Stepping Out on Faith: The Results

We ended the fiscal year with our annual forum on October 20, 2012. The event, Stepping Out on Faith: Using Faith as our Anchor” was held at the Harlem State Office Building. One hundred nine people registered and attended part or all of the day’s activities. Over half (64 people) completed and returned evaluation sheets.

The results are given below. Because there were multiple responses for some questions, these are all recorded. Others did not answer some questions. There was no attempt to cross reference responses. Where open ended questions were presented, we have given multiple responses as direct quotes from the respondents.

Identifying information:

Ethnicity/nationality

What workshop did you attend?

How would you rate your workshop?

Overall evaluations from workshops were rated from “very good” to “excellent.”
Although people were not asked to comment, they did. Here are a few:

“It was great .. should have been called Gate Keepers.”

“Very good. I am planning on going to the GLAAD Project of Color Media Training Institute.”

“ Over the top.”

How would you rate guest speakers Bishop Flunder?

How would you rate Guest Speaker Ms. Lettman Hicks?

Has today’s conference impacted your sense of self as an LGBT same-gender loving person?

If yes, how?

(The comments below are direct quotes from readers and are representative of the kinds of responses.)

“Better knowledge; directed me re: my mission;
inspired me even more to be myself;
more information regarding LGBT movement;
very positive; showed me that we are not alone;
increased my knowledge about community;
I am Black too; empowered me to live who I am;
very dynamic; transformational; energized;
made me want to be visible; energized on fire; ready to move;
learning and much valuable insight to work with my church to progress;
more to do and it will take all of us.”

Do you belong to a faith community?

What aspects of a religious community are important to you?

Did the conference motivate you to take action?

What will you do?

(The following are comments from respondents and represent the kinds of responses that were made. These are direct quotes.)

write my story; do more for my community;
write about the conference; be more visible;
participate in business program and renew my membership with NBJC;
find a group to join; be more active in my healing ministry;
be more out and open in my community; cultivate ways to bridge the gap; share with family who are anti-LGBT; empower me to stand for what is right; actively share wholeness and love of God.”

• For your information, we are listing the following workshop information.

Does God love me? I’m LGBTQ” by Rev. Dr. Lisa Robinson

The Genesis of Sodom and Gommorrah: The propaganda Against the LGBT Community

Youth on the Move” by Minister Renair Amin, Andre Mothersill, DeVonne Jackson, Coyote T. Lee

We Tell Our Stories/You Tell Yours” by Electra Cummings, Ronald Moore, Ross Murray and Marcos Brock of GLAAD (The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation)