Os esforços internacionais da Affirmation são liderados por um comitê executivo voluntário e um conselho de administração, com o presidente da Affirmation sendo eleito a cada dois anos pelos membros da Affirmation.
Comitê Executivo
Fred Bowers
Fred began his involvement with Affirmation: LGBT Mormons, Families, and Friends while attending a local ward in the Washington DC area during the 1990’s. He served as Washington DC Chapter Director, Chapter-at-Large Director, Special Assistant to the Executive Committee on Strategic and Business Affairs, Assistant Vice President for Strategy and Development, and Affirmation Conference Chairperson in 2012. He also received Affirmation’s Mortensen Award in 2012.
Fred founded Affirmation’s LGBT People of Color and Allies (now LGBT People of the Global Majority/Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (PGM/BIPOC)) and Affirmation Pioneers (formerly Prime (Ages 50+)) groups. Fred also co-chaired Affirmation’s history-making 2017 Intersectionality Workshop/Leadership Retreat, which focused on under-represented intersectional groups within the LGBTQ Mormon community. He served on its Board of Directors from 2011-2017. In 2020, Fred returned to serve Affirmation as a Board Member Emeritus, leading its PGM/BIPOC community operations, and began serving as PGM/BIPOC director in 2022.
Fred is a subject matter professional in the intersectional experiences of being PGM/BIPOC, gay, and Mormon. He has presented at Affirmation conferences, Sunstone Foundation symposiums, and National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) conferences on the intersection of these three life experiences.
Fred transitioned from the US Air Force in 2006 after completing a 20-year career in financial management. He also began his career in management consulting in 2006 and primarily serves federal clients. Fred has worked at two Big Four Consulting Firms, drawing upon his expertise in federal project and program management, financial management, transformation delivery, and Department of Defense (DoD) information technology acquisition with numerous clients.
Fred attended John Brown University and earned a BS in Organizational Management. He earned dual MA degrees in Public Administration and Management from Webster University.
Joel McDonald
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Joel was a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was baptized at the age of 17 while his family lived in Okinawa, Japan. At 19, he served as a full-time missionary in the Colorado Colorado Springs Mission, returning home in 2006. In 2008, Joel resigned from the Church. In 2009, he came out as gay. He found Affirmation in 2015.
Joel McDonald served as Affirmation’s online content manager and then director of operations from 2017 to 2023. In these roles, Joel worked to improve Affirmation’s web presence, organize Affirmation’s data, automate and streamline administrative processes, provide training and support to community leaders, and plan and execute fundraising campaigns. He also collaborated with the Affirmation Executive Committee, Board of Directors, Officers, and other committees to develop a strategic plan, plan and execute conferences and other events, develop the annual budget, establish new financial policies, publish the Affirmation Community Leaders Guide, and much more.
Joel is the web manager for a national nonprofit serving peer support professionals, owns and operates a small business providing web design, development, hosting, and consulting services to small-to-medium-sized businesses and organizations, and is working toward a master’s degree in public administration with a concentration in nonprofit management.
David Doyle
David was out to a small group of individuals until a blog post of his went viral in 2017. He attended his first Affirmation International Conference in 2018 where he found a community that understood his experience and provided resources to help him navigate some of the complexities where being LDS & LGBTQ intersect. David strives to increase understanding of the queer LDS experience by sharing his thoughts & feelings with others. David served as a full-time missionary in Busan, South Korea, then attended Ricks College, Brigham Young University, and the University of Florida. He works as a research administrator at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida. Prior to joining the Affirmation Board of Directors, David served for 3 years as president of the Affirmation Florida Chapter.
Conselho de Administração
Angel Arrocha
Angel was born in the Canary Islands, Spain, where he became a member of the church when he was 18 years old. Angel struggled, from an early age, to reconcile his belief in God and his sexuality and, after serving his mission, made the decision to embrace his true self and leave the church. He moved to the UK, where he has lived for the last 25 years and where he made contact with affirmation. After attending the first Europe Affirmation conference in the UK, he was invited to join the presidency to help Affirmation’s mission in the continent of Europe.
