Date: Tue, 4 May 1999 12:14:37 -0500 From: David Barnett Subject: Midwest Regional PFLAG Conference in June ******************************************************* May 5, 1999 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: David Barnett Office of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns University of Illinois at Chicago 312-413-9862; barnett@uic.edu ******************************************************* Midwest Regional PFLAG Conference in June feature Rev. Jimmy Creech Chicago-Area PFLAG & the University of Illinois at Chicago's Office of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns are proud to present their 1999 conference: Renewing and Redeeming Society. Conference organizers invite lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people as well as their parents, family and friends to attend. The conference will be held at the University of Illinois at Chicago in the Chicago Circle Center, 750 S. Halsted, Chicago, on June 5, 1999. The Rev. Jimmy Creech will serve as keynote speaker. The conference also features fifteen workshops, panels, and programs. Topics for these sessions include straight spouses, school issues, safety/hate crimes, transgender issues, youth issues, Reconciling Movements, politics and ethics around sexual orientation "cures," spirituality, lesbian health, politics and LGBT issues, teaching children about diversity, and exploring intersections of race, ethnicity and sexual orientation. The increasingly volatile concept of "same-gender marriages" was spotlighted in the spring of 1998 with the church trial of the Rev. Jimmy Creech. After conducting a covenanting ceremony for two women at his church, First United Methodist in Omaha, Creech became the first United Methodist Church (UMC) pastor to face charges for violating a ban on gay unions. Jimmy Creech is an ordained elder in the UMC. In July of 1996, Mr. Creech was appointed as Senior Pastor of First United Methodist Church in Omaha, Nebraska. In March of 1998, he was acquitted in a church trial of a charge of violating the Order and Discipline of the UMC when he celebrated a covenant ceremony for two women in September of 1997. Turmoil within the UMC over same-sex covenants continues, as witnessed by the recent trial of Chicago's Rev. Greg Dell. When he was not reappointed by the Nebraska bishop, Rev. Creech took a voluntary leave of absence from active ministry within the UMC and returned to his home in Raleigh, North Carolina. He is currently traveling the country to speak and writing about his experiences of the Church's struggle to welcome and accept lesbian and gay persons. Complete information about the conference is available on the website: http://www.uic.edu/orgs/pflag/. Visitors to the website can get a copy of the conference brochure, register, and check out our preliminary schedule. Those with disabilities who need an accommodation in order to participate in this conference, should call the OGLBTC at 312-413-8619 as soon as possible. Every effort will be made to provide an accommodation. The facilities for the conference are wheelchair accessible. Organizers request notice by May 24 to secure services of sign-language interpreters for this conference. Registration/check-in will take place on the second of the Chicago Circle Center, starting at 8:00 a.m. Parking is available for $3.75 for the day. Very reasonable registration fees include a continental breakfast and lunch: Individual $50; Couple $80; and Student: $25. Scholarships are available for those of limited incomes. As a national organization, PFLAG has a three-fold mission of support, education and advocacy. This conference is intended to provide attention to all three areas of the mission. For more information, contact David Barnett at the UIC Office of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns at 312-413-9862 or by email at oglbc-1@uic.edu ### Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) promotes the health and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons, their families and friends through: support, to cope with an adverse society; education, to enlighten an ill-informed public; and advocacy, to end discrimination and to secure equal civil rights. PFLAG provides an opportunity for dialogue about sexual orientation and gender identity, and acts to create a society that is healthy and respectful of human diversity. Serving over 75,000 members, PFLAG affiliates are located in more than 425 communities across the United States, and abroad. -30-