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208 issue was what church leaders ascribed to the homosexual label rather than the label itself. Lacking a moral middle ground, homosexual Mormons who acted on their desires often felt that "all was lost" and the church's dire predictions about homosexuality became self-fulfilling prophesies. successful as a gay man ... According to Evan Thompson, "I wasn't very and it brought out parts of myself that 1 didn't like. 1 found myself engaging in drinking and smoking, and sometimes being involved with people that 1 didn't really want to be involved with. 1 got sick of it...so 1 started going back to church.?" In his study of Mormon sexual attitudes and behavior, Harold Christensen explained, Strict controls often lead to rebellion on the part of some, and to excesses among many who do break loose. Condemned for small or first-time offenses, they think, "Having the name, 1 may as well play the game." Norms that paint life either black or white provide little to guide or to stabilize the offender." Although Christiansen, MacMurray, and other Mormon intellectuals assumed a softer, less judgmental approach toward heterosexual eroticism, they offered little to gays who experienced homosexuality as more than a passing phase. MacMurray broke with the church's official stance by advocating less fearful discussion of homosexuality so those with "homosexual problems" would feel comfortable consulting bishops, counselors, and parents. However, his approach ruled out the possibility of homosexuality as a valid lifestyle. His call for less shame in discussing homosexuality 27Thompson interview. 28Harold Christensen, "Mormon Sexuality in Cross-Cultural Perspective," Dialogue 10, no. 2 (Autumn 1976): 68-9.