PHILADELPHIA, PA - May 19 - Emboldened by the victory which ended discrimination against families and same-sex couples in Massachusetts, hundreds of faith-based gay rights activists and religious leaders will gather in Michigan to celebrate and empower one another to continue the struggle for full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in our society.

Leaders and activist from across the country will be gathering in Ypsilanti, Michigan, May 21-22, at Together in Faith: Journey into Inclusiveness, a conference intended to give activists the tools to create more inclusive and LGBT-affirming cities and faith communities.

This conference comes at a time when the LGBT equality movement is gaining momentum, and the religious right is getting desperate to motivate evangelical Christians to speak out against equality. According to the New York Times on May 16, 2004, Matt Daniels, founder of the anti-gay Alliance for Marriage, said, “Our side is basically asleep right now,” and Rev. Louis P. Sheldon, chairman of the Tradition Values Coalition, said: “I don't see any traction.”

“Supporters of equality and justice are wide awake and energized right now, and we are gaining tremendous momentum as we empower people of faith and others throughout the country to stand up for full equality and equal civil rights,” said Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force convenes the National Religious Leadership Roundtable for LGBT Equality and is a cosponsor of Together in Faith.

Rev. Dr. Mel White, a gay evangelical Christian, author, co-founder of Soulforce, Inc., and speaker at Together in Faith agrees, “By giving activists the tools to continue to work for total inclusiveness in our houses of worship and our society, we empower ourselves and others in the struggle for full equality for all God’s children.”

Dr. Glenda Russell co-author of When Religion and Social Loyalties Collide: The Case of Mormons and Homosexuality adds “This conference represents a state-of-the-art discussion of the intersection where spirituality, personal identity, and political action come together to nurture significant personal and spiritual growth, as well as political change.”

Together in Faith is sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee. Co-sponsors include Project YES, PrideSource.com, Arcus Foundation, Michigan Radio, PFLAG Detroit, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Soulforce, and many others. See www.togetherinfaith.com for more information.

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