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April, 1997 By Rick Fernandez, Executive Director I want to begin by wishing everyone a joyful Easter. Easter is very special to me because it is a stirring reminder of the power of life over death. While life can sometimes seem confusing and confused, full of only disappointment and pain, every Easter enlivens me with the faith that there is no pain or failure so great that God's love is not greater yet. Easter gives me hope to continue and inspire me to look ahead, with trust. The power of the resurrection is the power of love, not death, having the last word. At Easter I am also reminded that Mormons are largely unaccustomed to celebrating the great events of our spiritual heritage. We have no Easter season, thinking of Easter as one Sunday out of the year. If the bishop forgets (in one ward I attended, not one song, talk or prayer dealt with Easter on Easter Sunday), even that Sunday may not be observed as Easter. We know too that unless Christmas Day falls on a Sunday, there is no community observance by the ward. I'm not sure why Mormons don't attach significance to the "times and season" of the religious calendar, but we don't. The major days and events of our religious tradition are easily passed by, even minimalized. Why is that? The Jewish people, in celebrating Passover, do not forget. They remind themselves that "this is the day" that God led them out of Egypt, that the great events of their liberation from physical and spiritual bondage occurred. These are not long-ago, forgotten events but inspiring, dynamic events that take place today, fresh and alive in the hearts of those who are together because they remember. Such a community memory keeps their hope alive, and keeps the Jewish community strong and united, despite adversity and differences. We in Affirmation share a dual heritage that comes both from our Mormon tradition and our sexual identity, We should not let the key events in these two streams be forgotten, but remember and be enlivened by them. What meaning can Easter have for us who are lesbian, gay or bi-sexual? Does it not remind us that the power of our love for each other far outweighs the death-dealing words of the ignorant and the blind? Does not Easter inspire us to trust that love, not hate, will have the last word? What about the Passover events, the moments of liberation in each of our own lives and in the wider gay community? Do we remember and celebrate the progress we have made in the social and political spheres? We should! We must not let ourselves be like those Mormons who see Easter as just another Sunday. We need to discover and celebrate the great events of our gay and Mormon heritage. Our voice must be united in remembering and reminding one another of where we've been, and where we can yet go. So, while we don't have a "National Affirmation Day" yet, we do have our own stories of heroism, courage and victory that we can share with each other and remember. Affirmation is full of courageous people, or else it wouldn't exist! I encourage each person this month to find your own Easter story, of life coming out of death, and share it with another. As you do so, you will help build the bonds that make Affirmation a safe place where each of us can learn to live freely and fully.
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