I’m adding a page to the blog where I will be writing about Respectful Confrontation, a practice or process of effective communication organized by Joe Weston. Joe teaches workshops, has a book, writes a blog, and otherwise spreads lots of great information about this practice which combines ideas, exercises, tools, breathing, ways of thinking and most importantly- ways of interacting, which can truly change the world.

At the heart of Respectful Confrontation® is the belief that it is possible to stand in your power, speak your truth, hear the truth of others, and get your needs met in a way that won’t harm you or others. Confrontation is nothing more than open-hearted engagement, and ultimately, the most effective way to avoid and resolve conflict.

With the tools and exercises of Respectful Confrontation, you will have the ability to solve problems, overcome personal challenges, and feel empowered to live the life you choose.

I’ve now taken a few workshops with Joe, and I believe that his ideas about Respectful Confrontation provide keys to how the LGBTQ movement can continue to make progress towards full equality. So, what I hope to do here, is offer my thoughts about Respectful Confrontation towards that end. If it seems like,I am plugging Joe’s work, or his book, or so- I guess I am. It has had a profound impact on me, and I believe it can have an impact on you too. While the work may appear on the surface to be all about personal growth, it is very much also about the ending of conflict and solving problems. As advocates working in progressive causes and activists for Equal Rights, it is our actions individually and collectively which can hasten or hinder the journey to full equality.