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Affirmation: Gay & Lesbian Mormons—Serving Gay & Lesbian Mormons and Their Family and Friends Since 1977
David Melson
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The View
Affirmation’s 2009 Conference, “The View from Here,” is just a few days away, and I am hoping to see as many of you as possible in Salt Lake City. This year’s conference committee, under the leadership of David Nielson, has worked hard to produce a program with some unique touches. Among other features will be:
In addition, the Council of Chapter Leaders will be considering a change to Affirmation’s bylaws, and we will begin the process of choosing next year’s leaders and committees. The Executive Committee meets at 7:00 Thursday, September 17, the Council of Chapter Leaders at 2:00 on Friday; any Affirmation member is welcome to attend these meetings. If this is your first conference, you will want to plan to attend the first timers’ meeting on Friday afternoon, the 18th, at 5:00. The conference officially opens with a dinner on Friday night at 5:30, followed by a concert by Jason and deMarco.
You can still register for conference, just make sure that your registration is in the mail and postmarked by September 5. A very limited number of walk-in registrations may be accepted only if there are space and meals available; walk-in registrations are subject to a late fee and will generally not be eligible for scholarship assistance.
Micah, George, David, and I feel privileged to be able to serve you and to be your hosts in Salt Lack City for the thirtieth annual conference of Affirmation: Gay and Lesbian Mormons. If you can’t make it to Salt Lake this month, I hope that we will see you next month in Washington for the National Equality March, next October for the 2010 conference in beautiful [oops, you need to come to SLC to find out all of the details for 2010, including the host city], or during the year at a regional cornerstone conference.
A lot of things have changed in the thirty-two years that Affirmation has been around, and even though they sometimes feel as though they are not changing fast enough, the view from here looks pretty good.
With love, faith, and hope,
David Melson
Executive director
Affirmation: Gay and Lesbian Mormons
Affirmation Calendar 2009
September 5
Deadline to register for the annual conference at reduced rate of $179
September 18
Dealine to declare candidacy for executive director
September 18-20
Affirmation's Annual Conference in Salt Lake City, UT
September 21
Benefit Concert in Salt Lake City, UT
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October 10-11
2009 March for Equality in Washington, DC
October 11
National Coming Out Day
December 1
World AIDS Day
December 8-9
Anniversary. Affirmation was organized nationally in Los Angeles (1979).
December 25
Christmas
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Bylaws Change Proposed
It Will Be Voted On during the Affirmation Conference
by Dave Melson
A change to Affirmation’s bylaws has been proposed, and will be voted on during the upcoming conference in Salt Lake City this month. The changes would reduce the minimum number of meetings from twelve a year (monthly) to four (quarterly), change the requirement for a monthly newsletter to a quarterly “communication” that may be either electronic or printed, and simplify requirements for cash handling and leadership selection. The full wording of the amendment was sent to all chapter leaders last month, and will be available at conference.
The change requires the approval of the Executive Committee, two-thirds of the Council of Chapter Representatives, and a majority of members attending the business session at this month’s conference. Chapters are encouraged to have their registered representative in attendance at the Council of Chapter Representatives (Leadership Council) at 2:00 PM on Friday, September 18, in Salt Lake City. The exact location of the meeting will be listed in your conference registration materials.
