Affinity
November 2009
Affirmation: Gay & Lesbian Mormons—Serving Gay & Lesbian Mormons and Their Family and Friends Since 1977
Inside This Issue  




Thirty years after attending the original March on Washington, Affirmation co-founder Paul Mortensen (center, wearing pin) flew in from California with his husband Robert to join the march.


A snapshot from the past: On October 14, 1979, Affirmation members from around the country posed for a picture taken during the original March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights.
Affirmation Members March on Washington
The Event Comes Thirty Years after Original March

With the participation of Affirmation co-founder Paul Mortensen, a group of some 30 Affirmation members participated in the massive Equality March held in Washington on October 11. The original March on Washington, held on October 14, 1979, was one of the first events in which representatives of Affirmation came together to proclaim themselves to the world.

The day before the 2009 march, activists spanning four decades gathered in Washington’s Congressional Cemetery to protest Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and to honor the first service member to ever fight the ban, former Air Force Sgt. Leonard Matlovich, a Mormon convert and a winner of the Purple Heart and Bronze Star. In 1975, Matlovich’s unprecedented challenge landed him on the front page of every major newspaper in the nation and on the cover of Time, the first out gay person ever to appear on the cover of a mainstream magazine.

On Sunday, over 200,000 people marched through the streets of Washington to the National Mall and the very steps of the Capitol to demand that Congress and the President give GLBT people equal rights. Affirmation members came from the DC Chapter and from eight other states (Maryland, Virginia, New York, Massachusetts, Florida, Utah, California, Oregon). Affirmation co-founder Paul Mortensen and husband Robert Jacobs, who participated in the original 1979 march, joined the group.

“As a young adult, this was the first opportunity I have had to march on Washington, D.C. for civil rights,” says Affirmation's new Director of Outreach and Advocacy Robert Moore. “It was very empowering to see all the thousands of people fighting alongside me for our right to marry, serve in the military, adopt children, be ourselves in school and work or just walk down the street holding our partners’ hands without the fear of being arrested or beaten.”

“The time is now to break down the walls of hate and discrimination in this country,” says Robert. “Now is the time to begin a massive, well-organized Equal Rights Movement! So, tell your friends and family, and join us in the fight for full national equality!”


Affirmation Calendar 2009

November 15-16
Affirmation leadership meeting in Maryland

November 19
Deadline to send in your ballot

December 1
World AIDS Day

      December 8-9
Anniversary. Affirmation was organized nationally in Los Angeles (1979).

2010

February 3-7
Creating Change Conference in Dallas

October 8-10
Annual Conference in San Francisco


Affirmation Members Invited to Meet in Maryland
November 15 and 16 in Silver Spring, Maryland

Affirmation’s Executive Committee will be meeting November 15 and 16 in Silver Spring, Maryland, and all Affirmation members are welcome to attend.

For details and travel directions, please contact David Melson by visiting this link: www.affirmation.org/contact/dave_melson

Our next meeting will be held in Dallas, Texas, in February.


2010 Affirmation Conference to Be Held in San Francisco
Over Columbus Day Weekend, October 8-10, 2010

We are excited to announce that the 2010 Affirmation Conference will be held in beautiful San Francisco over Columbus Day Weekend, October 8-10, 2010.

The theme for the 2010 Affirmation is STAND UP! “It is our time and calling to be that change in the world,” says Conference Chair Dale Burton. “As such, we invite you to Stand Up for what you believe in.”

As you prepare for our next conference, consider what it is that YOU stand for:
  • Stand Up For Love

  • Stand Up For Equality

  • Stand Up For Respect

  • Stand Up For Marriage

  • Stand Up For Justice

  • Stand Up For Freedom

  • Stand Up For Liberty

  • Stand Up For Life
Located at Market and Third Street, the venue is the Westin Market Street Hotel in downtown San Francisco. We have managed to negotiate contracted rates in this premium hotel at the incredibly low price of $149/night (up to 4 people per room). We are thrilled to find such a prime location at less than half the standard rates for San Francisco.

Stayed tuned over the next year as we share more announcements about the exciting things we have planned for the next conference. We hope to Stand Up with you October 8-10 in San Francisco.

Hotel Pictures


New Affirmation Leaders Named

The Affirmation Executive Committee has announced the appointment of a number of new leaders. Mary England has accepted an invitation to serve as Women’s Program Director, and AleX Dean, of Vancouver, Washington, has agreed to serve as Transgender and Intersex Persons' Program Director. “Mary and AleX bring a leadership and a drive to areas of Affirmation’s membership that have traditionally received the level of attention that they should,” said Assistant Executive Director Micah Bisson.

