The Collective

Abby Reikow

Philadelphia, PA
Donor, Support Team

Abby is a fantastically fierce ally from the city of brotherly love. She is a fast and loyal friend, and was our first donor to Sanctuary Collective. She also put together one of our best resources - the guide on how to start a QSA - on our “How do I make it bigger” page.

Amanda Harris

Brooklyn, NY
Support Team

Amanda lives in Brooklyn, but is forever connected to her southern heritage after growing up in Arkansas. She teaches us all a lot about gender and femme identity, and is always quick to respond when a call for help goes out to the Collective.

Andrea Cofino

New York, NY
Support Team

A recent graduate of Pace University, Andrea wants to continue a career in LGBTQ activism through the arts (specifically spoken word) and nonprofit work. She has a strong passion for equality and an interest in queer theory and gender politics, and is looking forward to spending a lot of time in the field of LGBTQ activism and working to create a safer space for youth through Sanctuary Collective.

Angel Collie

Raleigh, NC
Prayer Team

Angel is studying at UNC with hopes to one day be a minister. He works for the MCC, and brings his passion for prayer to our Sanctuary Collective team.

Brandy Daniels

Durham, NC
Support Team

Brandy is a third year graduate student at Duke University and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, pursuing a dual-Masters degree in social work and divinity. She plans to do doctoral work in areas of faith and sexuality, primarily looking at how post-structuralist philosophy impacts a theological ethics of sexuality.

Brandy has been involved in a slew of progressive activism, largely centering around gender and sexuality. She was media director for the 2006 Soulforce Equality Ride, and is currently serving as the co-coordinator of the Duke Divinity Women’s Center and Sacred Worth, the divinity school LGBT group.

“Oh, and I’m queer!”

Brian Murphy

Brooklyn, NY
Donor, Leadership Team

Brian was raised in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC and despite a four year furlough in sunny Southern California, recently returned to the east coast—sharing a house in New York—to be closer to his family. He works in film, television, and graphic/print design, but is a math and science geek at heart.

Cait MacIntyre

Austin, TX
Donor, Support Team

Cait is a queer-parented lady and considers that a major part of her identity. She thinks Sanctuary Collective is so fabulous because she feels like it recognizes that all of our liberations are tied up together, and takes a stance of working together to free all of us from oppression.

Cameron Whitley

Lansing, MI
Support Team

Cameron started his masters in pastoral ministry a few years ago at the Iliff School of Theology, but left school in 2005 after the United Methodist Judicial Council’s decision (1032) that UMC pastors have the authority to decide who is acceptable as a church member, meaning they could reject (outright) members who were open about their sexual orientation. In spite of this, he has always felt called to pastoral care/counseling and ministry, and is excited to offer his skills to the Sanctuary Collective.

Casey Chandler-Alexander

Brooklyn, NY
Donor, NYC Community

Casey is passionate about children with special needs, and is a teacher for 3 year olds with autism. She supports Sanctuary Collective because so many people feel like they can’t keep their LGBTQ identity and religious and spiritual identities at the same time, and she wants to work to make that change. Some of her greatest contributions are the unwavering and unconditional support she offers to Micah, and her willingness to allow Sanctuary Collective to operate out of their apartment for the time being.

Casey Pick

Lakewood, CA
Donor

Casey has a long history of activism and advocacy. She co-directed the 2007 Soulforce Q Right to Marry campaign, is active with the Log Cabin Republicans, and closely follows political and judicial developments that affect LGBTQ people. Casey is also a loyal friend, critical thinker, and committed Christian. She brings passion to every project and is honored to be a part of Sanctuary Collective. Casey completed her undergraduate degree at Claremont Colleges, her law degree at UCLA, and hopes to relocate soon to Washington, DC.

Cat Moran

Tappan, NY
Support Team

Cat has been doing organizing work for a long time - she led the GSA at her high school, and has also given a workshop through GLSEN at a Catholic high school that had no resources for LGBTQ kids. She’s not particularly faith-oriented, and thinks that the work that we’re doing is extremely important for people who are. For that reason, she’s happy to be on the support team.

Charlie Solidum

Tappan, NY
Support Team

Charlie is a spiritually-minded recovering ex-catholic who likes to help queers of any persuasion find peace within their lives. He has an unwavering belief and commitment to the happiness and fortitude of the LGBTQ community, and thinks that Sanctuary Collective fills a very valuable niche within the spectrum for supporting our LGBTQ young folks.

Crystallee Crain

Oakland, CA
Support Team

Crystallee’s passions are in the LGBT & Racial Equality movement, but she also realizes and supports the intersectional relationships that all social justice movements experience. She supports the Sanctuary Collective because she feels that there is still a large need for people of faith of be organized in non-secular and secular circles.

Cylest Andaloro-Brooks

Milwaukee, WI
Support Team

Despite a deep connection to God from an early age, Cylest’s beliefs were turned upside down through higher education within western Christianity.  After years of suppressing a queer identity, and after cycles of fear, confusion, self-hatred, hatred with God, hatred with the Church, and anger, Cylest has reclaimed her relationship with God.  She is involved with Sanctuary Collective so that others may not need to experience the same struggles she did and she hopes to bless LGBTQ young people with a model of healthy faith.

