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.

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.

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

Chelsea Gibbs is a writer, film historian, and archivist who recently relocated from Los Angeles to her home state of New York. She loves the ways storytelling can help people find their own voices and also help them become more empathetic to others – whether those stories come from movies, books, or conversations shared in spaces like Affirmation. Since coming out as queer in 2014 she has been an active part of Los Angeles’ Affirmation chapter, serving as a cultural translator between LDS and LGBTQIA communities. Her priority is to help foster a sense of belonging in LGBTQIA folks so they feel empowered to share their stories on their own terms.

Shauna Jones (she/her) lives in Idaho with her husband and three children. She has served as the Affirmation board secretary since the beginning of 2018. She has also been involved with planning/running the youth conference portion of the Affirmation International Conference for several years. Shauna runs a local LGBTQ youth group in the Boise area and loves all things rainbow. She looks forward to serving on the board.

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.

Heidi Ramírez (she/her) lives in Orlando, Florida with her husband, children, and Goldendoodle. Heidi was born and raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Although she vividly remembers many of the Young Women’s and/or Relief Society lessons that were taught about motherhood and forever families, she was never taught how to best support LGBTQ+ family members and friends. Heidi is grateful for members of Affirmation who have helped her to navigate the intersectionality of being the mother/ally of a gay son and how to seek out alternative expressions of faith/spirituality that include ALL her family members and friends. She is an English for Academic Purposes adjunct professor at Valencia College and Ana G. Mendez University. She also serves on the Mama Dragons volunteer team as a QPR Suicide Prevention instructor. When Heidi is not working or volunteering or cheering her children on at their extracurricular activities, she enjoys traveling the world. Before joining the Affirmation Board of Directors, Heidi served for two years as vice president for the Affirmation Florida Chapter.

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.