You have been hearing announcements about the wonderful conference “Stand Up!” being planned in San Francisco for October 8-10, 2010. We are pleased to announce that registration is now open. Registration fees are tiered depending on how early you register – the lowest conference rate of $225 is available to those who register by July 15.
If you are a student, or underemployed, consider applying for an Irwin Phelps scholarship. We acknowledge that these are difficult times for many of us, and the $225 rate is somewhat higher than most recent conferences. Yet San Francisco is one of the most expensive cities in which to host a conference, and the full registration fee of $225 barely pays for the conference meals. After searching out and comparing many available venues, we concluded that we are getting the best value.
The registration fee is evened out by a great rate on your Westin hotel room at just $149/night (plus taxes) for up to 4 people in a room. In-room high speed Internet is even included. Share your room and save, save, save! This hotel rate is good for reservations made no later than September 1. By staying at the Westin you will be helping pay for the venue, so please stay at the Westin! You will definitely enjoy it.
Your conference registrar is Aaron Vinck. You can contact him via email with any questions.
We have managed to negotiate contracted rates in this premium hotel at the incredibly low price of $149 per night (plus state sales and city hotel taxes) for rooms with either 1 king bed or 2 queen beds. The rate includes in-room high-speed Internet access.
This rate is good with up to 4 people sharing a room for Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Additional nights at current market prices may be available if you wish to arrive early
or stay longer.
Registration pricing is designed to encourage attendees to reserve rooms at the Westin Market Street – those who make their reservations before they send in their conference registrations will receive a $20 discount on their registration costs.
Reservations
You can make your reservations at the Westin Market Street by phone or online. To make a reservation by phone, call Westin Reservations at 888-627-8561 and mention “Affirmation” for our special rates. To make a reservation online, visit this webpage set up by the Westin.
Room reservations at these rates must be made by September 1, 2010.
Finding a Roommate
Use this page to connect with others who are also looking for roommates.
Parking
The Westin Market Street does have parking, but it is limited and expensive (over $50 per night at current market rates). Other parking options at similar rates near the hotel are available. Public transportation options from local airports to the Westin Market Street are excellent. Getting around the city without a car is also very doable.
Irwin Phelps Scholarships Are Available
Affirmation offers financial assistance to help members who could not otherwise afford to attend conference. Scholarships are awarded on the basis of financial need and contributions to Affirmation, such as activity or willingness to volunteer for service. Funds are limited and scholarships will be awarded on a "first-come, first served" basis and only to those who establish a definite need for assistance.
The assistance provided is a 50% reduction in conference registration fees in effect at the time of your application. Regrettably we cannot provide assistance with hotel rooms or airfare.
Scholarships are available only for current Affirmation members, but we will accept a
membership application or renewal and scholarship application simultaneously. Please do not wait until the last minute to inquire about scholarships! There is much more information about the Irwin Phelps Scholarship Fund and its history at
http://www.affirmation.org/conference/irwin_phelps_fund.shtml.
To apply for this scholarship, send an email with your name, address, contact information, and reason for your request to David Melson at Dave_Melsonaffirmation.org. You may also mail your request to Affirmation, P.O. Box 77504, Washington, DC 20013,
Attn: Irwin Phelps Scholarship.
This is the third in a series of articles featuring stories of people who decided to STAND UP rather than being indifferent in the face of opposition. If you have an idea for a STAND UP article, please send me an email at www.affirmation.org/contact/hugo.
While working at University of California, San Francisco campus I was stunned to hear stories of lesbian or gay employees who were afraid of being out at work. We were in San Francisco, of all places. Yet, there were reports of very powerful tenured professors and high ranking administrators who were determined the campus community was not going to go the way of the city surrounding it.
I worked with campus organizations developing employee training programs on many topics. One group was hosting a conference on “Managing Change” for 150 campus business officers. We planned a guest presenter who had a very engaging process for identifying steps participants should implement to manage change in their campus worlds. To cap the day, he wanted to have three success stories told by people who had managed significant change. He wanted an organizational change success, a professional change success, and a personal change success. I was helping to identify possible storytellers in the planning meeting. When we got to the “personal” story, they wanted a dramatic one where someone had lost a lot of weight, overcome addiction, or something significant. I said, “Well, if you'd like, I’ll tell my coming out story in the context of managing my own change and the impact on my family.” The surprised reply was, “You'd be willing to stand in front of an audience from across the campus and share that?!?"” I was also serving on a campus committee seeking ways to shift the underlying anti-gay sentiments I mentioned earlier. I said yes I’d be happy to.