Delfin Bautista

New Haven, CT
Discipleship Program

Delfin hails from Miami, FL and is currently in his last year at Yale Divinity school. He is the first openly queer and Latin@ student council president at YDS, has a Masters of Social Work, participated in the 2007 Soulforce Q Equality Ride, worked with the Religious Institute since 2008. Deflin’s extensive background includes HIV/AIDS case management, trauma therapy with victims of crime, and working in child welfare. He is committed to bridging religion with LGBTQ issues, social justice, and issues of violence. He is deeply thrilled, thankful, and exuberant to be involved with Sanctuary Collective.

Emily West

Holland, MI
Discipleship Program

I believe in Sanctuary Collective. I celebrate its passion and love and grace as a crucial part of the body of Christ. I am excited by how the spirit is moving. I celebrate the haven that Sanctuary Collective is and the divine goodness it will continue to channel.  I am thrilled and honored to be invited to be a part of this collective community that can and will challenge me to love.

Enzi Tanner

Minneapolis, MN
Support Team

Enzi is pursuing his MDiv in peace and justice and is passionate about many different social justice issues. He believes that it is important for queer communities to be reconciled to their faith community where desired and he believes that Sanctuary Collective has that same goal in mind.

Jess Kalup

Philadelphia, PA
Support Team

Jess is another of our fantastic allies who devotes much of her time working for queer and trans safety and equality. She’s also a true blue friend, will tell it like it is, and will make you laugh at things you never thought could be funny.

Kate Fontana

Seattle, WA
Discipleship Program

My life as a person of faith has been full of blessings and full of challenge.  I struggle to live as a queer person within a faith tradition not overtly welcoming to such people—but I am not yet willing to give up on my church community, and understand it to be a powerful instrument for personal and social transformation.  I carry within myself just as many prejudices and ideas that separate rather than unite.  But I hope through my involvement with the Sanctuary Collective to be given the chance to grow in community with others who face similar challenges; develop skills to let go of my own judgements and listen with compassion to those with whom I do not agree or who are different; and seek out ways to live as my whole self with my church community.

Kelsey Pacha

San Francisco, CA
Discipleship Program

Kelsey is an Iowa transplant to San Francisco, CA, who works in social services with people with disabilities and homeless youth. While struggling to be an out, queer Christian, Kelsey found Christian service and fellowship through Young Life and a weekly accountability group with friends to be a significant part of the high school experience. A passionate leader within LGBT communities, Kelsey seeks reconciliation with faith traditions. Kelsey feels extraordinarily blessed to be working with some old buddies to make a Christian organization that is affirming for people of all sexualities and genders.

L. Maxx Andreas

New York, NY
NYC Community, Support Team

Leo has been a friend of Sanctuary Collective from the beginning. He began participating before anything was formalized and lends his help in all areas—organizing volunteers, spreading the word, and even helping to cut and collate. His candor and humor are infectious and invaluable for the work of LGBTQ organizing.  He has served as a peer-educator and is currently studying to be an EMT.

Laura Hadden

Brooklyn, NY
Support Team

Laura is a progressive powerhouse, and she uses video and digital media to tell people’s stories. She’s very excited to engage with others through the Sanctuary Collective about the unique & complex intersections of faith and LGBTQ identities, and collaborate on strategies of making both communities more welcoming of one another.

Lauren Parke

Seattle, WA
Discipleship Program

I envision a type of activism that doesn’t stop at identifying and decrying the problems and injustices that surround us, but that offers new and creative alternatives and models of a culture based on justice and compassion.  The Sanctuary Collective represents this type of positive, collaborative work.  I’m anxious to learn from and network with others in the Collective as I work toward a more inclusive model of activism in my own life.  As a participant in the Discipleship Program, I look forward to being challenged and inspired in unanticipated ways, allowing me to enter this upcoming year with greater energy and renewed hope.

Marc Manera

New York, NY
NYC Community

Marc was raised in Barcelona and moved to NYC after finishing his PhD on cosmology. He likes science and works at a university. He had been involved many years in scouting. He is intersted in theology and had collaborated with Christian organizations and groups that support LGBT people. Once in New York he found Sanctuary Collective to be an awesome place to continue building the Kingdom of God.

Marie MacIntyre

Prayer Team

Marie is a lover of Jesus and a beloved child of God.  She is a great believer in prayer and works through her Mennonite church on peace and justice issues.  Her daughter Cait is teaching her everyday how to be an ally. 

Matthew Beams

Jersey City, NJ
Leadership Team, Prayer Team

Matt began working for social justice in 1990, when he, a handful of LGBT students, and their allies started the “Lambda Coalition” at the University of Richmond, Virginia. The Lambda Coalition hosted a number of events that challenged the University’s established order including a well-attended rally on campus hosting LGBT veterans fighting for the rights of all people to serve in the military. Today Matt lives in Jersey City, NJ, in an apartment he shares with friends, close to his family.  He loves Star Trek for its beautiful promise of a future in which all folks work together for a common purpose with peace in mind.  He also sings in the Festival of Voices choir and serves as the co-chair of the Young Adult Fellowship at Marble Church.

