Schedule: Monday, Nov. 4; 7-9 p.m.
Tuition: Free, register by Oct. 28
Enrollment: Open
Members of this panel will discuss the gifts and challenges of living a life of faith and spirituality as LGBTQ+ persons and community. We will share stories and explore what it means to create communities of respect that honors diverse expressions of faith.
Maria Luisa Cesar is the founder of Greater Good, a communications consulting firm rooted in storytelling. She has worked in the office of Mayor Ron Nirenberg as a senior policy advisor and deputy communications director. Cesar began her professional career as a journalist for the San Antonio Express-News. She’s an alumna of the New Leaders Council, a nonprofit organization that works to recruit, train and promote young progressive leaders, and is a volunteer at OWL Radio, where she reads newspapers to the visually impaired. Maria Luisa was born in Caracas, Venezuela, and received a B.A. in print journalism from the University of Texas at Austin.
DeAnne Cuellar is a digital equity advocate and communications strategist from San Antonio, Texas. She is currently the Texas State Director of Older Adults Technology Services (OATS), and serves as Mayor Ron Nirenberg’s digital inclusion appointee to the City of San Antonio’s Innovation & Technology Committee. After an FCC localism hearing in 2004, she co-founded the Media Justice League with the Office of Communication, Inc., and grassroots organizations in San Antonio, advocating media justice and digital inclusion for historically underrepresented communities. As a young woman she actively organized within the independent music and media community for several years, challenging racist, sexist, homophobic, and classist representations of San Antonians and South Texas communities. DeAnne is a sought after advocate focused on fostering equitable Internet access for all, and specializes in using her media and advocacy experience to implement effective digital communications to improve the quality and quantity of media coverage representing Texans.
Rev. Dr. William H. Knight, the transition from actor, singer, producer, writer director to minister, teacher, and counselor began on a Wednesday night when William attended a class being held at the home of legendary singer/actress Della Reese. This first meeting was to become a working relationship that endured and prospered for over twenty-three years. In 2007, his spiritual path led him to the welcoming arms of MCC—Metropolitan Community Church. He has served MCC congregations in Tucson AZ, San Jose and San Francisco CA, Hawaii, and is now serving as Senior Pastor of MCC San Antonio. Rev. Knight is a national speaker and activist for the LGBTQ+ community, particularly relating to protecting students and employees from discrimination based on sexual and gender identity.
Miguel Ochoa, an active member in his Catholic community, is a graduate of the University of the Incarnate Word with a B.A. in Music and an M.A. in Teaching. Miguel has been involved in liturgical ministry since his early teens when he was an acolyte and sang in his church choir. He is currently a public school choir director and continues to serve his Catholic community through music leadership, retreat planning, and youth and young adult ministry. Miguel met his husband Jose while they were both serving in the US Air Force. They have been married for 3 1/2 years now and both continue serving and volunteering in various capacities within their church community.
Register here.