3501 Valley View Dr, Bangor, PA, USA
September 12 - 14, 2025
About this Retreat
Grace Aheron is an Asian American Queer feminist from the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. She is the Communications Director at SURJ, the largest organization in the US that explicitly organizes majority-white communities to undermine the power of the far right and contribute towards building a multiracial democracy. She has contributed towards campaigns that have stopped new jails, abortion bans, and MAGA candidates. She's a lifelong Episcopal member of the Body of Christ.
Riot Mueller is a second generation queer lesbian (Dad is gay!!), artist, hospital chaplain and UMC provisional pastor originally from Seattle, WA. Getting their M. Div at Union Theological Seminary solely because of the legacy of James Cone and Dietrich Bonhoeffer and deeply informed by 12 step spirituality — Riot is an enneagram 7 who loves to connect, hang out, be close, laugh, listen and sing with others. Former host of The Moth StorySlam in New Orleans, LA and director of live queer, site specific, immersive, punk theater pieces. Riot randomly came to be saved aka freed aka empowered and convicted by the model of Jesus Christ as a sweetie friend who wants us all to be free after being raised extremely atheist/agnostic “Catholic” in downtown Seattle and spending lots of time as “a sinner with saint proclivities” and vice versa, as the esteemed Cornel West would say. Looking forward to being together!
Details of this retreat
What was it like to come out in the 1970s and 80s? What is it like to come out now? What stories would you like to tell about coming into your full gender expression, whether as trans, butch, femme, androgynous, nonbinary, agender, or something equally glorious? What other stories are important to your lesbian or queer development?
Stories are how we connect, how we learn about one another, how we come to love one another. As elders, middle-aged people, and young queer and trans people in a world too often hostile, we need each other. Let’s build friendships across the generations.
This retreat builds on nearly 40 years of “Sisterly Conversations” retreats for people who identify as lesbians of faith and spirit. The weekend is open to anyone who relates to identities that might be named that way. Trans and nonbinary people are warmly welcomed.
Facilitators: Riot Mueller and Grace Aheron