Events

Note:  With our official "Gay Into Straight America" journey completed, all of our future events will be posted on our website Stand UP Speak OUT.  Please visit and click on the Events icon.  If you are interested in having us speak or present a workshop, click here to contact us.

Gay Into Straight America will be continuously updating and adding events as we travel throughout the country.  Only upcoming events are listed below; events that have taken place drop off this page.

In addition to specific events, much of our journey will consist of day-to-day interactions, as we travel and create authentic connections with people.  It is called the "attractor factor" and it happens "easily and naturally" as we remain open to attracting those who are wrestling with their understanding about GLBT persons, or those who are wrestling about being a GLBT person and fully accepting their authentic self.

Looking for examples of this attractor factor?  Following are two.

Click here for an example of a person wrestling with their own understanding of GLBT persons.

Click here for an example of a person wrestling with acceptance of living fully as their authentic self.

Sep 11, 2005
The Official Kick-off for Gay Into Straight America - "Leave No Person Behind!"
Dotti Berry
Bellingham, WA
360-305-0909
doetti@GayIntroStraightAmerica.com

Go to our blog and read the our initial entry on May 18, and see how the decision was made to leave on September 11, 2005.

We decided to begin our journey right where it began long ago, before we decided to take this "official journey"...with our own families and friends, and in our own neighborhood, as well continuing to talk with local ministers and our community.

The truth is that no matter where you go, there we are!  Let's ask for and receive these "connecting threads" as points of light.

We begin our "kick-off" in an appropriate way by attending First Baptist Church in Bellingham, WA.  We have been blessed to spend time getting to know Pastor Jay Smith over the last 1 1/2 years.  We value his wisdom and insight, which has led us to having our journey focus on authentic connections with those who are "wrestling" with their understanding about gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons.  Pastor Jay has often shared with us that knowing us has caused him to "wrestle" with his understanding and beliefs about GLBT persons, and yet he cannot deny the love he witnesses between us.

We will spend the remainder of September (except the week we are in Atlanta, GA) in Washington, meeting with people all over the state, who are wrestling with their understanding of GLBT persons, before moving onto Oregon. 

As you will see from our events calendar, although we will have scheduled events throughout our journey, we are most committed to allowing those everyday experiences of authentic connection to happen "easily and naturally," as we remain open to attracting those who are wrestling with their understanding about GLBT persons.

An example of this attraction factor?  We were in Germany in July, and found ourselves unable to get flights out of Europe as we were flying on buddy passes, which are standby.  We made the decision to purchase a ticket and fly from Berlin to London, since there were 4 flights per day from London.  We met a minister,  his wife and their four month old baby, Grace, the very first day in London. We were all together for two days, waiting on a flight, sleeping in the airport each night.  Buddy (the minister) is starting a new church in the Anglican Church The Anglican Church is the Episcopal church in the US.  He told us that meeting us was causing him to wrestle with and assess his understanding and ideas about gay people.  He told us that his friend in seminary had come out to him two years ago; when he did, Buddy told him he could not support him in his "lifestyle."  He has not heard from his friend since.   Anyway, Buddy is a thoughtful and caring man, and we enjoyed our time with him and his family.  He and Roby sat by one another on the flight from London to Atlanta (his wife and baby got on an earlier flight and I got on the one after Roby).  During the flight, Buddy continued our ongoing conversation on faith and spirituality, and asked Roby many theological questions.  She simply shared how she felt and listened to his beliefs.  We hope that our interaction will cause him to contact his friend and perhaps re-open the door to communication.  If that should happen and their friendship be re-established, then our week of sleeping in airports will have made a difference.  We would call it "Gay Into Straight America goes to London!"   The point is this:  we didn't go "looking" for someone who is wrestling with their understanding of GLBT persons.  In the course of experiencing our everyday life, it simply happened.  We look forward to many more opportunities such as this.


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