The Carpenter Program has partnered with the Cal Turner Program in Moral Leadership in the Professions (link) to launch the Courageous Voices in Action: The LGBTQIA+ Advocacy Cohort in August 2024. This project will develop leaders who will advocate for LGBTQIA+ justice and inclusion in religiously complex social and moral landscapes.
Participants will be adults in Nashville, TN – such as business leaders, professionals, lay religious leaders, and primary caretakers – who desire to build their competency, resilience, religious literacy, and skills in advocating for socially just futures.
The pilot cohort (AY 2024-25) will be 10-15 participants who will meet twice a month from September through May (once in-person, once virtually). Religious Studies scholars, LGBTQIA+ collaborators, and community activists will provide workshops and modules for group learning and discussion. The pilot year will focus on participants in Nashville, TN (Davidson County).