Pride, Community, and Action
June is a month of celebration, visibility, generosity, and connection throughout the global Affirmation community.
Across the world, LGBTQIA+ individuals, families, friends, and allies are gathering for Pride events, supporting one another, building community, and reflecting on the journeys that have brought us to this moment.
As Pride Month begins, we are excited to celebrate new leadership, community gatherings, opportunities to give back, and the many ways people are creating communities of safety, love, and hope throughout Affirmation.
Welcoming New Latin America Chapter Leaders
One of the greatest strengths of Affirmation is the dedication of volunteers who step forward to build community where they live.
This month, we are pleased to welcome three new chapter leaders who will help strengthen Affirmation’s presence throughout Latin America and the Caribbean:
- Luis Ricardo Limón — Mexico
- Jehison Leonardo Muñoz Aguillón — Colombia
- Wilmy Frías — Dominican Republic
These leaders are helping expand opportunities for connection, support, and belonging in their local communities while strengthening Affirmation’s global family.
Leadership within Affirmation is rooted in service. Chapter leaders create opportunities for people to gather, support one another, share experiences, and build meaningful relationships. Their willingness to serve helps ensure that LGBTQIA+ individuals and families have opportunities to find community close to home while remaining connected to a broader international network.
We are grateful for Luis Ricardo, Jehison Leonardo, and Wilmy, and we look forward to seeing the communities they help build and strengthen in the months ahead.
Meet Our Area Coordinators
Across Affirmation, Area Coordinators help strengthen communication, support local leaders, encourage collaboration, and connect communities across regions.
These coordinators play an important role in helping chapters, belonging groups, and leaders share ideas, solve challenges, and create opportunities for connection. They serve as bridges between local communities and the broader mission of Affirmation, helping ensure leaders have access to resources, support, and opportunities for collaboration.
As our organization continues to grow internationally, the role of Area Coordinators becomes increasingly important in helping community members learn from one another, strengthen local initiatives, and build connections across geographic boundaries.
We are grateful for the leadership, expertise, and dedication these coordinators bring to strengthening Affirmation’s global community.
Jonathan David “Jayde” Patton
Area Coordinator – USCEAAO (United States, Canada, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania)
Jonathan David “Jayde” Patton serves as Affirmation’s Area Coordinator for the United States, Canada, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania. Drawing on extensive leadership experience, including nine years as a Non-Commissioned Officer in the United States Army, Jayde brings a global perspective shaped by military service, international living, healthcare education, and community leadership.
Jayde coordinated Affirmation’s 2024 International Conference, Joyfully Authentic, and currently supports several online communities, including Fathers in Affirmation and Disabled Members of Affirmation. Their work focuses on strengthening communication, supporting leaders, improving engagement, and helping create clear systems that allow volunteers and chapters to thrive.
With experience living and serving in multiple countries across Asia, Europe, and North America, Jayde is especially passionate about helping members feel connected across cultures, languages, and time zones. They are committed to ensuring leaders have practical resources, collaborative opportunities, and support when navigating community-building challenges.
How Jayde supports leaders:
- Ready-to-use social media posts and event graphics
- Cross-group promotion and communication support
- Assistance connecting leaders with resources and volunteers
- Guidance on community standards, moderation, and safety concerns
- Support for international collaboration and chapter development
Jayde speaks English and Spanish and has conversational proficiency in German, Korean, Thai, Polish, American Sign Language, and Spanish Sign Language, while continuing to study Portuguese, Arabic, and French.
“I believe people thrive when they feel seen, supported, and connected. My goal is to help create systems and relationships that strengthen our communities while making leadership more sustainable and rewarding.”
Contact: [email protected] (Attn: Jonathan David “Jayde” Patton)
Darian Bernardo Silva
Area Coordinator – Latin America (Spanish-Speaking Regions)
Darian Bernardo Silva serves as Affirmation’s Area Coordinator for Latin America. An English teacher, tourism student, streamer, and LGBTQ advocate, Darian is passionate about building safe, organized, and dynamic spaces where people can learn, connect, and grow.
Throughout his community work, Darian has helped organize educational, cultural, and social initiatives that bring people together and foster belonging. His experience working with students, colleagues, and community members has strengthened his commitment to creating environments grounded in respect, active listening, and mutual support.
