Join Me for “Circling the Wagons”

Circling the Wagons Conference Registration Neighborhood & Transportation Guide (PDF) Promotional Pamphlet (PDF) Flyer 1 and Flyer 2 (PDF)

Affirmation Calendar April 11 “Ex-Gay Therapy” Panel in Provo April 12 “Ex-Gay Therapy” Event in Salt Lake City April 20-22 LGBT Mormon Conference in Washington DC April 21 Potluck Movie Social in Salt Lake City April 27-29 Regional Mormon Stories Conference in Boston June 1-3 Utah Pride Festival July 25-28 Sunstone Symposium in Salt Lake City October 19-21 Affirmation Conference in Seattle

Conference to Be Held April 20-22 in Washington D.C.

Last November in Salt Lake City I witnessed a conference where a tremendously diverse group of Latter-day Saints, LGBT and straight, active, inactive, and “secular” Mormons, gathered to share perspectives on LGBT Mormon experience. The conference was so successful and inspiring that Affirmation has partnered with The Open Stories Foundation to organize a similar event in Washington DC. The conference will be on April 20-22, with most events to be held in a chapel of the Community of Christ (formerly RLDS). Our beloved Carol Lynn Pearson, openly gay bishopric secretary Mitch Mayne, and Sister Jeannine Gramick, a nun with the Sisters of Loretto, will be among the speakers.

If you live anywhere east of the Mississippi, I want you to consider joining me. In fact, I don’t just want you to attend the event–I want you to help me promote it. At this time when so many Mormons are gaining awareness about the plight of LGBT Mormons, I want you to overcome any shyness you may have and consider inviting your parents, your bishop, fellow ward members, and your friends.

Note the following:

1. Registration: Although the suggested registration fee is $44, you can attendthe whole event for as little as $10 if that is all you can afford. Please register soon. Registration is important because we need a head count for Friday’s reception and Saturday’s meals (which may include main dish for the potluck brunch and a full catered dinner). If you cannot attend the whole event, please consider joining us for parts of it.
2. Venues: The Friday event is a reception to be held at the Williams residence in Arlington. The Saturday conference and Sunday morning service will be held in the Community of Christ Church on “Embassy Row” in Washington DC.
3. Schedule: The main event will run on Saturday from 11 am to 7 pm. The Sunday morning service (11 to 12) will include an interfaith service with speakers from both the LDS and Community of Christ faiths.
4. More details, including a pamphlet you can use to promote the event and a neighborhood and transportation guide, are posted on the Mormon Stories website.

Last year during our conference in Kirtland we discovered that there’s a special synergy and bond that we achieve when we gather with those who are not part of Affirmation. This includes parents and supporters, church leaders, and even friends from other faiths.

Don’t hesitate, pick up the phone or forward this pamphlet and/or this email to your friends, family, and fellow church members/leaders. Post the link to the conference and registration on Facebook and Twitter. You may never know whose life you may change through greater understanding.

Join me in three weeks in Washington DC. Together we will build bridges of understanding that may end up saving lives, hearts, and souls.

Hugo Salinas
Webmaster
Affirmation: Gay & Lesbian Mormons