Sample I AM Love Weekend Tour
St Louis Launch: September 25-28, 2014
Join us for a weekend of art, film, dialogue and love.
Presenting the National Tour of the I AM Love Campaign
Our mission is to promote the idea of love and equality for all, regardless of orientation, gender, religion or race, through artistic endeavors and educational outreach. By igniting a deeper understanding between local LGBT and faith communities, we can create social change to build a world more accepting of all. One of the core missions of the campaign is to help dispel religion-based bias, which seems to be at the heart of every argument for blocking full equality to LGBT individuals, in particular—this is the conversation we are trying to facilitate. This dogma then in turn alienates the LGBT community from exploring their spirituality within a faith organization, for fear of condemnation or rejection. One of the most positive outcomes of the campaign’s efforts thus far is helping the LGBT community rekindle their faith by connecting them to faith communities that are accepting and supportive of who they are.
In each city, the I AM Love Campaign presents:
- Performances of 108 Productions’ internationally acclaimed production of Terrence McNally’s play “Corpus Christi,” which depicts Jesus as a gay man living in modern-day Texas as a metaphor for how inclusive love for all people is not only right, but possible
- Screenings of a new documentary “Corpus Christi: Playing with Redemption,” set for nationwide DVD/VOD release on October 14, which chronicles a five-year journey of the play met with both zealous protest and support on one of the central issues facing the LGBT community today—religion-based bias
- An open-forum Townhall Diversity Dialogue with local leaders to help heal the rift between LGBT and faith communities
- The I AM Love Awards, which honor local advocates who promote diversity and acceptance within the community
- Cast-led workshops for local youth teaching self-empowerment skills through yoga, mediation, comedy and a talk addressing non-violent protest techniques
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25
7:30 pm – The Film & Awards Doors at 6:30 with light reception following by the I AM Love Campaign Awards, screening of documentary “Corpus Christi: Playing with Redemption” & opening night cast meet & greet
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
8:00 pm – The Play Performance of play “Corpus Christi” by Terrence McNally, followed by opening night cast meet & greet
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27
5:00 pm – The Film Screening of documentary “Corpus Christi: Playing with Redemption”
8:00 pm – The Play Performance of play “Corpus Christi” by Terrence McNally
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28
1:00 pm to 4:00 pm – Workshops Ensemble-led self-empowerment workshops
7:00 pm – The Play Performance of play “Corpus Christi” by Terrence McNally
9:00 pm – The Dialogue Townhall diversity dialogue with panel of local religious and LGBT leaders
I AM Love Award Recipients
Spotlight Award:
Mayor Francis Slay
We present this award to Mayor Francis Slay having shown himself to be an inspirational and courageous leader who has facilitated constructive dialogue and spearheaded incredible programs and initiatives, especially most recently by recognizing marriage equality for the first time in the State of Missouri. He has been a shining example of how to create positive lasting change in a community, by being a true visionary for St. Louis and the nation.
Moonlight Award to:
Sayer Johnson
Johnson sits on the board of the LGBT Center of St Louis and is Co-founder of the Metro Trans Umbrella Group. Johnson, who identifies as a queer transgender man, is passionate about a visible and empowered trans community in the metro area.
Lighthouse Award to:
Reena Hajat Carroll, ED of Diversity Awareness Partnership
The Diversity Awareness Partnership (DAP) is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusion around issues of race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, age and gender identity. Carroll currently serves on numerous boards, task forces and awards committees, and was recently appointed by Governor Nixon to the Missouri Community Service Commission.
Sunrise Award to:
Mustafa Abdullah, ACLU St. Louis
A trained community organizer, Abdullah is currently a board member of Missouri Immigrant and Refugee Advocates and works as the Program Associate at the ACLU of Missouri where he educates the public on civil liberties, builds coalitions for constitutional issues and lobbies. He is currently spearheading campaigns for immigration reform, women’s rights, privacy rights and LGBTQ rights.
Sunset Award to:
Dr. Lynne Cooper, D.Min. (posthumous), DOORWAYS
In 1988, she helped found DOORWAYS, an interfaith AIDS residence program to address housing needs of people living with HIV/AIDS, providing rent, mortgage and utility assistance to over 700 households each month. Cooper served on many national boards, including President Clinton’s Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS. Her humanitarian work was felt across the world, including developing a birthing center in Uganda.
Townhall Panel
Born and raised in Poland, Fr. Marek moved to the USA in 2000 and was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 2002. In December of 2005 he and St. Stanislaus Parish in St. Louis were excommunicated for not allowing their church to be closed by the Archdiocese. Since then St. Stanislaus has become an inclusive, independent Catholic community where all are truly welcome, and religious wedding ceremonies are available to all couples.
Rev. Wes Mullins is the Senior Pastor of the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) of Greater Saint Louis. The focus of his ministry centers around radical inclusion, furthering LGBT equality and reaching those who have been forced to the margins of society. Each Sunday at MCCGSL this simple message is offered, “Come as you are, believing as you do.”
The Rev. Teresa Mithen Danieley has served as rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in the Tower Grove neighborhood of St. Louis since July 2004. Mother Danieley has also served on the Board of the LGBT Center of St. Louis and currently serves on the board of Faith Aloud and St. Louis Area Jobs with Justice. She and her family live in Tower Grove.
Christine Elbert is a proud resident of St Louis, a Senior Account Executive for Midwest Mortgage Capital and a Board member of the LGBT Center of St Louis. She has been active in the LGBT community for the last 20 years working with organizations like That Uppity Theatre Co, the LGBT Center and more. She has three cats, one dragon and an addiction to great coffeehouses.
Kelly Hamilton is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-founder of ALIVE magazine. He has also worked extensively for the past decade supporting the LGBT community in and around St. Louis, most recently as the Board President of PROMO, a founding steering committee member of Washington University in St. Louis’ Pride Alumni Network, and has been named a 2014 Diverse Business Leaders by the St Louis Business Journal.
Free Educational Workshops
Self Empowerment Kundalini Yoga Class by Molly O’Leary
Return to your center within through a vigorous kundalini yoga and meditation class that will cleanse away old stories to make room for a deeper connection to your purpose.
Impact Self Empowered Training by Liz Cava
When you are able to communicate clearly what you want or need from any situation, you assess people differently, you value yourself differently, people listen to you differently. Your personal safety skills turn into healthy communication skills that translate to all areas of your life. This workshop will guide you through experiential training for protection of self and to become more present in your life.
Presence and Play by Suzanne Santos
This class will begin with a trust exercise as you learn to develop a deeper sense of surrender to a stranger and the present moment. From there we will be led through ensemble building exercises to create a closer connection to community and self that will further take you out of your head and back to your heart.
Holding Up Our Hands by Anna Rebek
This is an exercise in knowing each other deeper through color, while honoring our sense of touch and our healing abilities by drawing and decorating a neighbors hand.
After the Cameras go Home: Sustaining the Love by Cat Brooks
This workshop, led by national activist Cat Brooks of the ONYX Organizing Committee, will help foster a conversation on how lasting change begins with the awareness of the suffering of another and that hate and oppression in any form impacts each and every one of us. You can change the world by standing for what you believe in, giving voice to the voiceless, building sustainable structures and mobilizing across issues from a place of deep love for humanity.
Getting Unstuck: Using Yoga as a Tool to Help Heal Grief by Paul Denniston
Grief yoga unites many forms of yoga with the intention of observing where sadness and anger get stuck in the mind and body, then using it as fuel to open ourselves to more joy and love.