More Photos

Here's a few of my favorite shots from last week. I miss y'all already!
Click for a larger view.




On a personal note, thank you to everyone I called and begged to attend for showing up in Salt Lake City. I hope you know what it means to me to be with you.

Thank You

I wasn't able to make it to the closing plenary today, so I didn't get to say goodbyes. But thank you to all of you who I met, and even those that I didn't meet. You all impacted my life in marvelous ways.

NAMASTE!

Mid-point

We're over halfway through the summit. I'm curious to know what you believe are key issues that have been covered this year.

Do you have a question about a sexual practice?

This is a brief report back from “Leather or Not: Here We Come” a session held by Thomas Lewis and myself and 18 other men on Thursday. The purpose of the session was to support dialogue between men who consider themselves part of the leather community and those who do not but may have some interest in it. We had a great mix of folks – about half were interested in learning more about the leather community and the other half were comfortably established within the community.

The single point I want to bring from the session to the blog is this: ALL of the leathermen at the workshop thought it was an honor to be asked questions about the community and that the questioner did not have to engage in any of the particular activities with them to have a detailed discussion about how different scenes work.

Could this make it easier for anyone here to seek someone out and ask questions about a sexual or fetish practice they have wanted to know more about? I hope so.

See you all on Saturday….

Youth & Young Adults

Well, it's only day #1 and I'm already blown away at the turn out of youth and young adults at the Summit!

Costs for travel, hotel, food, drinks, entertainment, drinks, conference fees, and yes...more drinks, can really add up! Oh, and that damn club membership Utah clubs have! Ugh!! Anyway, I'm pleasantly surprised that the younger generation found a way to attend the Summit this year and make it happen. **APPLAUSE** I know how tough it can be making it all come together.

I'm thrilled to see the generation gap being bridged as well. In the Leadership Institute, I was very moved when Scott asked for an Elder Voice and a Younger Voice to express their thoughts. That was AWESOME to see and hear two gay men from completely different generations come together. I hope this continues throughout the Summit!

I'm also very excited for the chance to network and meet other youth and young adult community leaders, volunteers and activists. It's fun rubbing elbows and making friends with tomorrow's leaders. And on that note...

College-age guys are getting together for our own special social event! Guys from Utah college and university groups will also be joining us for dinner at Cafe Pierpont on Saturday night. We'll meet in the hotel lobby at 6:45. If you're in this age group, come join us!

Pre-Summit Photo Recap

Move your mouse over photos for captions.
Click for a larger view.

Expectation

Welcome! We're hours away from the launch of the pre-summit institutes and an awesome kick-off to the 2005 National Gay Men's Health Summit. There is a buzz of activity around the world as we prepare our departure and get ready to make things happen for ourselves and our community. And yes, there's the packing for autumn weather in the mountains. Here's some things to think about while you're trying to fit that last sweater into your 22-inch roll-on suitcase:

This is no ordinary health conference. Instead, NGMHS 2005 will cut through the professionalism and attitude of many gatherings focused on gay male health and create a warm, welcoming and equitable climate. We come together in Salt Lake City to discuss a broad range of health issues affecting our community. The Summit is open to anyone who cares about gay men's health. So, join us in Salt Lake City for an event like nothing you've experienced before. NGMHS website

What do you expect? What are you looking forward to? Share you comments here.

Make This Space Your Own

This is the space where organizing collective members and all attendees will be able to document their summit experience as it happens. We'll reflect, dream, let off steam, and share what's on our mind in a public forum. Our goal is to create a living journal of the event. We encourage personal thoughts, photos, jokes, whatever you feel should be shared and documented.

This blog opens one day before the summit, and closes one week following the conclusion.

If you'd like outright posting credentials, please see Scott at the summit. The only requirement is that you're a registered participant.