I thought [the mic] was broken at first," Savannah told CNN. "So, I turned around to talk to him. And then he [a church leader] told me to sit down." We came to the conclusion it wasn't our place," Heather told CNN. "We couldn't silence her. It would be giving her a bigger message that she wasn't allowed to speak or there was something wrong with her." I hope to find a partner and have a great job," she said in her testimony. "I hope to get married and have a family. I know these dreams and wishes are good and right. I know I can have all of these things as a lesbian and be happy." The petite blond is just her type, so when a tent mishap leaves Paige without one, forcing the two women to share, the trip goes from tame to thrilling faster than either of them could have imagined.

Savannah's parents were both apprehensive at their daughter's desire to come out to her church. After all, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) -- the official name of the Mormon church -- is notoriously homophobic. Indeed, the Mormon church does accept portions of Savannah's identity. But her story has brought attention to what acceptance (with conditions) looks like in church community.Her books EcoErotica (2009), The Real Mother Goose (2010) and Heidi and the Kaiser (2011) were all Epic Award Finalists. Her only gay male romance, Second Chance, won the Epic Award in Erotica in 2011. Her story, Connections, was one of the runners-up for the 2006 Rauxa Prize, given annually to an erotic short story of “exceptional literary quality.” This silencing of queer Mormons isn't rare. In fact, activists have fought for more representation and voice within the church, especially since 2015's document leak. In the aftermath, activists organized highly visible protests, including in Utah, to push against the idea that acting on same-sex desire would compromise their faith.

Maybe it was her own brunette’s natural prejudice against the petite blond—or maybe it was Brandi’s bright idea that using some of the kerosene would help the fire start a little faster. Paige had thankfully made it to the girls before they tried that brilliant idea, or all of them would have gone home to their parents without eyebrows.

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When she’s not pawing away at her keyboard, Selena runs an innovative publishing company (excessica.com) and bookstore (excitica.com), as well as two erotica and erotic romance promotion companies (excitesteam.com and excitespice.com) and she now runs the Erotica Readers and Writers Association. Savannah's bold testimony was captured on video taken by family friends, and has since gone viral a month later. But the 12-year-old's moment is just the latest in a long line of queer Mormon resistance. Android App: play.google.com/store/apps/ details?id=com.onseeker. selenakitt&feature=search_ result#?t= W251bGwsMSwyLDEsImNvbS5vbnNlZW tlci5zZWxlbmFraXR0Il0 I hope to get married and have a family... I know I can have all of these things as a lesbian and be happy." Her writing embodies everything from the spicy to the scandalous, but watch out-this kitty also has sharp claws and her stories often include intriguing edges and twists that take readers to new, thought-provoking depths.

Savannah and her father, Josh, however, remained members of the church, even though Heather left. And Savannah wanted to be honest with her church community, electing to tell them about her identity through testimony. The young girl wanted to be true to herself, but also had a strong desire to reach closeted members of her congregation. Are you sure you know how to pitch a tent?” Paige asked doubtfully, watching the other “adult volunteer” in their little band of merrymakers pulling tent poles out of a bag. Shortly after that statement, Savannah's microphone was unplugged by church leaders. Though she didn't defy Mormon belief by coming out, she did "threaten" to defy Mormon policy by saying she hopes to fall in love and marry. Selena Kitt is a NEW YORK TIMES bestselling and award-winning author of erotic and romance fiction. She is one of the highest selling erotic writers in the business with over two million books sold! Uh, yeah, but…” Paige looked over at her gear—less than half of what most of the other girls had dragged along. She was a seasoned camper, even if she’d never been a Girl Scout.The video shows the visibly nervous girl in a red tie declaring her identity, with church leaders cutting off her mic in the middle of her testimony, silencing her for unapologetically coming out. If you’re sure?” Paige glanced over at the giggling group of girls, already in their suits, towels slung over their shoulders, among them Paige’s little sister, Jess—the sole reason she’d agreed to come along on this exasperating outing in the first place. Paige isn’t looking forward to chaperoning her younger sister’s Girl Scout Troop for a camping trip outing—burning S’mores, telling the same old ghost stories and listening to little girls giggle all night long—until she meets the new Girl Scout Troop leader, Brandi. Under official policy, the church "welcomes" members who have same-sex attractions, saying that same-sex attraction is a "complex reality and part of the human experience." In her testimony, Savannah pushed against the expectation that she would have to reject dreams of marriage and family for her faith.

The Mormon faith, however, distinguishes between same-sex attraction and "homosexual behavior" -- the latter being unacceptable.