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Affirmation 1995 Conference Report

by James Kent

Sources: The September 1995 issue of Affinity and James Kent's Philly News #46 (August 11, 1995).

The 1995 Affirmation Conference was held August 4-6 at the Champion Tower of Seattle University.

This year's theme, "Come Out, Come Out Wherever You Are," is a whimsical takeoff on a favorite Wizard of Oz theme which was incorporated throughout our weekend, August 4th, 5th and 6th. It also had a more serious message in the "coming out" is never an easy process (especially given our LDS background) and one that is a lifelong process.

The weekend provided us with important personal growing opportunities and time to think about our own coming out process and what we could do to make a path less rocky for other who will follow our steps.

--Rob, David & Karen, 1995 Conference Co-Chairs

Friday Leadership Meeting & Activities

At the Friday afternoon leadership meeting we were amazingly able to keep to a schedule. The chapters reported in on how they were doing. We went over goals, plans, and budget for Affirmation during the upcoming year.

After the leadership meeting, there was fun and games, including a water balloon toss, out on the football field of Seattle University. Imelda made her appearance, dressed in black, and with a mink stole. We later enjoyed a delicious buffet-dessert bar in the ballroom, followed by Western line dancing and two stepping.

Saturday Workshops

The "University of Oz" workshops on Saturday morning included: A closer look at the Gay Hawaiian Marriage Law, Mormonism 101: An Intro for Non-Mormons to the Unique World of LDS Belief, Of Love Lust and Life, Successful Relationships, and a Coming Out Panel. Other workshops covered the following topics:

Beyond Safety: Concentric Circles and Community Connections, facilitated by Collin Thrush. The Gay Community as well as Affirmation provides a safe place for gays and lesbians, but by reaching out into the non-gay community through political, cultural & environmental organizations, will hopefully help combat ignorance and bigotry directed against gays & lesbians.

The Anger That Hurts & The Anger That Heals. Lori Miller provided a safe place to speak of anger from watching friends die of AIDS, the abuse, neglect, loneliness, and lost of what might have been. Henry Miller did provide some comic relief by saying he was angry that we no longer have plural marriages (so he could have several husbands). Jeff Jensen, through video cassette clips showed the self-destruction of uncontrolled anger and rage (Sweeney Todd/Star Wars), and the empowering use of anger to right a wrong (The Normal Heart by Larry Kramer).

Homosexuality & The Bible: A positive View. Reverend Sue Stackhouse gave an enthusiastic presentation of the so-called "antigay" scriptures in the Bible. By taking scripture bites out of historical and cultural context, in addition to mistranslating the original Hebrew and Greek texts, people have sued the Bible to condemn homosexuality and justify violent acts against homosexuals.

The Transgender/Transsexual Special Workshop forum was presented by Marscha Botzer of the Ingersoll Center in Seattle. This workshop opened us to a small minority of people who are truly rejected by everybody. At the core of her presentation was the discovery of SELF.

Tillicum Village

It was a bit of a rough ride out to Blake Island's Tillicum Village, an hour from Seattle. The clam soup was warm and tasty. One of our lesbian sisters had caught the grilled salmon that we enjoyed this evening. we enjoyed a very interesting cultural show.

"Something very special happened Saturday evening. We started out with a few people singing beloved primary songs, and slowly nearly a boat full of people wee gathered around singing the songs many learned as toddlers." - Karen

while some of the conference attendees stayed up late in the night talking up a storm in the dormitory common areas, others went out dancing.

Sunday, Keynote Speaker

Our keynote speaker, Mel White, was a powerful and moving speaker. His remarks were entitled, "Our Journey Inward and Our Coming Out." During his talk, Mel White exposed the Christian right by showing what the Nazis did to the Jews in the 1930s. It stared with rhetoric, then it moved to political action, finally to violence. Mel White also spoke of his invisible friends who supported him in his time of need.

Devotional

Rob Killian gave a very personal devotional presentation on love, loss and reconciliation. He talked about his experiences working with terminally ill patients in Upstate New York. He talked about The Wizard of Oz as a coming out allegory.

Brunch

We closed the Conference with a traditional Sunday Brunch. James Kent was planning on leaving early to catch his flight back to the East Coast; Paul Mortensen kept insisting that he should stay a little longer, but wouldn't say why. James was completely taken by surprise to be the 1995 recipient of Affirmation's highest award for outstanding leadership and service, the Mortensen Award.

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