Micah Matthias

Brooklyn, NY
Leadership Team

Micah is a trans man discovering the wonder of his mid-twenties existence. He lives in Brooklyn with his beautiful partner Casey, two orange cats, and a couch and air mattress that are always open for visitors. His favorite graphic novel is Blankets (by Craig Thompson), favorite tv show is Firefly, and he owns a black Washburn acoustic guitar with a pickup that he still uses mainly to play worship songs. He has a loving family who relocated from Newport News, Virginia to Illinois, and a fantastic group of supportive friends in New York City and Philadelphia (where he went to school). He believes that he learns something from every situation, and that his life is pretty fantastic these days.

Nicole Garcia

Denver, CO
Support Team

Nicole works for Lutherans Concerned - a team of folks working to make the Lutheran denomination more inclusive of LGBTQ people. She was the first to offer us her personal story to share on our site, and is a great resource for Sanctuary Collective.

Peter Macari

New York, NY
Donor, NYC Community

Peter is a graduate of Eastern University, a small baptist school in St. David’s, PA. He is a steadfast supporter of Brian, Micah, and Matthew and readily got behind Sanctuary Collective as the first monthly donor.  He works in entertainment marketing, lives in the Lower East Side; sings in two choirs; is a member of Front Runners New York, an LGBT running group; and attends Marble Collegiate Church.

Peterson Toscano

Hartford, CT
Support Team

Peterson is a theatrical performance activist using comedy & storytelling to address social justice concerns. He spent 17 years and over $30,000 on three continents attempting to change and suppress his same-sex orientation and gender differences. Since 2003 he has traveled in North America, Europe, and Africa performing and speaking in the media. Having spent a decade detoxing from years of repression and misinformation, he began to go beyond his own experience and write plays that explore sexism, racism, the environment, violence and gender. His newest play is about transgender Bible characters.

Roman Rimer

Brooklyn, NY
Support Team

Roman is super nice, and doesn’t identify as male or female. Roman also grew up in the Bay Area and suburbs of Chicago, and loves art, improv, performing, and awesome vegan food - and more than anything, giving love to people.  Roman sees the good in everyone, and thinks we’re all the same regardless of our beliefs and the bodies we were born into. 

Sam Crowell

Bronx, NY
Discipleship Program, NYC Community

Sam recently moved from Kansas and his walk in faith has seen changes after living in a new environment. Through life’s twists and turns he believes that God provides too much beauty in the world to give up. Sam lives a life full of optimistic values, and tries to share them through his involvement with Marble Collegiate Church, previous involvement with Young Life, and the family and friends that he holds close. Being an ally to the LGBTQ community has been one of the most meaningful aspects of his Christian journey, and feels blessed to have had the chance to meet and befriend those involved with Sanctuary Collective.

Sam Lundquist

Los Angeles, CA
Support Team

Sam Lundquist is a West Coast transplant from Iowa trying to bring a little bit of the heartland to Los Angeles. He followed his heart to Thinkwell Group where he created, directed, and produced theme parks, attractions, shows, resorts, and exhibits. Two years in, he walked away to work with non-profit and faith-based groups—including some spiffy design work for Sanctuary Collective—and founded The Hope Chronicles. We are thankful that Sam shares his passion for design and his evangelical zeal with us in pursuit of justice for LGBTQ people.

Taj Smith

Santa Cruz, CA
Support Team

Taj is a supporter of Sanctuary Collective from the west coast who’s working to create safe spaces for young people to talk about faith and how it relates to their LGBTQ identities. He was the first person we didn’t already know that volunteered to be a part of our support team, and he’s excited to bring his passion to Sanctuary Collective.

Vincent Cervantes

Riverside, CA
Prayer Team, Support Team

Vincent is a gay Christian activist with a dedication to theatre, music, and performance art. As a religious studies major, he spends much of his time exploring and researching different walks of faith and their interactions with the LGBTQ community and he plans to pursue ordination. He was a rider on the 2007 Soulforce Q Equality Ride, serves on the board of the Reconciling Ministries Network (United Methodist), and is a survivor of the “ex-gay” movement.

Zakariah Rittenhouse

Brooklyn, NY
NYC Community

Zak is a recent transplant to New York from Ohio after participating in the 2008 Equality Ride. He currently works at Green Chimneys as a unit supervisor for a transitional living program for homeless and runaway queer youth. He sees the work that he does with homeless queer youth and the work he does for Sanctuary Collective as going hand in hand in addressing a larger problem, since religion is the number one reason why most of his youth are in the program. He hopes that one day that the work he does with Sanctuary Collective will work him out of a job, through right now he is enjoying the work he does. He’s a regular at the Sanctuary Collective house, a close friend, and loyal supporter.