Heidi Weaver-Smith

Heidi Weaver-Smith, 2016 Conference Keynote, is the founder and president of LOVEboldly, an organization that empowers Christians and sexual and gender minorities to step towards loving one another boldly. After becoming disturbed by the stories of her LGBTQ friends who had been treated poorly by Christians, Heidi began working at the crossroads of the LGBTQ/SSA community and the Church in 2008. In 2011, she founded LOVEboldly. Through her leadership, Heidi aims to empower the LGBTQ/SSA and Christian communities to engage with dignity, decency, and civility in the polarizing conversations surrounding faith and sexuality. Heidi is a certified GLSEN anti-bullying trainer, and offers speaking, training, and consultations with pastors, laypeople, ministry leaders, and organizations on faith and sexuality conflicts, practices and models of reconciliation, and the theology and practice of Christian civility.