Affirmation Spring Conference

For years, Mindy Gledhill’s relentless search for meaning has inspired her to pursue a variety of musical projects, both at home and abroad, and has now launched her head-first down a rabbit hole of new melodic creativity.

Over the course of her musical career, Mindy has recorded wildly successful indie albums with a cadre of award-winning producers, starting with her 2004 debut, followed by four more albums over the next decade (Feather in the Wind, Anchor, Pocketful of Poetry, and the Christmas album Winter Moon).

More recently, the personal trails she has blazed—complete with unexpected forks, twists, and turns—have led to a fresh destination on her musical map. Her new album, appropriately entitled Rabbit Hole, is the breathy confessional of a rapt soul who slipped down the curious tunnel of experience, landed in a hall of locked doors, and refused to be contained. In Rabbit Hole, Mindy confronts the challenges of life—all its unfulfilled expectations, sudden detours, and existential wounds—and presents us with a silver lining through bouncy rhythms and ballads of unabashed optimism. In spite of life’s crucibles and crises, she reassures us that everything is going to be alright, and that “To be upside down is a fine way to be.”

Gregory A Prince holds both a doctorate degree in dentistry (DDS) and a Ph.D. in pathology. After graduating as valedictorian from Dixie College (St. George, Utah), he served a two-year mission in Brazil for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Upon returning to the United States in 1969, Prince attended graduate school at the University of California, Los Angeles, receiving a D.D.S. (valedictorian) in 1973 and a Ph.D in pathology in 1975. In 1975 he and his wife, JaLynn Rasmussen, moved to Washington D.C., for a post-doctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Health. He is the author of dozens of articles and three books including the award-winning volumes David O McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism (coauthored with WM Robert Wright) and Leonard Arrington and the Writing of Mormon History. Both books have won the prestigious Evans Biography award. In 2008, Prince and his wife established the Madison House Autism Foundation, named after their youngest son who is autistic, for the purpose of addressing the perplexing issues facing adults with autism, along with those facing family members, caregivers, and society at large.

Prince serves on the boards of several non-profit institutions including the National Advisory Council, Dixie State University; the National Advisory Board, J. W. Marriott Library, University of Utah; the National Presidential Advisory Board, Utah Valley University; the Dean’s Advisory Council, University of Utah School of Dentistry; and the Board of Governors, Wesley Theological Seminary.

Josh Weed is a writer and therapist.  His award-winning writing has appeared in numerous publications, both online and in print.  He and his ex-wife Lolly live in the Seattle area with their four children.  They work together in a shared private practice.

Lolly Weed is a marriage and family therapist practicing in Federal Way, Washington.  She is a mother to four daughters.  Her unique relationship with her gay ex-husband has led to years of advocacy as an ally to the LGBTQ community.

Ann Pack is a transgender woman and member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She is the oldest of five children and has lived in Utah her whole life. She served a full-time mission in London, England. Ann married her wife Brigit 19 years ago in the Bountiful temple and together they have a 14-year-old daughter. After 15 years of marriage as husband and wife, Ann could no longer keep the secret that she was transgender. Instead of divorcing, Ann and Brigit have chosen to stay together even though at times this choice has been extremely difficult for both of them. Ann has a bachelor’s degree in Information Technology and lives with her family in Syracuse, Utah.  She currently works for Zion’s Bank as a systems administrator. Ann and Brigit regularly attend their ward meetings and they are both passionate about bringing more understanding and awareness of LGBTQ members of the church.

Nathan Kitchen (he/him) grew up in Orem, Utah. When he was 15, his family moved to Illinois where he finished high school. He served a full-time mission for the Church in Alabama, graduated with a B.S. in Zoology from BYU Provo, earned his Doctor of Dental Medicine from Southern Illinois University, and completed a general practice residency at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. He is currently in private practice in Mesa, Arizona. Nathan served two terms as president of Affirmation, from 2019 to 2022. He is the author of his upcoming memoir, The Boughs of Love—Navigating the Queer Latter-day Saint Experience During an Ongoing Restoration. He is the proud father of five children and three grandchildren and lives in Gilbert, Arizona with his husband Matthew Rivera.

Wendy Montgomery was born and raised in Southern California. She has always been a member of the LDS Church. She and her husband were married in the Los Angeles Temple in 1995. They had 5 children in 7 years – not recommended. They found out in January 2012 that their oldest son (13 years old at the time) was gay. It has at times been unbearably painful. But it has also been an enlightening, spiritual and joyful journey. Wendy has many new LGBT-supportive heroes in the LDS community. The Montgomery family lives in Central California. Wendy is a voracious reader, loves history, and is doing everything she knows how to make the LDS Church more welcoming and inclusive of its gay members.

Nathan Kitchen (he/him) grew up in Orem, Utah. When he was 15, his family moved to Illinois where he finished high school. He served a full-time mission for the Church in Alabama, graduated with a B.S. in Zoology from BYU Provo, earned his Doctor of Dental Medicine from Southern Illinois University, and completed a general practice residency at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. He is currently in private practice in Mesa, Arizona. Nathan served two terms as president of Affirmation, from 2019 to 2022. He is the author of his upcoming memoir, The Boughs of Love—Navigating the Queer Latter-day Saint Experience During an Ongoing Restoration. He is the proud father of five children and three grandchildren and lives in Gilbert, Arizona with his husband Matthew Rivera.

Laurie Lee Hall is the Senior Vice President of Affirmation. Not only does she create beautiful spaces within Affirmation, as a practicing architect she has created many of the beautiful and iconic spaces of the LDS Church.

Singer/Songwriter Mindy Gledhill powerfully captured the essence of Laurie Lee in one of her Facebook posts:

“Two of the most prized buildings in my city (the new MTC addition and the rebuilt Provo City Center Temple) should remind our community daily, that the contributions of transgender citizens bless us all.

Laurie Lee Hall, Chief architect of those buildings (and many other LDS temples) is a transgender woman who leads with graciousness and love. She is one example of many amazing transgender people whose contributions make our state a better place.

Let’s think about that when we send our kids off to the MTC on missions (where transgender kids are barred from serving), or see them get married in the temple (where trans people are not even allowed to enter, let alone get married).”

This will be a powerful evening where Laurie Lee will weave together her remarkable work of church building projects with life lessons of communication, grieving, and mindfulness. Most importantly we will leave the evening more empowered as we navigate the challenges and triumphs of living authentically.

Debra is a Licensed Marriage Family Therapist and worked at Children’s Hospital focusing on assisting children and their families recover from various types of traumas with the use of CBT (Cognitive Behavior Therapy) and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). She also participated in research to identify variables that help children recover from their abuse.

Debra did her thesis project on how homophobia affects the developmental stages of the LGBTQ population and she continues to carve out a portion of her private practice to work specifically with the LGBTQ community.

Debra played college basketball at the University of Utah and still loves to be active and be competitive by being a member of the San Diego Rowing Club.
Debra Asper’s passion is to help her clients not take on “what you can’t be responsible for.” She is an engaging speaker who uses the training of her profession to teach how the brain processes rejection and then shares the skills and knowledge to resolve trauma.

We are thrilled to have Debra join us to speak and share her vast experience with her LGBTQ community.