#gather conference

[nerdygaymormon]

Artwork at the 2024 Gather Conference

The corridor at the conference had many art pieces on display. Here's the ones I liked the most. (I apologize to the artists of the pieces I didn't get their name nor a description of their work)

A Seat at the Table by Rachel Jensen

Rachel says that a gay man she follows shared a quote from his journal, “I feel like everyone says there is a seat at the table for God’s gay children, but nobody actually knows where it is. So instead I just stand here, hoping that seat appears before my legs give out.” That quote inspired this art. She wanted to show a table where LGBTQ people already have a seat and are no longer relegated to the margins. Each person in this painting is wearing colors representing a different pride flag.

Off To the Side by Steven Handley

Steven says that we queer folks often fall through the cracks or use the cracks to get through. Looking at this piece of art straight on, you miss the rainbow. The colors, like queer folks, are there, you just have to be open to seeing them.

Always by Sarah McDonald

Sarah says explains that holding space inevitably calls for change. For an expansion. For growing outwards, upwards, and inwards. Like a rainbow, change makes space for every color. Always.

Confronting Bisexual Erasure by Ashley Whitlock

Ashley is married to a man and could easily live a straight passing life. However, it's important to be her whole self. Holding back part of her was not helping her feel her authentic self. There are a LOT of bisexual people in the church who probably feel they are too straight for the gays and a bit too gay for the straights. She wants people to feel seen and to recognize that bisexuality is valid.

[charlesemersonwinchesteriii]

I do really want to terrorpost but I don't feel qualified to be in that fandom man...... everyone is so smart and creative and they all have advanced degrees and I'm just sitting here like I think the lieutenants are in love :3

[hyacinthsdiamonds]

Niki Lauda would be so fucking proud of Max, I just know it

[vaguely-concerned]

I don't know what I love more, the fact that as rook you can make a statement in NO uncertain terms that you are NOT responsible one way or the other for the theological implications of the shit you're discovering in the 'regrets of the dread wolf' memories. not my jurisdiction. quite simply none of my business. not my chantry circus not my chantry monkeys. irrelevant to the matter at hand here we'll kill that god if we get to him he can get in line. or if the best thing about it is seeing the lone little 'lucanis approves' that pops up right after choosing it. corvid with a knife about to commit deicide keeping it real and sensibly, pragmatically, wilfully agnostic with me here in this magical lighthouse today

[loveerran]

We sang "Be Still My Soul" in church today.

Songs like this one hit a bit differently when one is queer.

[astraystayyh]

no triggering images in this video

reminder that the genocide is still ongoing in Gaza, these are the people we speak up for, these are the people Israel is "defending itself' against, these are the young children who will have unimaginable psychological scars, who carry a burden beyond words on their shoulders. don't stop talking about what's going on, don't stop boycotting, don't stop pressuring your governors, this isn't over yet, please please don't treat this as a trend.

[wombatwisdom]

Today I attended the first day of the Gather Conference in Provo, Utah. Roughly 1300 lgbtq+ individuals, family members and allies attended the event making it one of the largest conferences (if not the largest) bridging the gulf between the mormon church and the LGBTQ+ community.

My feelings are still forming, but I think the first day was a success! The opening session consisted of musical numbers, speeches (including Steve Young), and even a new song by Janice Kapp-Perry (which in Mormon circles is quite the get). The second session had break out rooms for LGBTQ+ individuals, parents and family, and allies and leaders. These breakout rooms had speakers and panelists.

While each speaker and panelist spoke on different subjects, a few key ideas jumped out for me:

1. Dissonance isn't bad but usually allows us to move forward.

2. Decisions in life should be made in earnest based on careful consideration in collaboration with the Savior, not because someone else told you how to live or due to societal pressures.

3. Love is not a transaction. We should act in love without expectation of anything in response.

4. The LGBTQ+ community is diverse and there is no singular "correct" way to be LGBTQ+ and Mormon. Respect for everyone's journey is a necessity.

5. Inclusion of other marginalized people should be something we are advocating for in positions of privilege we have.

6. Sharing your story is important.

‐---------------------‐-----------------------------------------

For me this conference was important. It was the first time wearing a dress in public as a trans-femme person. I was probably overdressed but the joy and comfort of wearing a dress in public for the first time was amazing (gender euphoria is a lovely thing).

