they were asked. They are never alone, so one of the other missionaries would for sure overhear that conversation, and there's a lot of anti-gay bias that makes it easier in many ways for a missionary to remain in the closet. Unfortunately, part of that pressure to remain in the closet also is that a number of gay individuals think they're making a deal with God, that if I go and do this big thing and be a missionary for a few years, then God will take away my gayness so that when I come home I'll be straight, but as you know, it doesn't work that way.