Affirmation: Gay & Lesbian Mormons

Dates, Hotel for 2012 Affirmation Conference Announced
Weekend of October 19-21, 2012, at the Renaissance Seattle Hotel

by Fred Bowers, Assistant Chair of the 2012 Affirmation Conference
January 2012

We are excited to confirm arrangements for the 2012 Affirmation Conference which will be held in the beautiful city of Seattle! We welcome everyone to join us October 19-21, 2012 in the "Emerald City" to Celebrate the Journey!

Seattle is a gorgeous town with a rich history, and they are ready to roll out the welcome mat for us this coming fall. In the past two conferences, we have looked at the two far sides of Affirmation – we “Stood Up” in San Francisco, we caught the “Visions and Blessings” in Ohio – this coming year, we “Celebrate the Journey,” bringing everything together and celebrating this road on which we have found ourselves.

The Conference Theme

The inspiration for the conference theme “Celebrate the Journey” comes from the first stanza of the Latter-Day Saint hymn “Come, Come, Ye Saints”. "Come, come, ye saints, no toil or labor fear, but with JOY wend your way...” The last Affirmation conference with a theme of celebration was the 1991 conference in Palm Springs, featuring the theme “Now Let Us Rejoice!” As LGBT Mormons we have come a long way from where we were in 1991, and there is much to celebrate about our journey on the road leading up until now.

Centered around five aspects of daily LGBT Mormon life, the conference will provide a wide range of activities for conference attendees. During the coming year, we are asking you to think about how you would like to join us in:

Celebrating the Body
Celebrating the Mind
Celebrating the Heart
Celebrating the Spirit
Celebrating the World Around Us

New for this conference -- we are asking Affirmation members to submit proposals and ideas centered on these themes. We will be providing you details on how to submit proposals and ideas for the conference soon. Along with details about how to submit proposals and ideas, we will provide some of our ideas to get your creativity going.

The 2012 Conference will be geared towards:

Those who come from a Mormon background and who self-identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, same-sex attracted or same-gender attracted, as well as
Their families, friends, and allies.
LGBTQ supporters of other faiths or no faith will be equally welcomed.

Attendees will be welcomed regardless of sex, race, color, age, national origin, religion, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.

Host Hotel

We are also pleased to announce that our host hotel will be the stunning Renaissance Seattle Hotel in downtown Seattle. We have managed to negotiate contracted rates in this premium hotel at the incredibly low price of $159/night (up to 4 people per room). Located at Madison and Sixth Ave., the hotel is within walking distance to all of Seattle's best-known attractions including Pike Place Market, the Waterfront, and Pioneer Square. We are thrilled to find such a prime location at less than the standard rates for Seattle. The Renaissance Seattle has an amazing level of service and is a beautiful property, easily accessible from the airport via light rail, car, or shuttle. Our host hotel is also TAG Approved.

Link Light Rail will whisk you from the airport to downtown Seattle in about 35 minutes, 7 days a week. At about $2.50 a ride, it is the best deal in town to travel between Seattle and SeaTac.

Stayed tuned over the next few months as we share more announcements about the exciting things we have planned for the next conference. We are looking forward to having you Celebrate the Journey! with us October 19-21 in SEATTLE!