On the day, when my turn came, I introduced myself as a Gamofite, a Gay Mormon Father. I said that if it sounded like a triple oxymoron, it is. I briefly told of my Mormon background, my marriage and children, my family and religious culture, and the struggle I experienced for the first 30 years of my life surrounding my sexuality. I commented that I spent many years trying to convince myself and the world around me I was straight. I then told of reaching the point where staying alive depended upon coming to terms with who I really was, a gay man and father of eight. I told of being suicidal and going in to a psych hospital for intense recovery and therapy, twice. I told of finding good therapists and nurses who were a significant help in working through processes which helped me change my spiritual and emotional perspective. That changed perspective could then help me take on the family changes my wife and I faced. I told of how Debbie and I worked every part of our divorce together so it was a positive change in our relationship, not a destruction of our family. I told of finding friends who supported my difficult journey. I told of how I’d moved to San Francisco to start a relationship with a man, only to have that vision disintegrate before my eyes. I told of how I then met another man with a delightful family and how we created a very unique blend of family structure and love. I concluded with how I was really no different than anyone else in the room. I just wanted to live a life of contribution to the community around me and be myself at the same time. I gave credit to those who surrounded me with support and steps I could take to make the journey of change successful. I then asked if there were questions.
The room was silent for a moment and I thought maybe I'd blown telling the story well. Then many hands went up at the same time. We all started laughing as I said, “For a moment, I thought I'd really bombed.” We then had a delightful dialog about what it felt like, how my wife and children handled the transition, what gave me the strength to keep going, etc. As the questions slowed, a person on the top row, stood. I said, “Yes, what question do you have?” She said, “Actually, I don't have a question. Rod, your story here today has given me the courage to say something I've never said in public. I'm a lesbian and will no longer hide who I am, in any part of my life, including where I work.” There was applause and I started crying. I told of the newly opened LGBT office on campus and how we loved helping departments learn to embrace their whole staff.
Over the next few weeks, the LGBT office phone and walk-in traffic increased and people either told about hearing my story or that their business officer had told them about the center and how they might enjoy meeting the people there. Once in a while, I’d hear about someone criticized for being gay and then how others around them would stand up for the right to be who they are. Then they’d say there was someone in Human Resources who would take the side of the gay or lesbian person and there was a center where they could meet others like us.
I was proud to be at least a whisper of the shifting wind of change on the campus at UCSF.
“8: The Mormon Proposition” to Be Released Nationally in June The film looks at the Mormon Church’s involvement in promoting and helping pass California’s Proposition 8
One of the biggest hits from this year’s Sundance Film Festival was “8: The Mormon Proposition.” The film looks at the Mormon Church’s involvement in promoting and helping pass California’s Proposition 8 and the church’s secretive, decades-long campaign against gay rights. This incredibly powerful documentary opens in theaters on June 18th, two years and a day after the first gay marriages took place in California (June 17th, 2008).
Director Reed Cowan had initially planned to make a documentary about gay teen homelessness and suicide in Utah. He and his fellow filmmakers Bruce Bastian, Emily Pearson, Steven Greenstreet, and Chris Volz, all grew up in the Mormon faith in Utah. As they began filming, they soon came to the conclusion that, “the homophobia that prompts otherwise loving parents to kick teenagers out of their homes is deep-seated in current Mormon ideology.” They then turned to the growing issues surrounding Proposition 8 in California and the ideology that has worked for decades “to damage gay people and their causes.” They describe the film as “our emotional outcry to what we found.”
In a Q&A session at Sundance, producer Emily Pearson was asked about possible retaliation from the LDS Church or from members upset with the message of the film. She responded, “I’ve been waiting for this since I was 12 years old. Where I have been personally with the Mormon Church is far scarier than anything that can happen as a result of this film. It is heated, but it’s a conversation that is vital. To be finally able to stand up and demand accountability feels incredible.”
Executive producer Bruce Bastian added, “I believe in truth, no matter whom it criticizes. This major religion declared war on me long ago, and I am tired of just sitting around and letting them beat me up.”
You can see a preview of the film at www.mormonproposition.com, where there is also information on showings and On Demand and DVD releases. The film is narrated by Academy Award winner Dustin Lance Black and features a number of Affirmation members and friends including Carol Lynn Pearson, Kate Kendall, Tyler Barrick, Spencer Jones, Millie Watts, George Cole, David Baker, Linda Stay, David Melson, Trevor Southey, and others.