Tia Owen, of Las Vegas, Nevada, has been named Financial Development Director, and Robert Moore, of Portland, Oregon, is now the Director of Advocacy and Outreach, which encompasses suicide and homelessness issues, as well as coordinating voices on the issues of concern to Affirmation. Tia and Robert each have prior experience in Affirmation leadership positions, Tia as Assistant Executive Director, and Robert as Young Adults’ Program Director.

“Tia will help us to obtain the stable financial base to support an increasingly more active program as we move into Affirmation’s second thirty years,” said Executive Director David Melson, “and Robert is rapidly becoming a leader not only in Affirmation, but also in the community, on both a regional and national level.”

Lael Taylor, from Washington, D.C., is now serving as Assistant Editor. “As Affirmation’s web presence moves into new venues and new formats on the Internet, it has become time to bring in additional help and new skills,” aid Editor and Associate Executive Director Hugo Salinas. Lael has served as the Blog-master for the Washington, D.C., Conference, and as web master for the recent Salt Lake City Conference website.

Chey Martineau of Santa Ana, California, and Elray Hendricksen, of Oslo, Norway, join Brus Leguás Contreras as Area Coordinators, charged with working to strengthen ties between the Affirmation’s organization within the United States and the rest of Affirmation throughout the world. Effective January 1, Assistant Executive Directors Micah Bisson and George Cole will swap positions, with George becoming the Senior Assistant Executive Director. This is a move that had announced last year and designed to give each man a broader experience.

“One of my missions as Executive Director has been to seek out and develop a rising generation of new leadership to carry Affirmation into the next thirty years,” said David Melson. “I strongly encourage anyone who is interested in a leadership position in Affirmation, or who would like to serve on a committee on the national or international level, to contact George, Micah, or me. Your help is needed, and I promise you a great experience.”


Join Affirmation at Creating Change in Dallas
February 3 - 7, 2010, in Dallas, Texas

Did you ever want to affect change in your community? Affirmation has committed to sending a delegation to the “Creating Change” conference in Dallas this coming February. We invite any Affirmation member or friend to come join us. “Think Big. Act Boldly. Create Change.” If you have ever thought about being a leader in your community, ever wanted to be on the inside of the process, ever wanted to direct change but weren’t sure how, this is for you. The things that you take away from this event will strengthen both you and Affirmation.

Put on by The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, this will be the 22nd annual Creating Change Conference, and the second attended by Affirmation. The event will be held this year in Dallas, Texas, from Wednesday, February 3, through Sunday, February 7, 2010. If you are not familiar with Creating Change, you can read more about it below and at www.thetaskforce.org/events/creating_change. The cost of the conference is $300, hotel accommodations are $150 per person for the full four nights (including taxes) for quad occupancy.

If you would like to join us in Dallas, please contact me to coordinate registration, housing, and group events.

Our Participation in the 2009 Creating Change Conference


David Melson
David Melson
David Melson's Statement of Candidacy

I am announcing my candidacy for a second term as Executive Director of Affirmation. The past year has seen the introduction of The Affirmation Messenger, and the reintroduction of the Cornerstone Conferences, including the first Young Adult Conference in Affirmation’s history. We have set up a means to begin bringing the chapters outside of the United States in closer contact with the American part of the organization, we have begun to interact with other gay advocacy organizations and other faith-based LGBTI groups at a more intimate level than ever before, and we have continued efforts to work with leaders within the LDS Church with some levels of success.

This coming year will see significant changes in Affirmation’s web presence, in our programming for lesbian women and for transgender and intersex members, in our advocacy and outreach to youth, the homeless, those considering suicide, and other victims of homophobia and ignorance.

If I am reelected, George Cole and Micah Bisson will continue on as Assistant Executive Directors, with George taking the turn this coming year as the senior assistant. If you would like to be a part of the leadership corps, please contact me by visiting www.affirmation.org/contact/dave_melson. Micah, George, and I have had the support this past year of a number of talented and dedicated program directors and chairpersons who are the ones who make things happen in Affirmation; we would love to have you as a part of this cadre. I stated a year ago that one of my goals as Executive Director is to prepare a rising generation of leaders to guide Affirmation well into its second thirty years, and we are well on our way.

At the beginning of this year, we established a shorthand for Affirmation’s mission: CASE (Communication, Advocacy, Safe Spaces, and Ending the damage). We have built a strong foundation and begun to make strides in each of these critical areas. We have the opportunity to reach further than ever before in the year ahead.

It has been an honor and a very humbling experience to have served as your Executive Director this past year. I am grateful for the leaders who have come before me, from Paul Mortensen to Olin Thomas, and for the wisdom that they have shared. I am blessed to have the help of two of the most active and involved assistant directors that Affirmation has ever seen. George, Micah, and I are a team, and we are grateful for all of the support that you have shown us in so many ways, and we look forward to having the privilege of continuing to serve you in the year ahead.

