Leadership Conference - April, 2005
In April, I flew to Phoenix, AZ, to attend a leadership conference, where
I gave a lecture on morals and ethics and how modern politics twists both
until you get neither (yes, I'm over simplifying). I met some fun people,
all dedicated to the idea
that personal freedoms and privacy rights are worth fighting for.
Jennifer Skrukwa and her friend Jim Duvall. She taught about teaching
"sex ed" to adults for fun and profit. In an age when the HIV/AIDS epidemic
is providing an excuse for numerous "sex=evil=death" messages, it's nice that
someone is providing sex-positive information to consenting adults.
To me, it is interesting that she lives in Vacouver and is able
to make a living teaching sexuality, which isn't as lucaritve as one might imagine.
Apparently, this is a viable way to make a living, in part, because the Canadian
government provides health care for free. Her wholesome, innocent look
doesn't hurt, either.
Americans, by contrast, need to make enough money to cover health care themselves,
work for a big corporation with a health plan, or simply do without.
If I was a conspiracy theorist, I'd say that the American health care system
was designed to kill off the hippies and freaks--or rather the modern
equivalent--thus making the world safe for so-called normal people. But I'm
not a conspiracy theorist so I won't say that.
Myself and Steve Lenius. I met Steve in Minneapolis years ago (1998) when I was
doing volunteer work for the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom. I got a mention
in his column in Lavendar magazine. By the way, my t-shirt promotes HIPS, a group in
Washington, DC, that distributes condoms and counseling to sexworkers on the street.
Given the hours (up until 5 am on Fridays and Saturdays) volunteering for them
is an exercise in sleep deprivation; I only go out with the condom van once
or twice per month.
Rob, myself, and conference organizer Bert Cutler. Rob lectured on the history and
sociology of censorship.
Bert and his significant other (this is where I get in trouble for forgetting
a name--I do that a lot). They have this "American Gothic" thang going on which
I liked. I'm glad they were kind enough to pose for a picture.
Sorcha and myself. On her suggestion, Sorcha, Rob and I had dinner at the
Biltmore, a hotel designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Upon arrival, I recognized
it as the site of my sister Carolyn's wedding, many years ago.
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Leadership Conference 2005 Pictures / Jonathan Krall / revised December
2011