A kind Transwoman noticed me not really talking to anyone during a break during one of the sessions and she came over and talked to me. I didn't really know what to say or how to keep the conversation afloat but while halting, we had a lovely conversation and it was really nice to have some reach out.

I was impressed with the sheer number of people at the conference. It made me feel so much less alone. There were many of us, all gathered together trying to make our spirituality and our identities work. And it was beautiful.

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I left today more emotional than I expected. I reflected on my thoughts on connection and community. I reflected on my personal views of who I want to be and how I will continue to engage with the Church.

I was struck with how wonderful it is to talk of love, kindness, and personal healing, but it still feels like not enough in the face of an institution that is not willing to make space for us. There is a lot of pain, trauma and hurt in our community and the tears from Leaders seems to be more due to us simply existing than the hardships they impose or endorse.

But this conference isn't going to be able to do anything about church politics, so it is doing what it can--showing love and support and reminding us of just how many of us there are.

We aren't alone. We are part of a community. And maybe, hopefully, I can believe that change will come to the church eventually.

[chantalstacys]

.

[seithr]

Randomly remembered the half-reason i call my oc-verse by the name it has while laying in bed. One-half of the reason i still knew, but I had forgotten what had truly, really cemented it jointly until now

(it was a song from my favourite band I haven't listened to in a while.)

(the song fit so well at the time, still does, that i needed to hold onto it for the main protagonists forever, by partially naming their story in reference.)

Does this explanation make any sense? Does anyone know why I'm tearing up remembering this. Aahh

[nerdygaymormon]

Thoughts from Gather Conference

The first speaker at the Gather Conference was Dr. Greg Peterson, president of Salt Lake Community College. He described the model of a community college, which has a 100% acceptance rate, low tuition costs, and recognizes that not all students will get a degree but may be there just for a few classes or taking one class at a time as that's all their life can handle. A university, especially an elite one, has a low acceptance rate and a prescribed ways for how students should progress through school and earn a degree. It is designed for elite students who are likely to succeed in this model.

Gathering Zion should be more like a community college. It feels like Jesus runs a community college while our church runs an elite university as it caters to those who are likely to complete the covenant path without much to offer those whose life doesn't fit its model. As a queer person, I absolutely know what it feels like to not feel like I'm wanted or welcome at church because I'm don't fit the model and not likely (according to the leaders) to reach the highest heaven.

Jenn Blosil, who was a contestant on American Idol, is quite humorous and she performed a beautiful arrangement of the song "All Are Alike unto God." I hope her version gets released, otherwise I'm gonna have to rip an mp3 when the video is released.

In her presentation, Liv Mendoza Haynes commented "You can't parent a child who is gone" as part of talking about how parents need to be loving and affirming of their LGBTQ children because the consequences of rejecting this part of them has serious consequences. She also said when Jesus was suffering in the Garden, He didn't suffer for people simply because they're LGBT because that's not something to repent of, it isn't wrong.

I believe it was David Butler who said that being an LGBTQ Latter-day Saint is making communion out of contradiction. Many people think the two are incompatible yet we exist.

When we feel safe with others, we let down our guard and enter healing.

These next few quotes are something an individual (I can't remember her name) said to me.

"What do we know of God? One who creates and mentors. When we engage in acts of creativity and creation, when we engage in encouraging and including and loving others, that's when we're likely to feel the Divine."

"When we hide in the closet, when we hide who we are, we are hiding our light. Once there's a crack and we let someone know our secret that we're queer, the bright light comes flooding out of that crack. In a way, it is a birth. As we learn not to hid ourselves, we learn to see and be ourselves, to introduce ourselves to the world."

Someone asked, "Who is the protagonist of the Restoration? Is it Joseph Smith? Moroni? Neither, WE are!"

Dr. Lisa Diamond from the University of Utah shared some information from her research. Being a minority can feel like being threatened, we spend our time being on guard and feeling stressed. This causes our bodies to produce inflammation because that's useful if we might be wounded. But if there's not a physical wound, inflammation causes damage. As a result, minorities often suffer chronic health problems at high rates, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, anxiety, depression, and many other problems.

