Mormon Calendar Reveals More Men

LAS VEGAS (TNA) – As Perez Hilton would say, “Can you handle it, Utah!” Two Las Vegas-based Mormons are looking to shake up the establishment by producing a provocative calendar displaying bare-chested Mormon missionaries.

Titled “Men on a Mission,” the calendar features 12 buff missionaries that defy the stereotype of the straight-laced, conservatively-dressed Mormon male. While the calendar shows the men in standard missionary attire – white button-down shirts and ties – it also reveals them shirtless, with chests waxed, in various moments of repose.

A man in Las Vegas has a mission: to prove Mormon missionaries are real hunks.

For Chad Hardy, co-producer of the calendar, “Mormons on a Mission” started as a gag. The 31-year-old native of Palm Springs, Calif., imagined young missionaries posing for a beefcake calendar, for charity, and found the idea laughable.

But it also seemed novel, and Hardy believed the calendar would sell. He pushed ahead with his idea, found an investor (co-producer Fred Brodsky) and reserved a domain name, www.mormonsexposed.com.

He says the availability of the domain surprised him. “I figured it would be taken, given all the criticism of the church,” he states.

And like the church, he has not escaped criticism. Hardy claims that he has received 13 pages of fan and hate mail, with critics making up half the correspondence. Most opponents of the project say that the calendar misrepresents the values of the Mormon Church.

Hardy, disagrees, however, and believes that “Mormons on a Mission” represents a different side of the Mormon male.

“We’re blending sexy and spiritual,” he says. “It’s OK to be a member of the church and take your shirt off.”

For Hardy, who owns a team-building company in Las Vegas, the biggest challenge was in finding a team of models. He quickly learned that some missionaries felt uncomfortable with the nature of the project.

“A lot of guys were afraid,” Hardy explains. “We flew one guy in. When we picked him up for the shoot the next day, he had his bags all packed. He said he just couldn’t do it, and left.”

Hardy says that he understands the trepidation, adding that he doesn’t want the calendar to offend his family or friends. He also doesn’t expect to hear from the Mormon Church, feeling that the calendar doesn’t challenge the principles of the church.

Former missionary Jonathan Martin posed for the calendar in hopes of busting stereotypes about Mormons.

(A spokesperson for the Mormon Church did not return a phone call seeking comment on “Men on a Mission.”)

One of the models, Jonathan Martin, 25, from Houston, felt the same fear that other missionaries experienced. However, he also agreed with Hardy that the calendar would go a ways towards busting the missionary stereotype.

“I think a lot of people look at Mormons as being ultra-conservative,” he explains. “I met someone in the South who actually thought that Mormons had horns growing out of their heads. The calendar is a way to help people let go of their ignorance.”

For Martin, being a beefcake model ends with “Men on a Mission,” and he has no plans to parlay his calendar appearance into a career as a dancer or stripper.

“I don’t think I could do a go-go dance,” he says. “If you put a pole in front of me, I wouldn’t know what to do.”

Hardy has begun casting for the 2009 calendar, and says that a women’s version is in the works.

“We’re discussing a fun angle for the women’s calendar,” he says mischievously. “It definitely won’t be what you’d expect.”

Can you handle it, Utah?