Unashamed Love Collective is a membership-based community of LGBTQ+ people, allies, parents, family members, and affirming faith leaders. Members gain access to a private online community, virtual monthly hangouts, monthly book club meetings featuring live author interviews, weekly discussion questions, and discounted tickets to other ULC events.
THE UNASHAMED LOVE COLLECTIVE
is a beautifully diverse group of people that have stolen my heart. I love that this space creates opportunities for people to learn, grow, and build authentic community in ways that are deeply healing, regardless of who we are or how we identify. Members have found this community to be their safe haven and main source of support in the midst of hard life transitions. I hope you will join us for this amazing and enriching adventure and become a part of the Unashamed Love Collective!
AMBER CANTORNA, FOUNDER AND HOST
LEADERSHIP
AMBER CANTORNA-WYLDE (she/her)
Founder and Host
A storyteller and shepherd at heart, Amber loves to gather the spiritual nomads, the wanderers, the doubters, the seekers, and especially those who have been pushed to the margins of society and/or church and bring them into a place that feels like home. A national speaker, coach, and educator supporting LGBTQ+ people as they navigate their coming out process, Amber is passionate about educating others on the importance of full inclusion.
She's the author of Refocusing My Family and Unashamed (the first coming-out guide for LGBTQ people of faith) and her third book will release Oct. 2023. As the founder of the Unashamed Love Collective, creating this beautifully diverse and inclusive online community for LGBTQ+ people, parents, and allies has become one of her greatest joys.
Amber's experience with loss and love have propelled her into a world of social justice and her heart is to help others foster self-acceptance and reconcile their faith with their sexuality so that they can live and thrive in the world without shame. You can learn more about her work at: AmberCantornaWylde.com.
Favorite ULC Book So Far: Just slotting a book for ULC means it's already one of Amber's favorites that she believes deserves to be shared and discussed, but one that has really resonated with her personally is Post Traumatic Church Syndrome by Reba Riley.
What Amber Loves Most About ULC: Seeing this space become a safe haven for marginalized people and watching them find a place to belong, sharing the hard questions and encounters of life, and finding nothing but complete love and support in response.
TIFF THOMPSON (they/them)
Volunteer
A southern born-and-raised transplant to Northwest Ohio, Tiff is a self-proclaimed nerd and "Jack of all trades, master of none." After coming out as a lesbian at age 27, she dove head-first into social justice spaces for LGBTQ+ people. She's now the president of Pride: the Employee Resource Group for LGBTQ+ employees at the national healthcare company where she works. Outside of her day job, she hosts the mid-month Zoom hang out for ULC
and does their graphic and web design. She enjoys spending time with her wife Liz and their cat, Imogen.
Favorite ULC Book So Far: The answer to this depends on what day you ask, but right now it is Undivided by Vicky Beeching.
What Tiff Loves Most About ULC: Meeting new friends she can talk to about anything and everything, and live author interviews!
ALICE SUDLOW (she/her)
Volunteer
By day, Alice Sudlow is a book editor with a passion for young adult literature. By night, she's a knitter, a baker, and a reader with a whole lot of questions for God. She brings those questions to the ULC community, where she writes prompts to spark conversation with both readers and guest authors. You can find her online at AliceSudlow.com.
Favorite ULC Book So Far: It's tough for Alice to pick one top book from a fantastic lineup, but After Evangelicalism by David Gushee is one of her favorites.
What Alice Loves Most About ULC: Wrestling with God through questions of faith, doubt, gender, and sexuality can so easily feel lonely and isolating, and Alice loves the ULC for creating a supportive space where all questions are safe among friends.