A panelist said that there's not a faith stronger than people who come despite knowing they aren't wanted. If there is a parable to exemplify this type of faith exhibited by queer people, it is the woman touching the fringe of Jesus' clothes.

[bubmyg]

my boss and i should not be allowed to attend public meetings together

[kindredspiritsandgoodomens]

doctor who celebrates british christmas which, much like the church of england, is vaguely embarrassed to be associated with religion

honestly i am glad of the restraint doctor who has showed by not having a christmas episode where the doctor goes back to the real actual nativity or something

[dcfunemployment]

Conferences & Festivals To Check For in 2025

Conferences & Festivals To Check For in 2024 from @AsItHappensCo @MorganFykes

January – December 2025 Continue reading Conferences & Festivals To Check For in 2025

[wombatwisdom]

Thoughts from the Gather Conference

I want to take some time to engage with some of the speakers from the Gather Conference. I do want to share my thoughts with others, but mostly I'm doing this for myself. Also, my thoughts are based on my recollections of speeches I have only heard once and do not have the text to review, so everything is my paraphrasing and interpretation.

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Charlie Bird and Allison Dayton spoke one right after the other on Day 2 of the conference and whether intentional or not, their messages paired nicely.

Charlie's address, entitled "Resolution through the Gospel of Christ" focused mostly on dispelling the myth of having to choose between being a child of God and a member of the LGBTQ+ community. He believes that the idea of needing choose is a lie and one that is held onto by traditional thinking. His call to arms was to actively choose both, be a child of God who is out and proud.

Allison Dayton's speech, entitled "Enlarge the Place of Thy Tent", was focused on reaching out to people in the "wilderness of life" and invite them into our tents. She was clear that the tent in her analogy is not the Church as an institution but rather the personal tent of our lives. She said, quite clearly, that we cannot do much about the church's policies of inclusion, but we can invite everyone into our circles of love regardless.

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Potentially controversial take here, so fair warning.

To the outside observer these talks seem a bit toothless, especially when looked at from an activist lens. Enlarging circles of love and being out and proud children of God on their own seem like harmless and lackluster. If you are looking for monumental change, will either of these acts actually accomplish that?

I'm also not sure Charlie or Allison have alterior motivations here, they may not be actively trying shake things up, but my Machiavellian little soul can help but see something deeper going on here.

The church is often times miles behind when it comes to social change and obvious activism hardly ever results in much more than name calling. True change in the church comes from those in minority groups gradually carving out acceptance and many many many meetings with those in power. And since most of us won't sit in counsils with those in control, we must settle with carving out acceptance.

Here is where Charlie and Allison come in. There is something transgressive in what they are saying while still remaining technically within the doctrines of mormonism.

Charlie's approach feels similar to Harvey Milk's in the 1970's. Milk's philosophy was that everyone should be out in all walks of life to show that "average people" knew someone in the LGBTQ+ community. This was controversial at the time and still is now, but I can see the appeal of this approach. And I personally think there was some success in the normalization of a very specific type of "queer person" in the mainstream.

Charlie's proposal directly confronts the belief that some Mormons hold that the LGBTQ+ community is somehow not part of the Momron community. Or that we shouldn't be. And I do think that being out, at the very least, would force people to recognize we exist and we are unavoidable.

Allison's approach is different but reaches a similar outcome (and can be practiced by Allies and LGBTQ+ folks). By encouraging people to expand their circles of inclusion she is subtly disrupting the status quo in Mormonism. Ultimately she is proposing a grassroots movement, first of love and support, that if grown large enough might force larger change.

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Now again, this is my inference and thoughts. And both of these approaches are very quiet forms of activism that don't ask for very much and deliberately indirect. This is, if it is anything, the long game.

I think I wanted to share this because often this type of advocacy is either dismissed entirely by critics or is easily missed by those looking for it as the advocacy is implied rather than stated.

At the end of the day, advocacy in this space is controversial, difficult, and messy. And while imperfect--i think that there is at least hope to be had. Because even if change doesn't come, Charlie's and Allison's visions will still be vital in building community which is always needed.

[newsmedianest]

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A simple celebration made elegant with a dinner buffet

[rohit-shinde-21]

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