In the 1970s, a small group of gay men was inspired by the Southeastern Conference for Lesbians and Gay Men to begin annual spiritual retreats at Running Water, a North Carolina farm that was one of the sanctuaries of the Radical Faerie movement. The Faeries emphasized individuality and organized events by consensus. By 1989, development around Running Water farm made large gatherings there impractical. Seeking alternatives, several men realized they wanted to change more than just location. A new, Atlanta-based organization – Gay Spirit Visions – was created, and our first conference was held in 1990. While maintaining some of the elements and philosophies of the early, Faerie-inspired Running Water gatherings, Gay Spirit Visions hoped to be accessible to gay and bisexual men of all spiritual paths.
By November 1995, with six successful fall conferences behind us, we decided to incorporate. A charter was signed on December 22, 1995, 12:50 AM, halfway between the Winter Solstice and New Moon. After successfully navigating bureaucracy within the Georgia Secretary of State’s office, we became legally incorporated as The Council of Trusted Elders of Gay Spirit Visions, Inc. in January 1996. Leading us that first year were Bernhard Zinkgraf as Presiding Elder, Epiminondas Sam Coppock as Bursar, Al Cotton as Recording Elder, and Treewalker Martin Isganitis and David Salyer as Elders at Large. The remaining charter members, or planners as they were called at the time, were Joe Chancey, Dandelion Bruce Tidwell, Jeff Glauser, Magic Boy Todd Kinney, Jonathan Lerner, Bruce Parrish, John Stowe, and King Thackston. The council and planners also received advice and guidance from west coast resident and author Andrew Ramer.
Over time, Gay Spirit Visions, or GSV as it is commonly known today, has evolved considerably as an organization. We began by organizing and facilitating our annual fall conference, but now offer winter and spring retreats, publish an online journal, Visionary, maintain Internet-based communications and sponsor a variety of events, including potlucks. Although we are an Atlanta-based group, our events draw men not only from the southeast, but the entire country and occasionally Canada and abroad.
How it Began
Simply titled “Celebrating Gay Spirit Visions,” our first fall conference in 1990 was inspired by a tradition of gay men’s gatherings held from 1978 through1989 at Running Water, a farm and retreat center in the mountains of North Carolina.
In 1978, Running Water owner Mikel Wilson invited a men’s caucus from the Southeastern Conference for Lesbian and Gay Men to meet at his mountain homestead, hoping such a gathering would encourage discussion and exploration of spirituality and alternative gay male identities.
John Jones, Rocco Patt, Peter Kendrick, and Ron Lambe purchased Running Water from Mikel Wilson in 1979, desiring to live and develop an intentional community there. They incorporated as Stepping Stone, a legal entity holding the title to Running Water. Soon, twice-yearly gatherings were scheduled and Running Water became one of the sanctuaries of the Radical Faerie movement. RFD, A Country Journal for Gay Men Everywhere was published at Running Water from 1980 to 1988. But by 1989, development around Running Water made large events there impossible and the land was sold.
Running Water was gone, but fortunately Stepping Stone wanted to sponsor an alternative event. Former Running Water dwellers Peter Kendrick, Ron Lambe and Raven Wolfdancer, all Radical Faerie veterans, hoped to keep the energy of earlier gatherings alive. But they also wanted to refocus and create a less anarchic, more structured event accessible to gay and bisexual men of all spiritual paths. A new location had to be identified as well. The Mountain, an affirming Unitarian Universalist affiliated retreat center outside Highlands, North Carolina, welcomed us after several southeastern conference centers refused to accommodate a gay event.
Harry Hay, founder of the Mattachine Society and the Radical Faeries, was invited to keynote the first Gay Spirit Visions conference (Harry's keynote address). There were also presentations by visionary writer Andrew Ramer and Atlanta poet Franklin Abbott. And although now traditionally held around the autumnal equinox in September, that first conference was held in November.
Gay Spirit Visions is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.
