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A part of Affirmation’s new vision is to not only be a place to land and heal, but to also be a place where you can share. No matter your time restraints, your interests, your belief or non-belief, Affirmation has a place for you where you can share meaningful service in ways that interest you.
Here are the top 10 most-read stories from Affirmation published in 2020. Stories published on the Affirmation website are from, for, or about the LGBTQIA+ Latter-day Saint community around the world.
We become decoys of ourselves to hide from our families, communities, and society where direct and indirect messages are sent that tell us that we are not normal. That we are others. That we don’t belong. There is pain in that hiding. There is a loss of healthy, natural developmental experiences. There is a loss of time to live authentically.
The photo that accompanies the recent Atlantic article about the Church is the Oquirrh Mountain Temple, the design and construction of which was directed by Laurie Lee Hall, the former Chief Architect of Temples for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who was forced from her position for no other reason than she was a transgender woman.
I do not think being gay and living in a monogamous relationship is anything remotely sinful. For me, it is simply politics, fear of change, and a too literal reading of the Bible that takes for granted historical changes in customs and societies. But here comes time again. We will need to wait.
There’s no doubt in my mind that pausing amid our daily activity to take note of what we have in our lives right now helps to calm and center us and renews our appreciation for what we might take for granted. Whether you share your gratitude for the world to see on social media or just silently count the blessings in your life, I hope you do find the healing power of gratitude as we begin the holiday season.
An August 2019 El Tiempo investigative report titled “Inclusive Religious Make Up the Resistance” and featuring Affirmation Colombia won a 2020 Ortega y Gasset Award. The report highlighted several religious organizations inclusive of sexual and gender minorities in contrast to the efforts of conservative politicians and organizations in Colombia marginalizing this community.
This year everything turned odd, quirky, strange or bizarre, even tragic—anything but normal, and by June, most of us were ready to give up on the year, flip the calendar, and move on to 2021. Gay Pride was no exception. Throughout the world, all things Pride were shut down, canceled, or reduced to a virtual reality online, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nathan Kitchen has been elected to a second two-year term as president of Affirmation, with Jairo Fernando González Díaz and Rebecca Solen named as his choices for senior vice president and vice president, respectively.