8: The Mormon Proposition will open on June 18 nationwide, including the following locations:
Atlanta- Landmark Midtown Art Cinema
Boston- The Coolidge Corner Theatre
Chicago- Gene Siskel Film Center
Honolulu - Kahala 8 Theatre
Houston - Angelika Houston
Dallas - Angelika Dallas
New York City - Village East Cinema
Los Angeles- Laemmle’s Sunset Five
Palm Springs- Camelot Theatres
Phoenix - Harkins Theatres
Salt Lake City – Tower Theatre
San Diego- Reading Theatre- Gaslamp 15
DC – AFI Silver Spring (4 day run)
San Francisco – Presidio theater (June 25)
Berkeley – Rialto Cinemas Elmwood (June 25)
In addition, there will be a number of special screenings and film festivals featuring live appearances by the producers or members of the cast. (Dates and times subject to change).
Boston, April 26th at 7:15pm, Somerville Theatre, 5, Independent Film Fest of Boston
Newport, April 28th at 8:30 pm, Newport Beach Film Festival , Edwards Islands 3
April 29th at 7pm, USA Film Festival , Angelika Film Center
Santa Cruz, May 13, 6:45pm, Santa Cruz Film Festival
Boston, May 16 at 1:30pm, Boston LGBT Film Festival, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Honolulu, Rainbow Film Festival , May 27-30
Pleasantville, NY, Saturday, May 29 at 7:15pm, Tuesday, June 1 at 7:25pm, Jacob Burns Film Center
Portland, Friday, June 4th, 6pm ish, Portland QDoc
NewFest/NY , June 3-6
Seattle, June 7, 7:00 pm, June 8, 4:15 pm, Egyptian Theatre, Seattle International Film Festival
Los Angeles, June 8th, Outfest/American Cinematheque , 6712 Hollywood Blvd.
San Diego, June 9, 7:30pm, Gaslamp 15
Oklahoma City, June 10, 8pm - Kerr Auditorium, deadCENTER Film Festival
Saugatuck, MI, Waterfront Film Festival
Salt Lake City, June 11, 7pm-ish screening, Salt Lake City LGBT Festival
Chicago, June 13, 7:00pm, Special Screening, Gene Siskel Film Center
Washington, DC, June 15th, 7:30pm TENTATIVE, E-Street Landmark
San Francisco, June 18, 7ish, Frameline, Victoria Theater, 2961 16th Street
Provincetown Film Festival, June 16-20
Delegates to the World Conference of the Community of Christ taking the historic vote.
Counselors in the First Presidency David D. Schaal (standing) and Becky L. Savage (right) presided over the discussion of the proposed section. President Stephen M. Veazey, who brought the revelation to the conference, recused himself.
President Becky L. Savage of the First Presidency reading the document on a large viewer in the Community of Christ Auditorium.
Community of Christ Adopts Gay-Friendly Revelation
“The Community of Christ will now be able to unambiguously allow full participation for gay members”
Gathered at a World Conference in Independence, Missouri, the Community of Christ adopted Section 164 of their Doctrine and Covenants—a move which will likely open the door for full acceptance and equality in congregations of the developed world.
“[God] is concerned about behaviors and relationships that uphold the worth and giftedness of all people and that protect the most vulnerable,” the revelation reads in part. “Such relationships are to be rooted in the principles of Christ-like love, mutual respect, responsibility, justice, covenant, and faithfulness, against which there is no law.”
“The Community of Christ will now be able to unambiguously allow full participation for gay members (without discriminatory provisos),” wrote Affirmation friend John Hamer on the blog By Common Consent. “However, the new scripture pragmatically compromises by stating that policies will be implemented on a nation by nation basis. In a way, this is like throwing a troublesome Federal issues back to the states. The only difference is that in this case one of the states is the whole U.S. And the U.S. is just as relatively dominant in the Community of Christ as it is in the LDS Church.”
“Given that the Community of Christ’s leadership is fully in support of ending discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation,” John Hamer writes, “the revelation means that unambiguous policies regarding priesthood ordination and marriage equality will follow soon in the church in the developed world (US, Canada, Europe, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, etc.). Probably much of Latin America and possibly the South Pacific are also on the relatively fast list. However, the revelation allows the church in the developing world (Haiti, Africa, India, SE Asia, China, etc.) to move more slowly as the members become more familiar with the issues involved.”
During a recent visit to Kansas City, Affirmation leaders received a warm welcome from GALA, an organization of LGBT members of the Community of Christ, and agreed to explore ways to create synergy between the two groups.
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: George Cole
Assistant Director: Micah Bisson
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.
affirmation.org. You may also mail your request to Affirmation, P.O. Box 77504, Washington, DC 20013,
Attn: Irwin Phelps Scholarship.
