Gay Spirit Summit Day #1

About 125 men have gathered in Garrison, NY, for a summit of leaders involved with gay spirituality. Today we ate lunch followed by an opening ceremony where we gathered in a circle and cultivated a sacred space. Elders sang songs from their own Native traditions and led us by honoring the energies and spirits of the directions. After the opening ceremony, we took a break, and then connected with another man one-on-one. We shared the feelings and thoughts that are "alive for us," our intentions for the summit, and the fears we are bringing here. Afterwards, we learned more about the group as a whole: men shared their names, cities where they're coming from, and faith traditions (both the traditions of our upbringing plus our current inclinations).

When we were done in the large group, we broke into 18 small groups of about seven men. My own group named itself the Fuzzy Fruits (every man in the group wore a goatee, moustache, or beard). Together we are Jacob, Haynes, David, Ramon, Greg-Eugene, and two Joes (both of whom, coincidentally, are also writers whose work appears on this blog). The grouop is quite diverse, actually: we include two Latinos (myself included), two African-American men, two Jewish men. We are also geographically diverse, hailing from the West Coast (Long Beach, CA, and Seattle, WA), the Midwest (Detroit), and the East (Philadelphia, Boston, Washington, DC, and The Bronx, NY). The men in the group are doing amazing work around the country... I am so impressed. A few are leaders of faith communities, including a priest and a rabbi. We include writers, psychotherapists, and community organizers/activists.

The night's still young... just got out of dinner, and more's coming up. The conference is off to a great start...