Making Queer Quaker History: Learning, Resistance, & Renewal for Queer Quakers and Allies (A Fall Retreat)
Making Queer Quaker History
Learning, Resistance, & Renewal for Queer Quakers and Allies (A Fall Retreat)
October 17–19, 2025 | Woolman Hill Quaker Retreat Center, Deerfield, MA
Join us for a weekend of deep learning, spirited resistance, and gentle renewal as autumn colors blanket the hills of western Massachusetts.
This retreat invites queer Friends and allies into a cozy, spacious gathering to share the untold histories of queer inclusion, struggle, and resilience within the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). Together, we will honor the past, wrestle with the present, and imagine liberatory futures, while tending to our own spirits in the embrace of community and nature.
What to expect:
Lively presentations on queer Quaker history and activism;
Reflective workshops on queer approaches to the Inner Light, worship, and resistance;
Nourishing meals, fireside conversations, and time for rest; and
Walks through autumn woods, open sky, and worship
Whether you’re new to Quakerism or long-steeped in its practice, you are welcome here. Come as you are—with your questions, your longings, your grief, your joy.
Facilitators: Brian Blackmore, Jennifer Newman, and guest leaders (bios below)
Come make queer Quaker history with warmth, courage, and community this fall.
Cost and Registration
We are committed to financial accessibility: please pay what fits in your personal budget (at whatever amount), encourage your faith community to financially support your participation if that is appropriate, and let us know if you have additional questions related to fees. A non-refundable deposit of $50 is required to hold a space for a program unless otherwise arranged. If you need to cancel, the deposit can be applied to a future workshop within 18 months. The balance is due at the beginning of the workshop.
Arrival and departure
Arrive Friday after 4:00 PM; dinner at 6:00 PM. We close by 2:00 PM Sunday. Woolman Hill is located in Deerfield, MA, near I-91 and Route 2. Directions and carpool info will be sent to registrants. Nearest Amtrak and bus station is in Greenfield, MA (10 minutes away); contact us if you need a ride from the station.
Room and board
We offer simple lodging (mostly double occupancy) in our main buildings, with shared bathrooms. We also have rustic cabins with electricity, wood stoves, and outhouses. The meetinghouse and first floor of the main building are wheelchair accessible; let us know your access needs when you register. We will serve nourishing, home-cooked meals with vegetarian options; please share any dietary restrictions.
As part of community life, guests help with meal chores and final clean-up.
What to bring
Please bring toiletries, towels, and bedding (sleeping bag or sheets/blanket). Pillows provided. Pack cozy layers for fall, sturdy shoes, a flashlight, journal, art supplies, and anything that helps you feel at home.
Please do not bring pets or candles.
Limited cell reception and internet; we invite you to unplug and be fully present.
Covid protocols
You can read Woolman Hill’s general Covid guidelines here. Please contact us if you have questions.
We look forward to welcoming you to the hill!
About our facilitators
Brian Blackmore
For over a decade, Brian has been researching both the evolution of unprogrammed “liberal” Quakerism towards becoming a more inclusive and welcoming religious community for LGBTIAQ+ people and the role many Quakers played in the advancement of the gay rights movement. He is the author of To Hear and To Respond: The Quakers’ Groundbreaking Push for Gay Liberation, 1946-1973 and a handful of essays about queer Quaker history. He currently serves as the Director of Quaker Engagement at the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC).
Jennifer Newman
Jennifer Newman (she/her) is a dynamic and experienced facilitator and program designer. Jennifer is queer, a Quaker, and holds a Master of Theological Studies from Vanderbilt Divinity School, where she focused her studies on Religion, Gender, and Sexuality. She is currently the Executive Director of Beacon Hill Friends House.