In the beginning, Gay Spirit Visions was comprised of an all-volunteer group of men who planned and facilitated our annual fall conference. Known simply as the planning committee, there were no officers or titles, only a commitment to working by consensus – a process embraced by the Radical Faeries and adopted by the earliest members of the governing body of GSV. Reaching consensus meant giving all men assembled an opportunity to be heard with the ultimate goal being solidarity of opinion.

More structure and by-laws followed legal incorporation in January 1996. As Gay Spirit Visions evolved, the planning committee was officially rechristened The Council of Gay Spirit Visions. Each year, the Council typically consists of around a dozen men, with responsibilities now extending well beyond the complexities of conference planning. While many things have changed, some do remain the same: We continue to be an all-volunteer organization, arriving at decisions by consensus.

The officers on The Council of Gay Spirit Visions are called Trusted Elders, while the remaining volunteers are Stewards. Portfolios of responsibility have been established for all Trusted Elders, but our intention is to have Trusted Elders and Stewards work together as a team to fulfill our goals.

How does a man become a member of The Council of Gay Spirit Visions?

Several ways! Sometimes men attend an event and have a desire to join us. Other times, Council members approach a man and ask him to consider joining. Men are welcome to sit in on any regularly scheduled Council meeting and observe our process so that they can determine if it’s a good fit. If a man feels called to this service, he would join by submitting a short Letter of Intention expressing his commitment to the Council’s work and offering any particular skills or areas of interest he may want us to know about.

What kind of commitment does it take to be on the Council?

We ask that men commit to attending at least nine (9) out of twelve (12) monthly meetings (held the fourth Saturday of every month), serve on at least one Council subcommittee and participate in the planning and facilitation of the annual fall conference.