Proposed Amendment to the By-Laws of Affirmation: Gay and Lesbian Mormons
Proposed that ARTICLE VIII – MAINTAINING CHAPTER AFFILIATION, SECTION 3 be amended as follows:
(Note: If the text below doesn't display correctly, please visit http://www.affirmation.org/pdf/proposed_amendment.pdf)
That Section 3 regarding chapter obligations which now reads:
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be changed as follows:
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| “Voting chapters of Affirmation shall consist of any number of persons choosing to associate, not less than three of whom have paid dues to the General Association for the year. Qualification will occur when the dues are received by the national treasury. The chapter must maintain a regular meeting schedule, meeting at least monthly. A monthly newsletter should be published. The chapter should maintain an independent checking account in a bank or financial institution. The chapter should have a constitution or charter and by-laws. Chapters maintaining the above criteria will receive all referrals in their geographic area, and will be listed in the Affinity directory. Voting chapters shall be governed by locally elected or appointed leaders, subject to the goals and objectives of the General Association as outlined in this Charter and By-Laws.” |
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“Voting chapters of Affirmation shall consist of any number of persons choosing to associate, not less than three of whom have paid dues to the General Association for the year. Qualification will occur when the dues are received by the national treasury. The chapter must maintain a regular meeting schedule, meeting at least monthly once every three months. A monthly quarterly newsletter written or electronic communication should be published. The chapter should maintain an independent checking account in a bank or financial institution. The chapter should shall have a constitution or charter and by-laws or other written documentation setting forth the method of selection of a chapter leader and method of accounting for chapter funds; a copy of the this by-laws or documentation shall be filed with the Secretary of the General Association. The chapter shall provide contact information for the chapter leader to the Editor or Secretary of the General Association in a format to be determined by the Editor or Secretary. Chapters maintaining the above criteria will receive all referrals in their geographic area, and will be listed in the Affinity directory. Voting chapters shall be governed by locally elected or appointed leaders, subject to the goals and objectives of the General Association as outlined in this Charter and By-Laws.”
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(Additions are underscored, deletions are struck through.)
Call for Nominations for National Executive Director
The Deadline Is September 18
Nominations for Executive Director for 2010 are now being accepted. Executive Director is the only elected position in Affirmation outside of the local chapters, and the Executive Director appoints the other members of the Executive Committee and Executive Leadership Committee, including program directors, conference directors, treasurer, editor, web masters, endowment committee, and other positions, and is responsible for their support and coordination.
If you are interested in serving as Executive Director, please submit your written letter of nomination to the Affinity editor (Hugo Salinas) or a member of the Executive Committee (Micah Bisson, George Cole, or me) prior to the end of the first day of conference, September 18. Candidates will be introduced and will address the conference during the Sunday afternoon business session. Voting takes place by mail during November. Candidates must be dues-paying members.
If you are interested in serving as Assistant Executive Director or as a committee chairperson or director, please see Micah, George, or me during conference, or e-mail us at affirmationec affirmation.org. I can tell you from experience that serving your brothers and sisters in Affirmation is both a great privilege and a great way to give back.
Bishop Gene Robinson Visits Utah
“Even the LDS Church is going to realize that no one under 30 is interested in joining a church that discriminates against us”
From a story in the Salt Lake Tribune
August 2009
Reclaiming faith is vital to the success of the gay-rights movement, V. Gene Robinson told Utahns this week at a Salt Lake City fundraiser for the nonprofit group Equality Utah. Robinson is the Episcopal Church's first openly gay bishop.
“We need to lay claim to the fact that we've been able to put our sexuality together with our spirituality in a way that enlivens us and nourishes us,” said Robinson, whose landmark 2003 ordination as bishop of the New Hampshire Diocese drew cheers in some quarters and scorn in others throughout the faith community.
“We have let the religious right take the Bible hostage,” he said, “and it's time we took it back.”
Working from within faith communities is important, Robinson said, because “90 percent, at least, of the oppression that you and I face as LGBT people comes from the Abrahamic faiths -- from Judaism, Islam and Christianity.”
Robinson predicted The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- as well as other churches -- will change its position.
“Pretty soon,” Robinson said, “even the LDS Church is going to realize that no one under 30 is interested in joining a church that discriminates against us.”
Mormon families enduring the conflict between their church and lifestyle choices will give witness, he said. “They are going to wake up. They are going to see that the compassion they believe in extends to all of God's children.”
D. Michael Quinn |
Mormon Historian Challenges LDS Leaders to Change Stance towards Gay and Lesbian People
Quinn: “None of these recommendations violate any commandment or revelation of God”
September 2009
In a plenary session held during the recent Sunstone Symposium in Salt Lake City, gay Mormon historian D. Michael Quinn challenged LDS leaders to make changes in their official discourse and in the General Handbook of Instructions which would put the Church on a path to accept, rather than reject, gay and lesbian people.
Quinn asked church leaders to acknowledge that gay people do not choose to be gay. “[Same-sex orientation] arises spontaneously in a small minority of humans from a combination of genes, hormones, and environmental influences that are fixed before the age of eight--when each homosexually oriented child is ‘innocent’ by LDS revelation,” said Quinn.