Darian believes deeply in Affirmation’s mission and the importance of providing spaces where faith, identity, and community can coexist without fear. He hopes to help strengthen participation throughout Latin America, support local leaders, and ensure that more people find connection, encouragement, and hope through Affirmation.
How Darian supports leaders:
- Strengthening communication across Spanish-speaking communities
- Supporting local leaders and emerging chapters
- Encouraging participation and community engagement
- Helping develop welcoming and inclusive community spaces
- Sharing ideas and best practices across the region
“I want to help more people find support, feel heard, and know they are not alone.”
Through his leadership, Darian hopes to help expand opportunities for connection and belonging throughout Latin America while supporting local communities in ways that reflect their unique cultures and needs.
Contact: [email protected] (Attn: Darian Bernardo Silva)
Community in Action: Willamette Valley Temple Open House Gathering
On April 25, members and friends of Affirmation gathered in Oregon for a visit to the Willamette Valley Temple Open House followed by lunch and fellowship.
The gathering provided an opportunity for connection, conversation, and reflection among LGBTQIA+ individuals and allies with ties to the Latter-day Saint tradition.
For many participants, temple open houses offer a unique opportunity to engage with an important part of their personal and spiritual history in a way that feels welcoming and accessible.
One participant shared:
“Visiting open houses is a great way for members and former members of the Church to visit the temple on their terms. The new temple was gorgeously decorated and landscaped, and I always appreciate that. It’s one of the few opportunities LGBTQ members have to visit a temple. For that reason, I go out of my way to attend open houses.”
Events like these reflect the diversity of experiences within the Affirmation community. Some participants maintain active relationships with their faith traditions, others have stepped away, and many continue to explore what spirituality means in their lives.
Affirmation seeks to create space where individuals can engage those journeys authentically, find connection with others, and experience belonging without judgment.
We are grateful to everyone who participated and helped make the gathering a meaningful experience.
Give OUT Day: Putting Pride Into Action
On June 4, LGBTQIA+ organizations and supporters across the United States come together for Give OUT Day, the nation’s LGBTQ-focused day of giving.
While Pride celebrations often focus on visibility, Give OUT Day reminds us that thriving communities also require investment. Every donation, volunteer hour, shared story, and act of support helps strengthen organizations working year-round to create safer and more affirming spaces.
At Affirmation, we know that lives are changed when people find a community where they can be fully themselves. Support from donors, volunteers, chapter leaders, and community members makes it possible to continue creating communities of safety, love, and hope for LGBTQIA+ individuals, families, and friends around the world.
This year, we invite you to support Affirmation through our Give OUT Day campaign. Your contribution helps sustain community gatherings, leadership development, support networks, educational programs, and outreach efforts that connect LGBTQIA+ individuals and families across the globe.
Support Affirmation’s Give OUT Day campaign:
https://www.giveoutday.org/organization/Affirmation
Not able to donate? You can still make a difference by sharing the campaign, volunteering with a local chapter, participating in an event, or helping others learn about Affirmation’s mission.
Together, small acts of generosity can create lasting change and help ensure that more people find communities of safety, love, and hope.
Utah Pride 2026
On June 6–7, Affirmation volunteers and community members will gather at Utah Pride in Salt Lake City.
Pride events are often where people first discover that they are not alone. A conversation at a booth, a smile during a parade, or a simple invitation to connect can change the course of someone’s life.
Utah Pride provides an opportunity for Affirmation to connect with LGBTQIA+ individuals, families, friends, and allies from across the Intermountain West. It is also an opportunity to share our mission, build relationships, and strengthen community.
Whether marching in the parade, staffing the booth, volunteering behind the scenes, or simply stopping by to say hello, we invite everyone attending Pride to connect with us and learn more about the communities we are building together.
A Month of Possibility
As Pride Month begins, we celebrate the many ways our community continues to grow.
From new chapter leaders in Latin America and the Caribbean to local gatherings in Oregon, from Give OUT Day to Utah Pride, we see evidence every day that community is built through connection, service, generosity, and hope.
Throughout June, we will also celebrate Affirmation’s 49th anniversary, remember the lives lost at Pulse, honor Juneteenth and World Refugee Day, recognize Queer Youth of Faith Day, and share more about plans for Affirmation Together 2026.
Thank you for being part of this community.
Together, we continue creating communities of safety, love, and hope.