GAY with GOD!

Meet Jeremy Gordon!

Jeremy is an amazing soul.  Although emotionally crushed while working with a corporate business, and struggling to find his place in the world, something divine happened.  Jeremy found his authentic self. 
That came at a price as his attempts at coming out did not go well.  He was hurt by the church and by a beloved family member.  He tried to please others until he realized that he had an inner calling that he had to follow.   
To find his authentic path to be a Spiritual Leader, Jeremy would experience many "No's" and some very scary "HELL yes's." Jeremy realizes now that life is not a destination and he can embrace his own journey.  
 
Connect with Jeremy
FaceBook
Instagram

Meet Suzanne & Declan DeWitt Hall!

Suzanne and Declan DeWitt Hall are the team behind the Where True Love Is movement, which seeks to bring hope and healing to a world broken by discrimination and bias. Suzanne is the author of inclusive, affirming devotionals, children's picture books, and weird novels. Her most recent book is titled REACHING FOR HOPE: Strategies and support for the partners of transgender people. Her debut novel about the wife of a murdered trans woman of color, THE LANGUAGE OF BODIES, is due out in October 2022 by Woodhall Press. Declan is the transmasculine powerhouse behind the Where True Love Is movement online. He creates and curates encouraging, informative, and challenging content and builds communities online to help people all over the world engage in the justice work of inclusion.
Connect with Suzanne and Declan!
Social Media Links:
 
www.wheretrueloveis.com
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram

Meet Stacy Morataya-Pilkington!

Stacy Morataya-Pilkington is a catalytic leader and champion for the voiceless.  Amidst and among the scorching heat, the faux sparkle and gaudy excess of Las Vegas, a true phoenix was born.  A survivor of domestic violence, Stacy began her young adult life escaping abuse, with a two year old on one hip, a one year old on the other, and nine months pregnant.  As their special needs emerged, her drive and rigor brought her to new opportunities and challenges in serving her young sons.  She burst out of the closet at the age of twenty-two, with three young boys, and charted their journey toward safety and prosperity.  Stacy’s tenacity and resolve  were the impetus for a career in hospitality leadership, that has spanned both coasts and led her to Maui, as an executive leader at one of the world’s most prominent resorts.  Through the years, the mental health concerns of two of her children became overwhelming.  Stacy’s unwavering love and perseverance was tested in the broken systems of pediatric psychiatry and the underdeveloped special education system.
In 2018, after a grueling and horrific battle with alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, her son Ryan passed away at the tender age of nineteen.  Stacy’s mission is to uplift ad enlighten, illuminating the dark, shameful corners surrounding mental health, domestic violence, poverty, female leadership, and grief.  Some families are made stronger through trials and tragedies, while others fall apart in cataclysmic ways.  Stacy speaks truth to familial shame and the toxicity of enmeshment.
She lives with her wife Mirza, and their three giant dogs in beautiful Wailuku, Maui.  Exploring peace, forgiveness, empowerment, and inspiration, join the phoenix on her journey.
 
Connect with Stacy!
Facebook
STAY TUNED!  Stacy's Memoir will be highlighted here when it is ready for release! 
 

Going Deeper with Joey Cromer!

Joey honored us with another hour to go deeper into his life, trauma he has experienced, and insight into his deep hatred for God.  This is a must hear for anyone who has been through or is in the weeds of doubt and fear.  You may find it helpful to listen  to his previous podcast:  Meet Joey Cromer!
I do offer a trigger warning with this episode.  Joey does talk about a trauma that may resonate with your own experience. 
Joey (Joe) Cromer is a 45 year old recently separated man who grew up in the Pentecostal/ Southern Baptist Churches.  Since his early youth he has gone through education and self exploration and now identifies as Agnostic.
Even though he identifies as Agnostic, he speaks of God and believes that, "God, He or She, is too big for one book and probably bigger than all the books every written."
Joey goes deeper today into his trauma, his belief that he was abandoned by God, and then in the end, talks about the seed that was planted in him and knows that he is the one that has to make it grow!
We both, Joey & I, got all the feels out of this conversation.  I hope you find your own resonance with it as well.

Meet Joey Cromer!

Joey (Joe) Cromer. He is 45 years old, recently separated. Joey grew up in The Pentecostal/Southern Baptist churches, but since his early youth he has gone through education and self exploration and now identifies as Agnostic.  He was a 90s club kid! He reports that he came from a broken home, raised by a single mom.  He reports that he was avoided by an emotionally deadbeat sperm donor.
Connect with Joey!
Facebook

Meet Alicia Brock!

