Date: Saturday, November 7, 2026
Conference times: Online
8:30am-2:30pm PT
9:30am-3:30pm MT
11:30am - 5:30pm ET
Our annual professional development day for everyone who is doing the work: advocates, faith leaders, organizers, volunteers, allies, and 2SLGBTQIA+ folks. This year is built around what you've been asking for - practical tools for hard times.
We'll dig into engaging vulnerable people with real skill, unpacking what it actually takes to be Public, Intentional and Explicit about affirmation, not just welcoming in theory. And we'll get into tactical frivolity and how joy gets organized.
Everyone, whether you're seasoned or just getting started, is welcome to join in!
Workshops:
PIE in Practice - for People and Communities, with Pam Rocker
Engaging Vulnerable Persons, with Alpha House Calgary
Queering Our Sacred Stories Through Emergent Ritual - Drag Communion, Dungeons & Dragons, and the Cultural Campfire, with Ben Dobyns
Communal Singing for Justice - with Patti Powell
TICKETS:
Tiered Admission: $15-$35-$60
Video recording add-on: $15-$25 (receive access to workshop recordings for 7 days)
Peace Team Training: Nonviolent Skills to Protect Our Communities
Recordings
You can still buy access to the online sessions here, and the in-person hands-on training day here. Access to the session recordings of Session One and Session Two, including accompanying resources. After purchase, we'll email you the link and password to view the recordings and the additional resources. Recording access ends October 19.
More and more, communities are facing hostility, harassment, and threats to their safety, and a lot of us want to show up for the people and places we love but aren't sure how. Here is where you learn how.
You'll learn practical skills in nonviolent action, de-escalation, and community-led safety, taught by Nonviolent Peaceforce, who have spent 20+ years keeping people safe in some of the hardest places on earth, from Ukraine to South Sudan. You'll leave with real skills, the confidence to use them, and everything you need to start a peace team of your own, through your church, your organization, or your community.
This training and accessible pricing is made possible through support from McKillop United Church and a grant from the Brian and Belva Piercy Endowment Fund at The United Church of Canada Foundation, through the Seeds of Hope program.
Queer Theology Video Series:
Jaye Brix on Deconstructing Bad Theology
Bad theology hurts. It hurts the 2SLGBTQIAP+ community, it hurts our communities of faith, and it hurts folks who feel held down under the thumb of harmful language, tradition, and belief.
This three-week series invites us into a process of deconstructing the theologies that restrict us as we seek to expand our affirming ministry and live out faithful discipleship that celebrates diversity as sacred. Jaye Brix (they/she) joined us live at our third session! Jaye is an ex-pastor who uses their experience, education, and creativity to help folks on their liberation journey, leaving behind ‘church’ that hurts.
Watch all three sessions on our Vimeo channel here.
Hosted by Affirming Connections and Pacific Mountain Region Affirming Ministry.
Share your support for trans youth!
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Queer Interfaith Coalition
The Queer Interfaith Coalition (QIC) and its Affirming allies are reclaiming the religious voice from those who have sought to weaponize faith. We believe that all 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals are created in the Divine Image and that advocacy for their human rights is not antithetical to faith, but a central tenet of our religious faiths.
To learn more and sign onto our open letter, visit our page here.
Join our United Against Hate campaign!
Affirming Connections stands in support of drag performers, trans, gender diverse, Two Spirit and LGBTQIA+ communities across Canada.
We have seen an apparent rise in malicious misinformation, conspiracy theories, threats, and violence that target drag performers, and the queer and trans communities. In 2023 alone, hate crimes against the queer community rose by 69%, and this number continues to increase.
Add your name to this letter with 400+ others show your public support for 2SLGBTQ+ people who have been facing the brunt of this targeted discrimination. Your voice on this issue truly matters.
Drag FAQ’s Answered
Affirming Connections started the United Against Hate campaign to address the surge in misinformation, disinformation, and violence targeting drag performers and trans people. We compiled a list of the most frequently asked questions we encounter, then asked experts from a variety of fields—including affirming faith leaders, drag performers, educators, academics and researchers—to answer them.
