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Affirmation Makes a Splash in Zion Not many years ago, there was little mention of gay LDS people in the media. On August 11, I saw how much that has changed. by Olin Thomas, executive director September 2008 For several days in early August, few people in Salt Lake City could have missed the fact that Affirmation exists and is actively advocating for better treatment of gay and lesbian Mormons. Media coverage of Affirmation and other supporters was so extensive as to be difficult to list. Major stories, several billed as “top story,” appeared over two days on four different TV stations morning, noon and night broadcasts, National Public Radio broadcast an interview with George Cole, and both major newspapers carried stories over the period: the Deseret News from July 26 through August 20 had nine articles and the Salt Lake Tribune had three or four over the period August 10 through 14th. The Associated Press released several more stories during the same period, which were picked up by various media outlets in Utah and across the country. How and why did this media storm develop and what does it mean for Affirmation or its members?
Less than three weeks before the trip we received word that Fred Riley was leaving the position and the meeting was postponed. There was no offer to meet with an alternative representative and we were told that the new director would not be appointed for some months, meaning the meeting would be postponed until 2009. This cancellation is what triggered the intense media coverage, in two ways. First, when we announced the change, both media and Affirmation members considered this newsworthy and began discussing it and what it meant. Secondly, because we no longer had an audience with Church officials, the executive committee decided that the only practical recourse we had was to hold a news conference to present our concerns. By doing this, we hoped that our concerns would be heard by LDS leaders just as they would have had we seen them in person. The Sunstone presentation occurred on Saturday, August 9. Olin Thomas, Dave Melson, George Cole, Micah Bisson and David Nielson were the presenters. Audio recordings of the presentation are available through Sunstone, so I will just say that the presentation went well and was well received. I was most touched by a comment from a woman I met on Sunday morning at another event hosted by the Community of Christ, who said: “I heard your presentation yesterday and wanted to tell you did a good job. Someone needs to get your message out.” She then added, “I skipped Relief Society to be here this morning.” I was also glad to see reporters from the Associated Press, Salt Lake Tribune, Q-Salt Lake, National Public Radio, and Logo/365Gay present at the panel discussion. In the evening, Affirmation hosted a reception at the home of Duane Jennings and Brian Benington, to which we invited Family Fellowship and Sunstone members, Affirmation and Gamofite leaders, as well as other individuals who have spoken out in support of tolerance for gays in the Church. We wanted to be able to personally hear the opinions, suggestions and warnings of different individuals who would be concerned about and impacted by Affirmation’s actions and statements. Our goal has never been publicity for its own sake. However, the lesson we have learned over the years is that only publicity can focus attention on our concerns and only that focus can lead to change. Yet we are ever mindful of the abrasive nature of publicity and want to craft our message to best reach the hearts of LDS people without offending them but without apologizing for who we are. Affirmation wants to thank everyone who attended this reception for their insight and thoughtful suggestions. On Sunday, Fox 13 Television did a feature story about gay Mormons, focusing on George Cole and including David Melson and Micah Bisson, shooting the story at Temple Square. In the evening, Affirmation Salt Lake and Reconciliation held a joint meeting which gave the membership of both organizations a chance to express their views and concerns and share stories from their experience. While the primary focus of the news conference was to send our message out to the wider Mormon community, we never forget that it is our members and future members we are representing. All your concerns and suggestions are heard and factored into our decisions. Monday began early with phone calls from reporters starting at 4:00 AM, though the news conference wasn't scheduled until 10:00 AM. After interviews on the morning news, we set up for the event and were pleased to see camera crews from five TV stations, crews from at least two radio stations, and reporters from the Salt Lake Tribune, Deseret News, Associated Press, Q-Salt Lake, Logo, Reuters, and other media outlets — even someone from an anti-gay LDS web site showed up. Frankly, the level of interest surprised me and this brings me to the point of this article. Not many years ago, there was little mention of gay LDS people in the media. Society either did not think about us or did not care. On August 11, I saw how much that has changed. There was intense interest in the lives of gay Mormons and how the Church was dealing with the issue of gay members. It was not just reported on but given top billing. These repeated news stories on broadcast television, coupled with radio and the press, brought Affirmation's concerns to the attention of thousands of people who may never have heard of us before. I was impressed how thorough and well balanced the coverage was in all cases. The biggest change and most positive outcome of the events this year and especially that week in August was the reaction of the Church. Within an hour of the news conference, the Church public relations department issued a statement titled “Church Issues Response to Affirmation.” One year ago, Church officials would not use our name in public statements and in general tried to avoid admitting Affirmation even existed. On this day, they were concerned enough about us to promptly issue a statement which confirmed they were interested in meeting with us, were aware of our news conference and stated that “issues surrounding same-gender attraction deserve careful attention.” They did add that the issues did not deserve “public posturing” and stated “It appears from Affirmation's actions today that it has opted for a public rather than a private exchange.” By holding a public event, we realized that we might annoy some people, and we regret that. However, this is not a private matter. We are talking about the lives and treatment of hundreds of thousands of gay and lesbians who are current or former members of the Church, each with friends and family active in the Church. We are also concerned about the opinions and actions of millions of Church members towards their gay family members and neighbors. This is ultimately an extremely public issue in that sense. Nonetheless, Affirmation looks forward to conducting a private exchange with Church leaders and we are glad that they have expressed that “it has always been the intent of the Church to engage in an open and honest discussion with Affirmation leaders to listen to their concerns.” Such a dialogue, when it actually begins, will be treated with great respect and discretion, in the hopes of reaching greater understanding. That has always been the intent of Affirmation. Note: For links to recent media coverage of Affirmation and the LDS Church, see “ Affirmation Leaders Hold Press Conference, Ask LDS Church for Dialogue”
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