GSV List of Potential Keynotes for Fall 2010

John McNeill For more than thirty-five years, John J. McNeill, an ordained and psychotherapist, has been devoting his life to spreading the good news of God's love for lesbian and Christians. McNeill presents a simple and straightforward answer to the question: What did God invent sex for? The answer, derived from an incisive investigation of the Judeo-Christian Scriptures, is that God intended sex as a source of pleasure, joy and love. Author of The Church and the Homosexual and Sex As God Intended. www.johnjmcneill.com/SAGI.HTML www.johnjmcneill.com/

Andrew Harvey A mystical scholar, Rumi translator, poet/writer, novelist and spiritual teacher and architect of Sacred Activism. Author of a number of books, including The Hope, The Direct Path & Son of Man. www.andrewharvey.net

Rev. Bradley Smeling Openly gay pastor at St. John’s Lutheran Church (Atlanta) who was removed from the denomination’s clergy roster and asked to resign because he has a partner and is not celibate. Charges were brought by a , but his own church embraced him and 22 other synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America asked that the policy be changed www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2007-07-05-gay-lutheran-pastor_N.htm www.stjohnsatlanta.org/history.html

John Stasio Founder of Easton Mountain, a retreat center and sanctuary for gay men. He’s a spiritual seeker and teacher, a retreat and workshop facilitator, a therapist, social justice activist and writer. He facilitates workshops and retreats internationally. www.stasio.com/johnstasio.html www.eastonmountainretreat.com www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENLmk8NVFp8 (video)

Michael Sigmann Founder of Men’s Inner Journey. You all know his work – his fall conference workshops are always well attended, and he’s a challenging, dynamic speaker. www.mensinnerjourney.org/ (be sure to watch the video)

Bishop Gene Robinson Openly gay Episcopal Bishop (). Active particularly in the area of full civil rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans- gender people. Working at the state, national and international levels, he has spoken and lobbied for equal protection under the law and full civil marriage rights. Honored by many LGBT organizations for this work, including The Human Rights Campaign, the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force and the Equality Forum. Invited by to give the invocation at the opening inaugural ceremonies at the Lincoln Memorial on 1/18/09 www.nhepiscopal.org/bishop/bishop.html www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-january-20-2009/bishop-gene-robinson (watch the video)

1 GSV List of Potential Keynotes for Fall 2010

Harry Knox Religion and Faith Director of Human Rights Campaign and appointed by President Obama to the President’s Advisory Council on Faith- Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Video: www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/episodes/by-topic/politics/harry-knox- serving-on-the-faith-based-council/2930/ Bio: www.hrc.org/about_us/2638.htm

Frank Browning Author, A Queer Geography: Journeys Toward a Sexual Self and The Culture of Desire: Paradox and Perversity in Gay Lives Today. For a breakdown of A Queer Geography, go here: www.bookrescuer.com/gs/queergeography.html For a bio, go here (scroll to middle of page): http://homelands.org/worlds/contributors.html

Ken Page, LCSW Psychotherapist, lecturer, and the director and founder of numerous LGBT personal growth events including the LGBT Spring Intimacy and Spirituality Retreat. Also founder of Deeper Dating, a dating event for singles committed to deeper values. He believes that LGBT people hold unique gifts, and that healing involves rediscovering and embracing these gifts, which have often been shunned in our families and by the larger culture. www.deeperdating.com/message.html

John Cameron Mitchell Writer, actor and director of the films “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” and “Shortbus.” Bio: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cameron_Mitchell Interview video: www..com/watch?v=FrP-ufdjFds

Don Shewey Journalist, workshop facilitator and author. He has chronicled his psycho-sexual-spiritual adventures in essays that have been included in several anthologies, including “The Politics of Manhood,” “Best Gay Erotica 2000,” and “The Young and the Hung.” www.donshewey.com/

Pete Subkoviak, aka Pistol Pete (FTM – female to male transsexual). Blogger, policy associate at the AIDS Foundation of Chicago. He advocates for sound policies related to HIV/AIDS and works to improve the overall health/wellness for LGBT community. Video: http://networkedblogs.com/p28785124 (talks at 5 minutes in)

Ko Imani (Clayton Gibson) Creator/Founder of My Out Spirit, an online community for LGBT people – it includes personal profiles, resources and original content (articles, interviews, etc.). He’s the author of Shirt of Flame: The Secret Gay Art of War. Website: www.myoutspirit.com/

2 GSV List of Potential Keynotes for Fall 2010

Review of book: www.ashe-prem.org/seven/shirtofflame.shtml

Buck Angel Buck Angel is a trans man (FTM – female to male) and popular adult film star. Also a filmmaker, producer, advocate, educator and lecturer. He is considered by many to be one of the more iconic and visible trans men in current popular culture. Bio: www.buckangelentertainment.com/Main2.html Short Video: www.youtube.com/user/buckangelent#p/u/24/bn745EQh8iU

Mel White Pastor, author (he was the ghost writer for books from Jerry Falwell, Billy Graham and Pat Robertson before as a gay man and eventually becoming the Dean of The Cathedral of Hope Metropolitan Community Church in Dallas). Co-founder of Soulforce, which works to end the religious and political oppression of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning people. Bio: www.melwhite.org/article/6 or www.soulforce.org/article/11

Don Kilhefner, Ph.D. Psychologist, gay liberation pioneer and Radical Faeries founder, shamanic practitioner and organizer of gay men’s medicine circles. A interesting profile article can be found here: www.metroweekly.com/news/?ak=3189 Bio (right side of page) www.rolfdanner.com/node/74 About medicine circles: www.gaymensmedicinecircle.org/index.html

Bob Barzan Writer, publisher, activist, and founder of White Crane Press and White Crane Newsletter , the first journal devoted exclusively to exploring gay men's spirituality Bio: www.lgbtran.org/Profile.aspx?ID=80

Arthur Evans activist, author of several books: Witchcraft and the Gay Counterculture (1978) The God of Ecstasy: Sex Roles and the Madness of Dionysus (1988) and Critique of Patriarchal Reason (1997). Bio (scroll down the page): www.webcastro.com/evans1.htm

Frank Strona Writer, workshop facilitator, sexual health and safety specialist – 20 years mentoring men and women on topics ranging from intimacy to breaking taboos and fear, boundaries, verbal and physical communication, sexual exploration, fetishes, dating, sex parties, & monogamy. Currently in STD/HIV prevention. Bio: http://sensualartof.com/html/educ/pres-frank.html

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