I am love tour
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 LGBTQ+ 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 LGBTQ+ individuals, in particular. This dogma then in turn alienates the LGBTQ+ 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 LGBTQ+ community rekindle their faith by connecting them to communities that are accepting and supportive of who they are.
In each city, the I AM Love Campaign presents:
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Performances of our internationally-acclaimed production of Terrence McNally’s play “Corpus Christi"
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Screenings of our documentary “Corpus Christi: Playing with Redemption,” which chronicles a five-year journey of the play met with both zealous protest and support on one of the central issues facing the LGBTQ+ community today—religion-based bias
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An open-forum Townhall Diversity Dialogue with local leaders to help bring together the LGBTQ+ and faith communities
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The I AM Love Awards, which honor local advocates who promote diversity and acceptance within the community
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Cast-led workshops for local youth teaching self-empowerment skills through yoga, mediation, comedy and a talk addressing non-violent protest techniques
sample tour weekend
st. louis launch: sept. 25-28, 2015
thursday
friday
saturday
sunday
Doors at 6:30 with light reception followed by the I AM Love Campaign Awards, screening of documentary “Corpus Christi: Playing with Redemption” & opening night cast meet & greet
Performance of play “Corpus Christi” by Terrence McNally, followed by opening night cast meet & greet
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
1:00 pm to 4:00 pm – WorkshopsEnsemble-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 LGBTQ+ leaders
I am love award recipients
spotlight award
moonlight award
lighthouse award
sunrise award
sunset award
MAYOR FRANCIS SLAY
SAYER JOHNSON
REENA HAJAT CARROLL
MUSTAFA ABDULLAH
DR. LYNNE COOPER
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.
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.
The Diversity Awareness Partnership(DAP) is dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusion around issues of race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, age and gender identity. Carroll was recently appointed by Governor Nixon to the Missouri Community Service Commission.
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. He is currently spearheading campaigns for immigration reform, women’s rights, privacy rights and LGBTQ rights.
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 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
FATHER MAREK
REV. WES MULLINS
KELLY HAMILTON
CHRISTINE ELBERT
REV. TERESA DANIELEY
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.”
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.
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.
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.
SAMPLE EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOPS
KUNDALINI YOGA
grief yoga
impact training
presence & play
sustain the love
MOLLY O'LEARY
PAUL DENNISTON
ELIZABETH CAVA
SUZANNE SANTOS
CAT BROOKS
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 and create more self-empowerment.
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.
When you are able to communicate clearly what you want or need from any situation, 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.
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.
This workshop 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 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.