Community
Affirmation launches new chapter development initiative to bring face-to-face community to 90% of LGBTQ Mormons in the US and Canada.
Community not only provides a sounding board where individuals can work through the difficult questions they face in figuring out how to navigate coming out, faith, and family; but continues to provide long-lasting networks and resources even beyond the vulnerable times.
To those in our LGBTQ community: we see you. You are worthy. You are loved. You know who you are and we validate you!
I feel distant, but at the same time not, from the church. I feel far away in the physical sense, not knowing sometimes how to introduce my husband, but close because I am with my Heavenly Father, and being close to Him unites me with the church and unifies my marriage.
Getting married to a man was hard for my family, but they were really great. I invited all my siblings and even some of my extended family. That being said, I was selective about who I invited. I didn’t feel the need to invite people that I didn’t feel particularly close to or people that I felt wouldn’t be supportive or happy on the day. My parents were still on the fence about things a bit, I think, but they were willing to come to support me and now they love my husband a lot.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaims the inherent inalienable rights of all human beings, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, language, political or other opinions, national or social origin, property, place of birth. nor any other condition.
No one ever said it would be easy for an LGBT person to be an active member of this church. In this story, Tania’s parents have been her support. They provide her with the necessary support to persevere in her faith and religion.
Months of meetings and discussions between Affirmation leadership and church authorities in Argentina have opened the doors for LGBT people to attend church meetings and possibly return to the Church, including Sister Sonia, a transgender woman in the Tucumán Province, who had not attended church since before transitioning.
The Internet is the safest way for LGBT Mormons to access information that is literally life-saving. The stories of others like them help them to realize they are not alone, and to see diverse examples of others who are leading happy, healthy, productive, spiritual lives. Making sure that that content is accessible and easy to find and that it actually connects with our target audiences is crucial to our mission. This web team will serve our English, Spanish, and Portuguese communities, helping to expand the reach of Affirmation.