At our upcoming Hearth Fireside we are honored to welcome Joanna Brooks, co-author of the moving book “Saving Alex: When I Was Fifteen I Told My Mormon Parents I Was Gay, and That's When My Nightmare Began.” This book is a story of courage and resilience as Alex fights to survive and escape the conversion therapy program she was forced into by her parents in a misguided attempt to “fix her.”

Joanna has long been a voice and ally for the LGBTQ community and will share what she learned from Alex’ story as well as where the road can lead next for LDS LGBTQ+ and allies. We are thrilled to have her joining us.

Joanna Brooks is an award-winning Mormon feminist writer and scholar, a community organizer with 25 years of experience in  labor, feminist, anti-racist and LGBTQ+ ally community organizing, and mother of a tween and a teen daughter who think she is okay most of the time.  She is the author or editor of ten books on faith, gender, race, and politics, including The Book of Mormon Girl (Simon & Schuster, 2012), Mormon Feminism:  Essential Writings (Oxford, 2015), and Saving Alex (2016).  She lives in San Diego, California