Lacey Bagley
Dr. Lacey Bagley, LMFT (she/her) is originally from northern Minnesota and now lives in Provo,UT, which is the ancestral home of the Shoshone, Paiute, Goshute, and Ute Tribes. She is theOwner & Clinical Director of Celebrate Therapy (www.celebratetherapy.org), where she leads a team of queer, multidisciplinary clinicians in serving LGBTQIA+ individuals, couples, polyamorous networks, and families across the lifespan. She is also an adjunct professor at Utah Valley University, teaching a section of the practicum course for master’s level students in the Marriage and Family Therapy program. She is a White, cisgender, bisexual/queer, mostly-able-bodied, married woman and mother, a citizen of the US and a native English speaker. She was raised as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where she remained active until her excommunication in the spring of 2023. Her work as a therapist and an advocate for the LGBTQIA+ centers on empowering folx to dismantle internal and external systems of oppression.
Dario López
Darío López de la Caña, es originario de Lima, Perú. Se convirtió a la Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Últimos Días a la edad de 15 años, sirvió una misión de tiempo completo con la finalidad de quitar su atracción hacia su mismo sexo. Él comenzó a reunirse con otros mormones LGBTQ y conoció Afirmación como una respuesta a sus oraciones, en el 2014 ayudó a establecer Afirmación en el Perú y ha servido como su presidente por 3 años. En Afirmación Dario ha encontrado una familia, grandes amigos y ve a la organización cómo un refugio de seguridad amor y esperanza donde ha logrado ser auténtico.
Samuel Tew
Samuel currently works as a systems administrator for Flourish Therapy, a Utah-based non-profit offering subsidized therapy to LGBTQ individuals along the Wasatch Front. Originally from northern Florida, Samuel has called Utah home since 2018. He served a full-time mission for the Church in Yekaterinburg, Russia, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from Florida State University.
Samuel was appointed as Affirmation’s board secretary in March 2021. His long-term interests are in non-profit management. He recently returned to school for a Master’s in Public Administration degree at the University of Utah. He is passionate about helping marginalized groups and individuals, especially in connection with his experience as a queer person of faith.
Celia Vázquez Martínez
Celia Vázquez Martínez, originaria de Cañitas de Felipe Pescador, Zacatecas, México, casada, madre de tres hijas, abuela de 3 hermosas niñas, y un nieto. Bautizada el 17 de noviembre de 2001 en la Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Últimos días, conocí Afirmación en Agosto de 2017, durante estos 6 años ha participado como aliada en marchas del orgullo LGBTQ, asistido a las conferencias en México, Monterrey, Puebla, Querétaro, Celia fue la embajadora de Mamá Dragones en 2019 en la conferencia de Afirmación Colombia que tuvo como sede la hermosa ciudad de Bogotá; Como presidenta la región México de Afirmación organizo la Conferencia Anual 2022 de Afirmación México con sede Mérida, Yucatán; durante su gestión como presidenta ha organizado las reuniones virtuales que se llevan acabo cada lunes a las 21:30 horas desde junio de 2022. Celia colabora en dar apoyo a los miembros de Afirmación, participo activamente en las actividades de Afirmación, reuniéndose con otras organizaciones para ver las problemáticas que enfrenta la comunidad LGBTQ, creo lazos de amistad con Pastores de religiones cristianas que son amistosas con la comunidad LGBTQ+ quienes nos apoyan con temas de teología y nos ayudan a fortalecer nuestra relación con Jesucristo y nuestro Padre Celestial.
Oficiais
Pessoal
Alejandro Alcántara Carbajal
Alejandro discovered Affirmation in 2014 and helped organize the Mexico Conference that same year. Ever since he’s been active in Affirmation, collaborating with regional leadership and helping to organize other activities. Since June 2020, he has served as Vice President of Affirmation Mexico.
As Latin America Network Coordinator, Alejandro focuses on building relationships with LGBTQIA+ organizations promoting virtual and in-person events; collecting and updating vital information for members, chapters, and regions; managing social media, improving and increasing communications; and increasing visibility of Affirmation as a resource for LGBTQIA+ current and former Latter-day Saints.