Utah
We recognize that LGBTQ+ people are targets of hate worldwide as they seek to proclaim their most authentic version of themselves. We condemn these actions and call on leaders, parents, allies, and queer folks to join us as we defend and uphold the fundamental human rights of LGBTQ+ individuals, especially equal treatment in health care.
I had found a measure of peace that told me that I was going to be okay. That who I was, who I am, is okay. While I have at times questioned this, I also feel that I have opened the door wide enough for the Lord to redirect me if that be His will. Hearing none, I have moved forward.
The Utah Supreme Court issued an opinion affirming the right of transgender individuals to update their sex on legal documentation. The opinion states, “A person has a common-law right to change facets of their personal legal status, including their sex designation.”
Sometimes I think back to that time I was dating everyone in the state of Utah–how I was using Tinder to find someone who wasn’t weird–how I thought if I just spent enough time on that app I would eventually find someone who wasn’t weird. And the irony is that I just ended up with the weirdest person on Tinder. But he’s my kind of weird. He’s the kind of weird who thinks the Kirtland temple is a great first date location for a couple of gays.
We affirm that LGBTQ youth and adults are not broken and do not need to be “changed” or “fixed” in any way from the beautiful souls that they are.
Samantha Allen toured some of the most conservative states in the US to collect and share the stories of the LGBTQ Americans who live there. She’s now published this collection of stories in her new book.
“Ultimately, an individual often gets to a point where they must live the way they feel internally, in their mind and heart, how they are,” Hall explained. “Identity is a sense of self that’s in the mind, in the heart, and in the soul that transcends the actual physical biology, whatever that may be.”
Returned missionary. BYU graduate. Dancer. Acclaimed digital animator. Father. Husband. Gay. Emron Grover has a wealth of experience that he will be sharing at the 2018 Affirmation International Conference. He’s a Pixar animator who has worked on films like “Up,” “Brave,” “Inside Out,” and “Coco.”
Conference time is coming soon, and we are excited to have amazing speakers, programs and workshops focusing on youth empowerment, trans and genderqueer stories, self-care, intersectionality, finding an authentic spiritual path, and much, much more!