With hope, faith, and love,


David W. Melson


Affirmation Ballots Sent

As established in the Affirmation bylaws, the ballots for the election of the executive director were mailed on November 2nd to all current Affirmation members. If you are a dues-paying member and have not received your ballot by November 7, please contact Corresponding Secretary Bruce Maughan right away.

Please cast your vote and return the ballot. Ballots must be postmarked by November 19, 2009. The election’s results will be announced in December.


Affirmation Welcomes Kansas City
The Officially Qualify as an Affirmation Chapter

Affirmation is pleased to welcome its newest chapter, Kansas City. Following the changes to Affirmation’s by-laws adopted in September at the recent annual conference, Greg Valentine, who has served as Affirmation’s contact person in KC, brought together the last remaining pieces needed for the Kansas City group to officially qualify as a chapter.

Greg will be serving as the first chapter leader. The Kansas City area is rich in Mormon history and heritage. Affinity readers will be hearing more about our newest chapter in a future issue.

Foundation for Reconciliation
Modern-day Pioneers: Advocates for reconciliation leave This Is the Place Heritage Park on their handcart trek to LDS Church headquarters
Mormon Group Petitions LDS Church to Reconcile with LGBT Community
Cheryl Nunn: “It’s time to bring in our gay and transgender brothers and sisters from the plains!”

A group of Mormons pulled and followed a handcart through the streets of Salt Lake City today to place documents and symbols of the lost or harmed gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Mormons on the steps of the headquarters of the Mormon Church. Leaders from the Foundation for Reconciliation led this trek from the famous Mormon monument, “This is the Place,” to the steps of the LDS headquarters to challenge the Mormon hierarchy to reconsider policies and practices that have been harmful to its gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender members.

The five-mile trek marked the anniversary of California’s Proposition 8 which was very painful for Mormons concerned about the persecution of LGBT individuals. Massive LDS funding of Proposition 8 stripped same-sex couples of the right to marry in California. Speakers expressed disappointment at the vote in Maine stripping same gender couples of their civil rights.

Cheryl Lee Nunn, the Foundation’s executive director said, “I would not be surprised at all if we find that Mormon money is behind the efforts to take away the right to marry from loving couples in Maine. Our basic rights are to be protected by our courts and our laws, not put to a popular vote.”

The handcart trek also invoked a seminal moment in Mormon history when pioneers with handcarts were trapped in a blizzard before they could reach Utah. Brigham Young’s historic cry to save the stranded pioneers was, “Bring them in from the Plains!”

“It’s time to bring in our gay and transgender brothers and sisters from the plains!” said Cheryl Lee Nunn. “Even if we are straight and support equality, the church wants to leave us out in the cold. Some of us have lost our callings or been pressured out of the Mormon Church. This is what gay and transgender people experience all the time. It is so sad and some people do not survive the rejection of church and family. Too many people take their own lives because of the double condemnation of church and family. This must stop. All of our family members count. As a straight woman and a grandmother, I realized it was time for me to stand up and speak out.”

Peter Danzig, communications director for the Foundation said, “Today’s event is meant to highlight the fact that we are not some other people. We are Mormons, both culturally and by religious affiliation. We share pioneer ancestry, love of our families, and a belief in the innate worth of every human being. We are holding an important conversation about how to deal with these issues, and as Mormons, including the LDS leadership in that conversation is very important to us.”

Marchers used a hand cart modeled on those belonging to Mormons rescued from the snows on the plains. They delivered a Plea for Reconciliation signed by thousands, a Book of Remembrance for those lost to suicide because of church rejection, and symbols of the astonishing amount tithes and service LGBT individuals have contributed to the church.

Clergy and people of faith from several traditions participated and delivered a response to LDS Apostle Elder Dallin H. Oaks comments in a speech last month. Clergy made clear that, contrary to Elder Oaks’ assertions, they feel free exercise of religion is best served by extending rights associated with marriage to LGBT individuals.

Psychologists and counselors of the LGBTQ-Affirmative Therapist Guild of Utah delivered a statement expressing concern that LDS General Authority Bruce C. Hafen’s speech at a recent Evergreen International conference could actually increase the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior in some individuals.

“Our greatest hope is to open up channels for dialogue and opportunities for reconciliation with leaders of the LDS Church and others working on this issue in our community,” said Peter Danzig. Although general authorities of the LDS Church declined to accept the materials in person the Foundation was told they should schedule a meeting directly with the leaders they wanted to speak to. The Foundation will submit a formal request for a meeting later this week.

Additional information is available at the Foundation for Reconciliation’s website 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.

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© 2010 Affirmation: Gay and Lesbian Mormons
www.affirmation.org