Olin Thomas
Francisco Ruiz has served in numerous leadership roles in Affirmation and has supported other leaders and members worldwide to make a difference in the lives of others. He is the recipient of the 2022 Affirmation Mortensen Award.
He felt firmly that you could be a Mormon without letting church leaders tell you how to do it or that you were on the wrong path. He was the original guru of understanding and accepting your own identity as a gay Mormon. He always understood the purpose of Affirmation wasn’t to shape anyone’s beliefs but to help them find their own faith- wherever that took them.
If you have ever participated in Affirmation’s communities of safety, love, and hope or felt the support of Affirmation’s network of mentors and peers, you have done so in the path that Paul blazed before you with love and as a visionary.
This is the highest honor Affirmation can bestow upon an individual member whose leadership, commitment to service and inspiring example makes a real difference in the lives of others and in the mission of the organization. Please submit nominations right away, but no later than May 25, 2019.
The Mortensen Award was established to recognize outstanding leadership and service within Affirmation. It is the highest honor Affirmation can bestow upon an individual member. Submit nominations at any time, but no later than June 20, 2018.
As gay pioneers, we aren’t looking for a geographical place, but a philosophical place beyond the known edge of society in the frontier of the human spirit. A place where none shall come to hurt or make afraid.