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Nathan Kitchen, former president of Affirmation and author of The Boughs of Love: Navigating the Queer Latter-day Saint Experience During an Ongoing Restoration, is the recipient of the 2024 Affirmation Mortensen Award. The award winner was announced at the 2024 Affirmation International Conference in Ogden, Utah. Laurie Lee Hall, 2023 winner, presented the award. Other nominees included Wesley Acastre and Joel McDonald.
Frederick Bowers is seeking election as president of Affirmation. He has nominated David Widdison and Dominick Morales to serve as senior vice president and president. Frederick says he’s running to improve support for local chapters, foster connections between Affirmation members, partner with other organizations to advance Affirmation’s mission, and strengthen Affirmation financially.
Ballots will be sent to voting members of Affirmation on November 12 to elect the next president, either Frederick Bowers and Luis Alberto Rincón de la Cruz. This election is the regular election for president of Affirmation. The winner will serve from January 1, 2025, until December 31, 2026. Those wishing to vote in this election must be voting members by November 11.
Luis Alberto Rincón de la Cruz is seeking election as president of Affirmation. He has nominated Joaquin Alexander Romero Pachano and Wander De León to serve as senior vice president and vice president. Luis Alberto says that he’s running to serve with other leaders as a unified team to help Affirmation grow and to help people access the space of safety and love that Affirmation provides.
Affirmation is partnering with Flourish Therapy volunteers to host a virtual meeting of support for those impacted by recent changes to the General Handbook of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The meeting is open to all seeing support or to better understand the impact of these changes. Registration is required to attend. Interpretation in English, Spanish, and Portuguese is being provided.
We mourn with our transgender siblings as we wrestle with the painful impact of recent policy changes and guidelines released by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. With over 45 years of providing support to LGBTQIA+ individuals who are current and former members of the Church, we know first-hand the pain that policies like this cause. We stand with our transgender siblings.
Since taking office as the Executive Committee of Affirmation: LGBTQ Mormons, Families & Friends on March 1st, 2024, Fred Bowers (President), Joel McDonald (Senior Vice President), and David Doyle (Vice President) have been hard at work to ensure Affirmation continues to accomplish our mission and vision. An Evening with Affirmation was an opportunity for LGBTQ Latter-day Saints and their family and friends to meet the new Executive Committee, hear about progress being made, what’s next, and opportunities to support this important work.
Holland’s speech called for symbolic violence in response to efforts to be more inclusive and affirming of LGBTQ+ students and the broader community at Brigham Young University. Fred Bowers “pointed to the speech as one of many recent examples of how the faith has made LGBTQ+ members feel isolated,” in interview with the Associated Press.
Since becoming a household name in 2008, we’ve watched David Archuleta share his talents, his faith, and his journey to acceptance and affirmation as a queer man. His new song, “Hell Together,” is him sharing part of that journey, inspired by his mom’s reaction to him coming out and then leaving the Church. No doubt, this music will aid many in seeking understanding, healing, and authenticity.