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From February 21–24, 2008, the World Pride & Power Organization held an historic, international World Pride & Power Conference in Los Angeles, CA.

Paths To Change Institute (“PTCI”) convened and moderated two of the central panels/workshops at the Conference:


Descriptions of both panels are below.

 

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“Healing Rage, Terror & All Our Stuff: Tools for
Becoming Whole in a World of Oppression and
Violence against SGLBT (Same-Gender-Loving
Bisexual & Transgender) Communities of Color”

This session consisted of a panel discussion with five renowned experts in mind-body healing/neurosciences, followed by 1.5–2-hour intensives for practicing each modality in-depth. Below are descriptions of the panel & panelists, and of the intensives & practitioners.

Context
There are killers in our midst. Our rage, terror, trauma and all our “stuff” are killing us, our families, our communities, our movements. Hypertension, depression, stroke, heart attack; substance abuse; genocides, homicides, suicides; …. We know the statistics, the stories, the experiences. We know the external forces of oppression that target SGLBT (Same-Gender-Loving Bisexual & Transgender) Communities of Color, and how we internalize them. That’s the bad news.

The good news is that our rage, terror, trauma and all of our stuff can also be our greatest friends and healers. They can be the gateways to extraordinary calm, clarity, effectiveness and wholeness — if we know how to work with them.

The inaugural World Pride & Power Conference, hosted by the World Pride & Power Organization and held in the theme of "Unity, Empowerment & Inclusivity,” convened Thursday, February 21–February 24, 2008 at the Olympic Collection Conference Center in Los Angeles, California.

Paths to Change Institute was thrilled to offer the panel, "Healing Rage, Terror & All Our Stuff: Tools for Becoming Whole in a World of Oppression and Violence against SGLBT Communities of Color” — featuring some of the foremost healing modalities and practitioners in the world. The panel was held Friday, February 22, from 10:30 AM – 12 noon. Throughout Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 1–3 hour intensive sessions were scheduled for experiencing different healing modalities in-depth.

This panel and the related intensives featured five leading-edge modalities for transforming difficult states of mind and heart — the “stuff” that can make life challenging or even unbearable, no matter how good our external circumstances may be.

Objectives
The objectives of the panel (coupled with an experience of one or more intensives) were:

  1. To give participants an overview of each modality for transforming rage, terror, trauma and other difficult states of mind/heart: what each practice entails, its benefits, etc.
  2. To foster open dialogue amongst participants and panelists/practitioners.
  3. To offer in-depth intensives for directly experiencing at least one — and hopefully a few — of the modalities.
  4. To generate ideas for and commitments to (a) deepening our individual practice with these tools, (b) spreading these tools to our communities and movements.


Panelists & Practitioners
(i.e., those who led the in-depth intensives)
World-renowned modalities and panelists/practitioners included:

For more detailed descriptions of the healing modalities, the in-depth intensives, and biographies of the panelists & practitioners listed above, click here.

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“Empowering Nations: Historical & Cultural Exploration
of the Sacredness of Twin Spirit & Two Spirit People”

This panel featured ten highly-regarded leaders from diverse African and Native American Indigenous backgrounds. The panel was made possible, in part, by a generous grant from the Brandon Fradd Foundation. A documentary film featuring the panel discussion, separate addresses by a few of the panelists, and others is currently in production.

Below are descriptions of the panel and panelists.

Context
SGLBT (Same-Gender-Loving Bisexual & Transgender) people have existed in Indigenous cultures on all continents. Called by different names in our mother tongues, the term “Two Spirit” has been used across Native American nations — and we are using a similar term, “Twin Spirit”, across African nations. In our traditional cultures, we were generally fully integrated into our tribes, and often assumed roles of great distinction — such as shamans, medicine people, historians, chiefs and warriors.

On Saturday, February 23, 2008, from 10:30 AM – 12 noon, Paths to Change Institute was honored to offer the panel, “Empowering Nations: Historical & Cultural Exploration of the Sacredness of Twin Spirit & Two Spirit People” at the historic World Pride & Power Conference, featuring ten prominent Twin Spirit, Two Spirit and other leaders from diverse African and Native American Indigenous backgrounds.

Objectives
The objectives of the panel were far-reaching:

  1. To (re-)acquaint people with key realities of African Twin Spirit & Native American Two Spirit histories.
  2. To explore the implications of these histories for contemporary SGLBT people of Native American Descent, of African Descent, and others — with a focus on reclaiming the Two Spirit & Twin Spirit identities as parts of living traditions.
  3. To examine the role that Twin Spirit & Two Spirit peoples might play in our larger global culture — especially as cultivators and stewards of "transformative ecology" Indigenous wisdom traditions that have tremendous relevance to several pressing global crises.
  4. To take action towards building "bridges" of learning, exchange and support between SGLBT Indigenous people of all continents, with an initial focus on Native American Two Spirit and African Descent Twin Spirit communities.


Panelists
Our world-renowned panelists included:

 

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