Distinct Voices, Working Together

Members of the Circling the Wagons Conferences leadership team may participate in both public and private conversations and statements within their respective spheres or projects. They may include reference to their involvement with Circling the Wagons Conferences by way of openness about their connection with and investment in the issues around being LGBT or SSA and Mormon.

When members of CTW Conferences leadership participate in such conversations, they are expected to be respectful and ethical in their dialog, adhering to the Standards of Ethical Communication and Conflict Resolution established by our partner organization, the CTW Coalition. They are also expected to add their voice to the conversations they engage in with authenticity and individuality, including personal experience, reactions, or ideologies. They are not expected to withhold opinions, defer to consensus, or ensure balance and counterbalance in all public engagement. There are times and places for various kinds of engagement and dialog beyond specific Circling the Wagons models. As such, they may express ideas and opinions that others in our leadership team deeply disagree with, and in some cases, that voice may feel threatening to others–for example, those who feel they don’t have as far-reaching a voice–and we strive to be sensitive to each other’s experience when that happens, whether by talking with each other, making public statements, or setting policy for mutual expectation.

We are working to fulfill our hope that, even while we each continue to engage in our own spheres and in our own individual and organized ways, whether in writing, spoken word, firesides, workshops, or other media, we will all continue to come back together in the Circling the Wagons space under our agreed-upon ground rules and common purpose to deepen understanding, reach our true disagreements, and collaborate on common ground initiatives to look after the most vulnerable among us, including those who may not fall securely within the safety zones of our other respective endeavors.

Jay Jacobsen
Director, CTW Conferences