| Stretch October 2021
Dr. Renee McCoy
Queer Fundamental Love
This colloquium will explore how religious/spiritual beliefs and practices have historically influenced active engagement in love, intimacy, empathy and compassion for queer persons. It will examine influences on queer life and experiences as well as the positive and negative impacts of spiritual beliefs and practices on self-esteem and relationships in the past and today? How do we reconcile negative feelings that have prevented self-acceptance, authenticity, positivity and realizing greatest, power and possibilities as Queer persons?
Renee McCoy is ceramic artist, medical anthropologist, activist, spiritual leader and writer living and making art in Seattle, WA. She has a lifelong commitment to issues of spirituality and social justice among LGBTQ persons and to confronting systems that use spirituality to diminish and weaken queer persons. She uses clay to remain spiritually and culturally grounded. She has a doctorate in anthropology, focusing on global health issues, marginalized groups, community organization, HIV/AIDS and spirituality.