Micah Matthias 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.

Brian Murphy was raised in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC and despite a four year forlough in sunny Southern California, recently returned to the east coast--sharing a house in New Jersey--to be closer to his family. He works in film, television, and graphic/print design, but is a math and science geek at heart. Brian studied film & television production at the University of Southern California, with a minor in religion where he is a member Theta Alpha Kappa, the national religious honor society. In 2007, Brian participated in the Soulforce Q Equality Ride, along with Micah, and the New York Right to Marry campaign. Today, he calls Marble Collegiate in midtown Manhattan his church home.

In addition to our work with Sanctuary Collective, we have also been able to facilitate workshops on a number of topics. We'd love to come to your community, school, conference, or place of worship to share them with you! Here's a list of topics we've covered in the past:

Nonviolence - What does nonviolence look like in our daily lives? In our organizing? Is it even effective?
Grassroots/campus organizing - How do we make our ideas come to life? What if we have no money?
Intersection of faith and LGBTQ issues - What does it look like to be an LGBTQ person of faith today? What if I've been hurt by Christianity?
What the Bible really says about the LGBTQ experience - What about that handful of passages? Can LGBTQ people be a part of the body of Christ?
Trans 101 - What does it mean to be transgender? What should I do if my friend/family member/co-worker/acquaintance lets me know that they're trans? How can I be an ally?
Progressive theology - What does the Bible have to say about justice and oppressed people groups?
Gender and the Bible - Doesn't the Bible have strict gender roles? What does that mean for us today?

Of course, we'd also love to come and speak about what our reconciling work within Christian communities has looked like thus far. Please contact us if you'd like to have us come to you!

And here are things we've got coming up in the near future:

Philadelphia Trans Health Conference: June 10 - 13
Soulforce Q Camp in Austin, TX: July 20 - 22
Gender Odyssey in Seattle, WA: September 5 - 7