A Place to Find Community and Support

David Baker

I am proud to stand with Affirmation today as we are creating a space for all LGBT Mormons

by David Baker, Communications Director

Four years ago I was asked to join Affirmation’s leadership team as the National Youth Director but after doing some research I felt that Affirmation wasn’t a place for me. But all that has changed now.

This weekend I joined with Affirmation’s leadership in my new my role as Communications Director for the organization and after working with the board and various volunteers involved in Affirmation, my opinion of four years ago has fully changed.

I witnessed intense discussions on being truly inclusive of all LGBT members of the Church, allies, and family members.

I saw efforts to find how to engage with leadership of the Church that takes a different tack from the past four years, but that might help us have a large seat at the table.

I saw us rally around finding solutions to helping LGBT/LDS youth in the Church who desperately need helpful resources that encourage a healthy life and trying to balance that with the tools and resources of where our existing cadre of members, some of whom have been in leadership since before I was born.

And most importantly I saw an emphasis on including spirituality back into the set of goals for the organization which back in the first newsletter in March of 1980 stated that it was possible to be openly gay and actively Mormon.

Together this encourages me that Affirmation is shifting back to its roots, but from a position of strength. Because 35 years ago when Affirmation was formed, we were ignored by the Church entirely despite constant efforts to communicate with them, and now we have the Church asking for our help in cleaning up the harm that they did in 2008.

I am proud to stand with Affirmation today as we are creating a space for all LGBT Mormons be they staunch members of the LDS Church or cultural Mormons, openly gay to all they meet or simply questioning themselves in the dark closet. We will be a place for you to find community and support.