Reports from Our Conferences

ACB Conference 1999 - Washington DC

We are thrilled to announce that the first International Conference of A Common Bond was held on August 20-22, 1999 at the Radisson Barcelo Hotel in Washington DC with 46 in attendance. The theme of this year's conference was: "Resistance is Fertile - Life In & Out of the Borg". ("The Borg" is a reference to an alien species from the Star Trek series of television shows which assimilates other species into their own collective, forcing them to lose all ability of independent thought. In many of the photographs below, you will see cut-outs standing behind the speakers of "Seven-of-Nine" and "Captain Jean Luc Picard", both of whom were assimilated but escaped from the Borg.)

On Friday night, a get acquainted party was held in the home of Gary J, a member of the host Washington DC chapter, and one of the conference's organizers. The atmosphere was festive, with ACB members arriving through the night, some from points thousands of miles away.

See 1999 conference's photo gallery.

We here in San Francisco wish to thank the Mid-Atlantic ACB chapter for hosting this delightful event. Our presence and participation at this historical ground-breaking conference proved, as the conference's title stated, that "Resistance Is Fertile"!

ACB Conference 2000 - San Francisco

After the extraordinary success of the 1999 International Conference of "A Common Bond" in Washington DC, San Francisco was overwhelmingly voted for by the attendees at the Washington conference as the location of the year 2000 conference.

The San Francisco chapter of "A Common Bond" held this conference at the Holiday Inn Financial District in San Francisco’s Chinatown district Saturday and Sunday, August 26 & 27, 2000 (with a reception at the hotel on the evening of Friday, August 25). Some of the topics which were presented this year included:

What the Bible Really Says About Homosexuality
The Nature of Cult Mind Control
Women’s Issues
Coming Out Issues As Former Jehovah’s Witnesses
Personal Experiences In and Out of the Watchtower
Starting an ACB Chapter in Your Area

Special guest speakers, including well-known anti-cult author Janja Lalich, university professor Donna Bestock, and a therapist specializing in JW issues.

See photographs taken at this year’s conference. Enjoy!

ACB Conference 2001 - Minneapolis

After the extraordinary successes of the previous two International Conferences of "A Common Bond" in Washington DC and San Francisco, the third worldwide gathering was hosted by the Minneapolis chapter on the weekend of August 10-12, 2001. Held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Minneapolis, the event, just like the previous two conferences, was an amazing success! Those who attended this, as well as the previous conferences, can tell you what a memorable, thrilling, and healing experience they had. Some topics which were presented at the conference were:

What the Bible Really Says About Homosexuality
Dealing With Depression
Developing A Support System
The Effects of Shame and How to Overcome Them
Accepting Your True Self

See 2001 conference's web gallery.

ACB Conference 2002 - New Orleans

After the extraordinary successes of the previous three International Conferences of "A Common Bond" in Washington DC, San Francisco, and Minneapolis, our fourth worldwide gathering, hosted by the Atlanta ACB chapter, was held in New Orleans on the weekend of August 30th through September 1, 2002. Held at the Hotel Inter Continental in New Orleans' business district, the event, just like the previous three conferences, was an amazing success! Those who attended this, as well as the previous conferences, can tell you what a memorable, thrilling, and healing experience they had. Some topics which were presented at the conference were:

What Things Have We Held On To?
Holidays - What Do We Need To Know?
Coming Out Again and Again and Again
Living Wills and Other Gay Legalese
Dealing With Abuse, Physically and Mentally
Standing Tall Out of the Cloak of Darkness
Substance Abuse Issues
Standing Up for Human Rights

See photographs taken at the New Orleans 2002 conference. Enjoy!

ACB Conference 2003 - New Orleans

Our 5th International Conference was once again held at the Hotel Inter Continental in New Orleans over the weekend of August 29-31, 2003. It was wonderful to see so many familiar faces return and also meet so many new people. We had participants come from as far away as Japan! Those who attended this conference, as well as ones past, will tell you how meaningful these events have become to them. We hope you will join us at next year's conference!

See 2003 Conference's Web Gallery.

ACB Conference 2004 - Miami Beach

After the extraordinary successes of the previous International Conferences of "A Common Bond" in Washington DC, San Francisco, Minneapolis, and New Orleans, our sixth worldwide gathering was held in Miami Beach, Florida on the weekend of October 8-10, 2004. Held at the Deauville Hotel in Miami Beach, the event, just like the previous conferences, was an amazing success! Those who attended this, as well as the previous conferences, can tell you what a memorable, thrilling, and healing experience they had. Some topics which were presented at the conference were:

What's Still Controlling You?
The History of A Common Bond
Several members told their coming out stories

See some photographs taken at the Miami Beach 2004 conference. Enjoy!

ACB Conference 2005 - Dallas

After the successes of the previous International Conferences of "A Common Bond" in Washington DC, San Francisco, Minneapolis, New Orleans, and Miami Beach, our seventh worldwide gathering was held in Dallas, Texas on the weekend of September 2-4, 2005. Just like the previous conferences, this was an amazing success! Those who attended this, as well as the previous conferences, can tell you what a memorable, thrilling, and healing experience they had.

Enjoy some photographs taken at the Dallas 2005 conference.

ACB Conference 2006 - New York City

See photographs taken at the New York City 2006 ACB International Conference. Enjoy!

Keep checking the Calendar of Events on this web site for announcements regarding the date and location of our next upcoming International Conference. Note: You do not need to be a member of any chapter of "A Common Bond" in order to attend! All are welcome! We hope to see YOU at our next conference!

ACB Conference 2007 - Chicago

See ACB Conference 2007 report.

See ACB Conference 2007 photo gallery.

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A Common Bond in the Media We are very pleased that the news media has taken notice of A Common Bond and the work we are doing in offering support to gay & lesbian former and current Jehovah's Witnesses.	Do We "Bash" the Jehovah's Witnesses? As one might expect, this website is not looked upon favorably by the Jehovah's Witnesses (JW) religion. Its membership is taught that homosexuality is "a sin", "an abomination", "detestable", and various other assorted words synonymous with evil. These teachings are based on certain cited passages in the Bible that the JWs are taught condemn homosexuality.
Pride Events 2007 In the years 1998, 1999, and 2000, a contingent from A Common Bond has marched in the San Francisco Pride Parade, much to the delight of approximately one million onlookers annually lining both sides of Market Street. We were also televised on San Francisco's TV-20, giving us exposure to hundreds of thousands of additional viewers.	Our Coming Out Stories In the years since A Common Bond was founded, we have learned that each one of our members has their own unique story to tell about their experiences as a member of Jehovah's Witnesses. We have posted stories of some of our members in hopes that you will find encouragement, hope, and most importantly, the knowledge that you are not alone.
The Watchtower Tries to Silence Us... and fails!! On Friday, July 24, 1998, our group's web site was blocked access by Geocities, where this site was formerly located. This was done without any prior notification.	Making Our Presence Known Locally District Assemblies of Jehovah's Witnesses are held annually at the Cow Palace on Geneva Avenue in Daly City (just outside San Francisco). For the last two years, we have been making our presence known by parking our vehicles across the street from the Cow Palace with signs advertising our support group, complete with telephone numbers and our web site URL.