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Editorial: God Bless Us Everyone! by Olin Thomas, Executive Director
One of my favorite stories is that of Dickens's "A Christmas Carol." Who can fail to be moved by the story of Scrooge being shown the impact on others of his bad attitude, seeing the difficulties being faced by others, and being moved to change and be a better, kinder person? My hope is that such conversions do occur and perhaps might occur within the leadership of our Church and our Nation. Wouldn't it be lovely? Affirmation isn't waiting for a series of ghosts to make our lives better, however. This has been a year of great progress for Affirmation, as well as some disappointments. Like the ghost of Christmas Past, I would like to review some of those with you. Most encouraging of all has been the growth of Affirmation in new locations or its revival in other cities. Revitalized chapters have been formed in both Seattle and New York City and efforts are underway in San Diego. The Denver chapter has become established. New chapters have been founded in Philadelphia, Kansas City, Florida, and Puebla, Mexico. Tremendous growth has occurred throughout the country of Chile. Chapters are being created in Chicago and Minneapolis as well. These chapters are meeting the needs of gay and lesbian Mormons where they live. On a broader scale, there were two particularly interesting developments. First, the "Advocate" chose to do a major story on gay & lesbian Mormons, making it the cover story on the edition that hit the newsstands the week of the Spring General Conference. Affirmation members and supporters provided virtually all the information or leads used to develop this story, and we placed a large advertisement within the story. On the opposite end of the publishing spectrum, Deseret Books agreed to distribute "A Guide for Latter-day Saint Families Dealing with Homosexual Attraction". This marked perhaps the first time Deseret has distributed a gay sympathetic book. One of the authors is an Affirmation member. It is encouraging to see our messages reaching a wider audience. The main disappointment this year was the lack luster rate of donations to Affirmation. Fortunately, we balanced the books, but if the Ghost of Christmas Future were here he would say that only a change in financial support will prevent bad things from happening in Affirmation's future. Nonetheless, we had a successful conference in Denver, Colorado -- the first ever conference in that city. We had a women's retreat in June, and a wonderful Conference already in planning for next year in Portland, Oregon. Affirmation also joined other organizations as Amici Curiae parties to a group of lawsuits before the New York Supreme Court in which the parties were litigating over marriage equality. As 2005 draws to a close, I wish all Affirmation members, and their loved ones, the merriest Christmas possible. Affirmation has a proud past, a vibrant present and a promising future. We just need to look into our hearts, like Scrooge did, and see that the power to be happy and to help others is already within us, waiting to be released. So, like Tiny Tim, I say God bless us, everyone! Olin Thomas Executive Director
by Paul Mortensen I am pleased to announce the results of the election results for the 2005 election for Executive Director. As of today (two days after the postmark deadline) 115 ballots have been returned. The results are: 113 for Olin Thomas and 2 for write-in others. Congratulations, Olin. You are doing a great job and we are all looking forward to the next year. Our best wishes and prayers are with you. Paul Mortensen
A Ten Year Assessment Ten years ago, the LDS Church issued a document known as the Proclamation on the Family. In the most recent general conference Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve gave us a painful reminder that the Proclamation continues to be used not to build up families, but to attack and condemn families which do not conform to the model currently embraced by the LDS Church. Specifically, Elder Ballard condemned the “sabotaging” of families and lamented that “in the name of ‘tolerance,’ the definition of family has been expanded beyond recognition to the point that ‘family’ can be any individuals on any gender who live together with or without commitment or children or attention to consequence.” Furthermore, by comparing the Proclamation on the Family to Moroni’s Title of Liberty, Elder Ballard suggested that the LDS Church is waging war against gay and lesbian families all over the world. Ten years ago, the LDS Church didn’t need a proclamation to protect the family. The teachings of Church leaders had already established the central role of the family in society and in God’s plan. However, LDS leaders did need a proclamation to justify the aggressive political campaign that they were carrying out against same-sex families. The Proclamation on the Family also provided the foundation for some of the most offensive statements Church leaders have ever made against gays and lesbians. For example, during a Christmas 2003 devotional, President Hinckley reminded his audience that “the family is under attack” and added that “Sodom and Gomorrah, and the sinful practices observed therein, became examples of that which was evil and abominable in the sight of God.” In March 2004, Deseret Book President