Alicia is a counselor with The Christian Closet and is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the states of Colorado and Wyoming. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Southwest Baptist University and a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Denver Seminary.She grew up in the Midwest in the ’90s at the height of purity culture and it never occurred to her that she could be gay.  So she met and married a man but eventually divorced realizing that she was indeed gay and that God loved her as she was.  It is her favorite kind of work to walk with people at the intersections of spirituality and identity.  Nothing fuels her soul more than conversations about the soul!Alicia lives in Wyoming with her girlfriend and their blended animal family consisting of three dogs, a cat and a fish.  In her spare time, she loves exploring the rugged landscape around her, snuggling on the couch with foster animals, creative endeavors, and devouring sweet treats!
SAVE the DATE!
Alicia will hold THREE different online support groups in the New Year!  EMAIL her to inquire about securing your spot!
Coming Out to Non-Affirming Families
Queer and Christian
Deconstruction/ Reconstruction
CONNECT WITH ALICIA
Alicia's EMAIL
WEBSITE

Meet Joyce Hagen-McIntosh!

Joyce began the journey of coming out to herself at 9, out to the world at 19, and finally, out as a comedian at 49!  Out as a Christian?  The whole time, with occasional tweaks in denomination, faith tradition, and world-religion exploration. She shares the message of God’s love being meant for ALL people.
As a librarian she helps people fill information gaps and provides access to accurate information. She currently works with an organization promoting First Amendment education, and advocacy, and promoting the freedom to read for librarians, authors and publishers, educators, and patrons.
As a comedian Joyce presents the overlap of faith, GLBT identity, music (she’s been known to pick up her violin during a set), and parenting. She began performing with The Mother Cluckers in April 2017 and believes that social justice through humor can take place in local bookstores, classrooms, over meals, in our churches -  basically in any conversation or space! 
Connect with Joyce!
WEBSITE/joycestandsup.com
Podcast:   Books, Bible, Beer & Queer
Book Options:
Is The Homosexual My Neighbor?  
by   (Author),  (Author)
TORN, Rescuing the Gospel From The Gay-vs.-Christians Debate
by Justin Lee
Omnigender: A Trans-Religious Approach
by Virginia Ramey Mollenkott (Author)
The Savvy Ally
by Jeannie Gainsburg 

Meet Karrie Fletcher!

Karrie came out as a gay Christian in 2016 after spending 14 years trying to change her sexuality through her involvement in “ex-gay” ministry, also known as conversion therapy. Since coming out, she has denounced “ex-gay” ministry and her passion is to advocate for full inclusion of the LGBTQ community in the church and in society.  
In 2017, she became actively involved in Q Christian Fellowship and The Reformation Project, two non-profit organizations at the forefront of the advocacy work for acceptance of gay Christians. She participated in The Reformation Project Leadership Cohort in 2017 which focuses on leadership training and skill development for advancing the conversation of LGBTQ inclusion in the church. 
Prior to joining Free Mom Hugs, she led several LGBTQ initiatives in the Dallas area including the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of The Reformation Project, bible studies, social events and served as a moderator for a pastor’s panel discussion on becoming affirming. She has shared her story with various groups including social media channels for the documentary “Pray Away” by Multitude Films. Karrie has a master’s degree from Dallas Theological Seminary and has been involved in voluntary ministry work for 15 years. Prior to joining Free Mom Hugs as Executive Director, Karrie worked in higher education at Texas Woman’s University for over 20 years. 
Karrie enjoys being back in her home state of Oklahoma and spending time with her wife Mandy, their fur babies Clayton, Jax and adopted cat Sydney. 
CONNECT WITH KARRIE!
Karrie@freemomhugs.org
Free Mom Hugs FB

Meet Chris Davis!

Chris was a faithful Mormon for 38 years.  She served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, got married in the temple to a man, and raised a family for 20 years as a stay-at-home mom.  In 2017, her youngest came out as transgender and Chris knew she had to leave the church in order to protect her teen from damaging rhetoric and hurtful reactions of local church leadership.  She has written an essay which will be published in an anthology by the University of Utah Press next spring titled, "Five Reasons I Didn't Belong.  Chris is also working on a memoir to tell her brave story of overcoming religious trauma and coming out as a lesbian later in life.
Connect with Chris!
Twitter: @ChrisDavisProud
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100072334060861
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrisdavisproud/
Website:  ChrisDavisProud.com

Meet Rachel Merrill!

Rachel Merrill, author of I Sang Anyway:  A Stepmom's Spiritual Memoir of Healing, is passionate about human potential. She grew up on a farm in North Dakota, USA, and moved to Vermont for graduate school in 2006.
Rachel spent more than a decade fighting poverty and hunger in New Hampshire as a manager for the welfare to work program for single parents.  Some of her specialized knowledge includes French, Indigenous Rights, the topics of mental health, substance misuse, domestic violence, and workforce development.  I
In addition, she is a certified Diversity & Cultural Competence trainer. She has enjoyed working in refugee resettlement, as a camp counselor for kids from inner-city Chicago, and as a grant writer for Life & Water Development-Cameroon, among other jobs.
Rachel has worked for an international non-profit since December 2018 where she leads guided meditation for their employees.
Rachel holds a Master's in Social Justice in Intercultural Relations from the School for International Training (SIT) Graduate Institute.
Rachel is a Reiki Master, Certified Holistic Life Coach, witch, singer, writer, wife, mom, and stepmom.  To learn more about working with Rachel, or to inquire about a speaking engagement, check out the link below!
CONNECT WITH RACHEL:
Rachel's Website