The Affirmation International Conference 2021 will take place virtually from September 11th to 19th. This year’s theme is “Lighting the World Together” and programming for the conference is currently being finalized. This conference is aimed at the entire LGBTQIA + Latter-day Saint community, including current and past members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, family members, friends, and church leaders.
The conference will be attended by a number of speakers with different sexual orientations, gender identities, beliefs and life experiences
Recommended speakers
Precious Emmett is an American transgender actor and singer-songwriter of Spanish, Mexican, and European descent.
He served as a sister missionary in the Salt Lake City, Utah Mission for 18 months. When Emmett returned from his mission, he attended a semester at Brigham Young University in Idaho. In late summer 2015, Emmett dropped out of college and moved to Utah to follow his physical transition from woman to man. He stayed as active as possible in the Church for a few years, speaking at and attending conferences and events for LGBTQ Mormons.
In the spring of 2020, Emmett was cast as Rowan, a recurring character in Freeforms Good Trouble. In late 2020, he shot his first guest star role in The Good Doctor as Rio Gutierrez. In spring 2021, Emmett was a guest as Mateo Cruz in ABC’s Rebel.
Blaire Ostler is a philosopher specializing in queer studies and a leading voice at the intersection of queer, Mormon and transhumanist thinking. She is the author who recently published her first book, Queer Mormon Theology: An Introduction. She is a board member of the Mormon Transhumanist Association, the Christian Transhumanist Association, and Sunstone.
Blaire is no stranger to affirmation or the International Conference. She was the master of ceremonies for the 2019 conference in Provo, Utah, and interviewed award-winning filmmaker, writer, and social activist Dustin Lance Black for the 2020 conference. This year, she will host a panel discussion with BYU LGBTQIA + student leaders.
Hao Lee is the President of Affirmation Hawaii, founded by BYU Hawaii students in 2020. During her college years, she campaigned for LGBTQ + students by communicating with BYUH administration including the BYUH President and Vice President.
Carolyn Gassert is a cisgender demisexual lesbian woman who grew up in the Mormon Church in South Carolina and is President of USGA BYU-Provo. Her academic and professional goal is to become a therapist in Utah and to work with marginalized groups, especially LGBTQ + adolescents and young adults.
TJ Thomas is an active Latter-day Saint therapist and bisexual. He served on missions in Benin and Togo, West Africa, and attended BYU for his bachelor’s degree. He then received his Masters in Social Work from the University of Southern California. Today he works as a therapist for a variety of clients, with an emphasis on youth in the LGBTQ + and LDS intersection.
He is committed to making mental health resources more accessible to all, and makes free resources available on his Instagram page (@tjcounseling) and weekly podcast Therapy Thursday. He has also appeared on many podcasts to discuss mental health and the LGBTQ population, including Questions from the Closet, Listen, Learn and Love, and Oh My Health There is Hope.
Rev. Marian Edmonds-Allen is Executive Director of Parity, a New York City-based national not-for-profit organization that works at the intersection of faith and LGBTQ + causes, and is the director of Blessed by Difference, a project designed to foster curious and collaborative bridges between LGBTQ + and faith divisions.
In 2013, Marian was named Person of the Year by QSaltLake Magazine for her visionary leadership and in 2015 she was named a Petra Fellow for her work with homeless LGBTQ + youth. She is formerly the executive director of the OUTreach Resource Centers, the national program director of the Family Acceptance Project, and the executive director of the Utah Pride Center.
Schedule
Three special tracks are planned, including one for teenagers ages 11-18, parents and allies, and church leaders.
The conference takes place virtually. While the group would prefer to meet in person for the conference, the virtual presence has some advantages, say the conference leaders. Participants can take part in a virtual conference from anywhere with a good Internet connection. Last year’s program brought in many people who had never traveled to previous conferences.
Thanks to a grant confirmation to support this year’s conference, there are no registration costs. The organizers hope that this year’s conference will be the most accessible conference ever as registration is free and the conference is virtual.
Although payment is not required to attend, a minimum donation of $ 35 is recommended, which will provide you with a limited edition enamel lapel pin featuring this year’s conference logo and theme shirt.
More information about the conference can be found at conference.affirmation.org
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