Affirmation: Gay & Lesbian Mormons

Cementing Stronger Bonds with Latin America

by Michael, coordinator for Afirmación Latino

After serving an LDS mission in Buenos Aires, my volunteerism now lies in being Affirmation’s contact person for Spanish-speaking GLBT Mormons and administering the Afirmación Latino listserv, composed of Spanish-speaking GLBT Mormons from all over the world. As a result of Afirmación Latino, Spanish-speaking GLBT Mormons have a forum in which to unite, share experiences, and above all support one another. As Spanish-speaking GLBT Mormons began connecting with one another a new frontier for Affirmation began to develop throughout Latin America with organized groups in México City and Santiago, Chile, as well as contacts in several Latin American countries.

Since the formation of Afirmación Latino I have thought about organizing an itinerary that would take me to several South American destinations and meet Affirmation members face-to-face after years of e-mail exchanges, and in April 2007 I set out on a 5-week journey to Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Peru and Ecuador to make this happen.

My first stop was Argentina. After visiting old friends in Argentina and rekindling my love for Buenos Aires, I made it a point to meet two Afirmación Latino members, Daniel in Mar del Plata, and Carlos in Buenos Aires. My travel companion, Pedro, Affirmation’s contact in Ecuador, met me in Buenos Aires during my second week in Argentina and together we traveled overland to Viña del Mar, Chile.

Upon arrival to Viña del Mar, Brus Leguás Contreras, President of Affirmation Chile and recipient of the 2006 Paul Mortensen Award, and Leandro Valdés, Director of Affirmation’s Gran Valparaíso group, greeted and accompanied us to Brus’ house where he and his partner, Daniel, housed us during our one-week visit. The following day Brus organized an Affirmation luncheon and we had the opportunity to meet several of the local members, including Cecilia, Affirmation Chile’s contact for women’s issues. The luncheon allowed us to meet the Affirmation members in a casual atmosphere. Almost all members of the group were returned missionaries and we shared common stories of our missions and talked about Affirmation’s success in that region of Chile. The days following the luncheon were spent visiting Viña del Mar and Valparaíso guided by Brus and another Affirmation member, Cristián.

The last day of our visit in Chile, Brus and Cristián accompanied us to Santiago to meet another 10-12 members of the Affirmation group in that city. This meeting was a bit more formal than the group in Viña and we began by singing a church hymn and opening prayer. Five psychology students from the Catholic University in Santiago were invited guests of the group and several Affirmation members spoke about how they found Affirmation and what the message of Affirmation has meant in their lives. Brus has said that Affirmation is an instrument in saving lives and souls of those who are outcast from their religion, and after hearing the words from the members of the group I saw that his words rang true. Brus asked me to say a few words as the “representative” from the U.S., which gave me the opportunity to share my own personal experience as well as take the message of gratitude and acknowledgement from the Executive Committee. I congratulated the group for their diligence in making Affirmation a success. Brus and other group leaders are now looking into forming yet another group south of Santiago as well as aiding in the establishment of Affirmation groups in other countries of the region.

Next, Pedro and I traveled to Peru and after several days visiting Cuzco and Machu Picchu, we arrived in Lima where we met with a group called GLBT Christians (Cristianos y Cristianas TLGB) who welcome GLBT people from all faiths. One Affirmation Latino member, Jesús, attends this group and serves as a contact for Affirmation in Peru. This meeting allowed us to speak about our common goals and collaborate with one another. In the absence of an official Affirmation group in Peru, GLBT Christians serves as a place where GLBT Mormons can attend and feel welcome.

We ended our trip in Guayaquil, Pedro’s home town from where I returned to the United States. Like Peru, Ecuador doesn’t have an organized Affirmation group. However, Pedro serves as the Affirmation contact there and GLBT Mormons connect via the Afirmación Latino listserv.

Although I visited several exciting places my greatest memories involved meeting Affirmation members throughout my journey, sharing own common experiences of growing up LDS and being gay/lesbian, and establishing a stronger bond with our brothers and sisters in Latin America. The message of Affirmation is alive and vibrant with these people and I anticipate many future exchanges and friendships through Affirmation’s network in Latin America.