According to Quinn, LDS leaders should “urge those with this struggle to choose life on earth, not suicide,” “urge parents not to reject or kick out of the house their children who are struggling with same-gender attractions,” and “urge parents not to reject their children who have decided to act upon those attractions.”
Said Quinn: “LDS leaders should frequently encourage all parents to be long-suffering, emotionally available, verbally kind, and non-violent with their sexually active teenagers, so as not to force these vulnerable kids onto the streets as abandoned children or runaways.”
“Are these things too much to ask of the compassionate men who are prophets, seers, and revelators of the LDS Church?” Quinn asked. “I hope not, because none of the above recommendations violate any commandment or revelation of God.”
For a transcript of Quinn’s remarks, visit www.affirmation.org/learning/struggling.shtml.
Utah Advocacy Group Calls for Meeting with Governor Herbert
Foundation for Reconciliation: Gov. Herbert's Remarks Show Need for Information about Bias against Sexual Minorities
August 31, 2009
Salt Lake City, Utah- August 31, 2009. Leaders from the Foundation for Reconciliation called for a meeting with Utah Governor Gary Herbert after he said that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people do not need legal protection from discrimination. The Foundation wants the governor to establish a task force to determine the facts and to educate state officials and the public.
“In Utah, it is currently legal to fire an employee based solely on the fact that they are not heterosexual,” said Foundation for Reconciliation founder, Cheryl L. Nunn. “The governor’s comparison of discrimination against ‘blue-eyed blonds’ to the discrimination that LGBT people experience betrays a lack of understanding of or about the precarious situation sexual minorities face in Utah’s workplaces.
“On Thursday, August 29, Governor Herbert stated that ‘We don't have to have a rule for everybody to do the right thing.’ But that is exactly why we have rules and laws. All laws against discrimination based on social identity are there because people do not always do the right thing. Governor Herbert needs to help all of us do the right thing by eradicating policies and practices that take jobs and homes away from LGBT individuals and their families just because of who they are.
“We are asking him to meet with members of the Foundation for Reconciliation, and others who can help inform both lawmakers and the public about the legally sanctioned discrimination sexual minorities continue to face in Utah.
“Once we meet with the Governor and he hears the stories of discrimination experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender citizens of Utah,” said Cheryl L. Nunn, “We believe Governor Herbert will say yes to our request for a task force to look into and correct inequities in Utah’s laws that unfairly deny rights afforded to the heterosexual majority to sexual minorities.”
The Foundation for Reconciliation was established to foster a climate for reconciliation between the LDS church and the LGBT community. In addition to education, and charitable programs the organization has begun a petition that will be delivered to the Mormon Church’s First Presidency on the first anniversary of the passage of Prop. 8, November 4th, 2009. It calls for forgiveness on all sides, recognition of responsibility, and a beginning to the healing. For more information please visit www.LDSapology.org.
Affirmation: Gay and Lesbian Mormons
P.O. Box 1435
Palm Springs, CA 92263-1435
National Phone Line: (661) 367-2421
To see a directory of current Affirmation chapters, visit www.affirmation.org/chapters
Executive Director: Dave Melson
Senior Assistant Director: Micah Bisson
Assistant Director: George Cole
Associate Director & Affinity Editor: Hugo Salinas www.affirmation.org/contact/affinity
Send Us Your Submission!
AFFIRMATION GAY & LESBIAN MORMONS is a non-profit support group serving
Gay and Lesbian Mormons, their families and friends since 1977. AFFINITY
is the official publication of the Affirmation National Executive Committee.
Submissions are welcome and should be limited to 250 words. To contact us, visit www.affirmation.org/contact/affinity. The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the editors, national committee or publisher, but rather
the individual writers. The Editor reserves the right to edit any material
deemed offensive, libelous, grammatically incorrect or lengthy.
About AFFINITY
AFFINITY is available both as an email text and as a web-based document.
Although both versions are free of charge, we encourage you to become
a dues-paying member and thus help us advance Affirmation's important
mission.
If you wish to receive a text version of AFFINITY by email, simply send a request to Hugo Salinas by visiting www.affirmation.org/contact/affinity. If you are a dues-paying member and do not have Internet
access, you may request a printed version that will be sent to you by
mail.
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