Sheri L. Dew publicly condemned a part-LDS gay family for marrying and adopting two twin infants; Dew also suggested a comparison between those do nothing to oppose same-sex marriages and those who did nothing to oppose the rise of Hitler. Today Mormon families across the world are torn between the ideal of showing unconditional love to their gay children and the Church’s campaign against gay families and marriage equality. This campaign has produced pain, divided scores of families, and raised the number of suicides among gay and lesbian Mormons. We find it tragically ironic that a Church which is ostensibly committed to protecting the family is also be so aggressively engaged in attacking and condemning scores of gay and lesbian families who are faithful to each other and love their children. As gay and lesbian Mormons, we too grew up in LDS homes where we learned about the importance of the family. We do not wish to destroy anyone’s family. But we wish that LDS leaders would stop using the Proclamation on the Family to attempt to destroy ours. Olin Thomas, Alyson Bolles, James Morris, and Hugo Salinas Executive Committee Affirmation: Gay and Lesbian Mormons
LDSResources.info Includes Professional, Spiritual Perspectives A group of LDS authors and scholars have joined efforts to create of LDSResources.info, a website providing LDS families with reliable information on homosexuality. "The central material around which this site is organized is the 1995 Ensign article by Elder Dallin Oaks on Same Gender Attraction," read the site. "All the materials found here have been selected because they are supportive of Elder Oaks's article and are meant to reinforce the compassionate and definitive material he presents." The contributors are all professionals who write about homosexuality from biological, psychological, and spiritual perspectives. William S. Bradshaw is Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Biology at Brigham Young University. Robert A. Rees is Director of Education and Humanities at the Institute of HeartMath. Ron Schow is a professor of Audiology in the College of Health Professions at Idaho State University. Marybeth Raynes is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice in Salt Lake City. "The website contributors include counselors and other health-care professionals, researchers, educators, and ecclesiastical leaders," the site explains. "Most bring the additional credential of being a parent of a gay or lesbian child. We address this subject because our collective experience—familial, clinical, academic, ecclesiastical—has led to notable similarities of observation and understanding." The site includes a compete version of A Guide for Latter-day Saint Families Dealing with Homosexual Attraction, a new publication also available as a 40-page booklet at the BYU Bookstore. "The information contained [in this guide] is designed to help families deal successfully with the complexities of having a child, spouse or other relative who is attracted to those of the same gender," reads the introduction. "Members of the Church are counseled to assist individuals and families dealing with homosexuality. As President Gordon B. Hinckley has said, in speaking of the Church's attitude toward homosexuals, 'We want to help these people, to strengthen them, to assist them with their problems and to help them with their difficulties.'"
Comments can be anonymous, but must be “relevant and respectful” by Jason Clark In a format similar to the "Question of the Month" that the Affirmation site has featured in the past, Affirmation has launched a blog (web log) to elicit feedback and allow people to exchange opinions. Comments can be posted anonymously. "Some questions, such as the one we posted about the Denver Conference, will focus on Affirmation issues," says Associate Director Hugo Salinas. "Other, such as the current question about pornography, will help promote a broader debate on topics relating to the Mormon experience." "Unlike the official LDS publications, our blog is uncorrelated and it won't shy away from controversy," says Hugo. "I don't think there are 'right' and 'wrong' answers to the questions we want to ask. But if you want your comment to be posted, it has to be relevant and respectful." You can visit the Affirmation blog at <http://affirmationlds.blogspot.com>.
by Seba Martínez Marcelo Leiva, Affirmation leader in Santiago, Chile, was one of two guests interviewed on the show Triángulo Abierto ("Open Triangle") aired on November 15 from Radio Tierra, a broadcasting station in Chile's capital. Marcelo talked about the homophobic attitudes churches have against their gay and lesbian members and lamented how little information Christian leaders often have regarding homosexuality. "Many churches still see homosexuality as a taboo or forbidden topic," said Marcelo. "Therefore, they do not educate their members on this important issue." Affirmation was established in Chile in 2003. Affirmation: Gay and Lesbian Mormons P.O. Box 46022 Los Angeles, CA 90046 National Phone Line: (661) 367-2421 To see a directory of current Affirmation chapters, visit www.affirmation.org/chapters Executive Director: Olin Thomas 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.
About AFFINITY and E-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
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