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Snelling takes you on his over-six-decade journey of self-discovery, faith, sacrifice, loss, and affirmation, blending his memory with excerpts from letters, church talks, and other materials. Dean lives a double life, where, on the surface, he is a beloved teacher, family man, and worthy priesthood holder serving in various callings. However, below that surface is a man desperately struggling to hold it all together, seeking satisfaction in dark places and not understanding why this struggle was not being taken from him.
As a community, we are no strangers to this loss, and we rally around and support the Asian-American members of our queer community who these events have most impacted. We recognize the contributions of Asian Americans in defending the rights of ALL citizens and, with the same compassion, hold space for these beloved communities during their time of immense sorrow.
I did ask in my prayer if God accepted me as a gay man and if it is a sin to be gay, as I was excommunicated from the LDS Church. An overwhelming presence of the Spirit of God fell upon me. No, I didn’t have a vision or anything like that, but I did feel extremely at peace and felt a warm sweet love present.
It was an opportunity to seal the bonds of love, brotherhood, and friendship that unites us as a family in Affirmation Venezuela. We also focused on our gratitude for the love of our Heavenly Father, who, through His mercy and wisdom, guided our steps on this path of learning, challenges, and achievements.
On January 2nd, 2022, Affirmation Mexico kicked off its activities for the year with a virtual training exploring gender theory and how our understanding of this subject is shaped by our life experiences. This activity provided us the opportunity to deconstruct our concepts about how non-binary individuals self-identify and their internal struggle to define who they are.
On January 1st, Melissa-Malcolm King, Francisco Ruiz, and Kate Mower began their terms as president, senior vice president, and vice president of Affirmation: LGBTQ Mormons, Families & Friends. This presidency forms Affirmation’s executive committee. The executive committee serves as the leadership of the board of directors and as the executive of the organization, overseeing its day-to-day work.
Four years ago, I entered this space as president of Affirmation because I love you. I could do so because I was first loved by you, my community of mentors and peers. I am grateful for your trust and the opportunity you have given me to take a turn for a season leading this great organization.
Affirmation publishes stories that promote understanding, acceptance, and self-determination of individuals of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions. Here are the top ten most-read stories for 2022.
The last time that I was here at the D.C. Temple was to sit in the lobby while the rest of my family got to see my sister and her husband get married and sealed in the temple, wondering why I had never felt more alone after failing my temple recommend interview.