2012 LGBTQ Family and Friends Conference on Star Island
Transitions & Transformations
Sunday, July 15th to Saturday, July 21st, 2012
Find a time of recreation, learning, spirituality and community with other LGBTQ families and friends on a scenic island off the New Hampshire coast
Visit our conference listing page on the Star Island website.
About the conference
As LGBTQ families we've faced challenging transitions and experienced life-altering transformations. Celebrate those transformations in a safe space where all can give voice to that which longs to be free. This expression-based, fun-filled conference empowers participants to know one another just like we each long to be known for our authentic selves. Families with gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender members, single LGBTQ people, couples, their friends and relatives are invited to spend time in community, learning and fun at the Star Island Conference Center's first LGBTQ Family Conference.
The conference includes a combination of adult and intergenerational recreational and other activities, fun workshops and discussion groups on important issues for children, youth and adults. The programming includes a featured speaker and a minister of the week. People of every religious background and those who do not subscribe to any religion are all welcomed and may participate or not in lay or minister led chapels. Climbing on the rocks, rocking on the porch or talking with new friends can be your choice of activity or you might wish to join in every offering possible.
Activities and Workshop for Mornings and Afternoons
Yoga, Art, Writing to Tell Our Stories, Intergenerational Movement, Service Projects, Drumming, Covenant Groups, Discussion groups on subjects such as Marriage Equality, LGBTQ Rights in the Workplace, Immigration Justice, Witnessing for Justice; Responses to Bullying; Children and Youth Programs.
Theme Speaker
Speaker: Michele Angello, PhD., www.micheleangello.com
Dr. Angello works with gender variant youth and adults. She has presented internationally on her work with trans-youth and working with children of transitioning parents. Dr. Angello is often called on to speak as an expert on transgender issues to universities, corporations and the media. She also developed the first graduate course in the U.S. that focused on clinical issues in transgender communities.
Minister of the Week
Minister: Rev. Nate Walker, www.natewalker.org
Rev. Walker is the settled minister at the First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia. Rev. Walker came out of the closet as a 15-year-old high school student. At that time his Grandmother introduced him to the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Northern Nevada because she knew they were welcoming and affirming.
About Star Island
The setting is a rustic conference center on a peaceful, ruggedly beautiful island off the coast of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The Star Island Conference Center is owned and operated by the Star Island Corporation—originally formed by Unitarian Universalists and members of the United Church of Christ, two religious denominations with long histories of actively supporting LGBTQ rights.
Star Island is located 10 miles off the coast of New Hampshire. It is one of the nine islands that make up the Isles of Shoals. Its historic Oceanic House and adjacent buildings become the village home for thousands of visitors each summer. Star Island's historic connections to Unitarian Universalism and the United Church of Christ give it a liberal spiritual quality that is renewing and uplifting.
To Register or Get More Information
Visit our Conference Page on the Star Island website. You can also download the 2012 Star Island Blue Book (listing all the conferences taking place this summer) and Registration Form.