Former UK Mascot and National LGBT Leader Emceeing Out and About 2007!

Jeff Lutes has agreed to emcee Out and About 2007 in November.

~Jody


Jeff is the Executive Director of Soulforce, a national civil rights and social justice organization with a vision of freedom for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people from religious and political oppression through the practice of relentless nonviolent resistance. He is responsible for managing the day to day operations of the organization and creates, guides, and empowers the “take it to the streets” style of activism which has become the hallmark of Soulforce, and it’s new young adults division, Soulforce Q.

Jeff is also a licensed professional counselor in private practice, and has directed treatment programs in both hospital and community mental health settings.. His clinical expertise is in helping both same-sex and opposite-sex couples to improve the quality of their relationships and, for those with children, the effectiveness of their parenting skills. He is a member of the American Counseling Association (ACA), the American Association of Pastoral Counselors (AAPC), and the Council on Contemporary Families (CCF). He has written numerous newspaper columns on issues facing same-gender couples and families, and presents relationship workshops based on the current social-science research.

Jeff grew up in Lexington, Kentucky and was the University of Kentucky Wildcat Mascot during the mid 80’s. For the past 20 years he has resided in Austin, Texas. He and his partner of 10 years, Gary Stein, are the proud fathers of a 10 year old son whom they adopted from China seven years ago. They are also fostering a 4 year old boy and a three year old girl whom they hope to adopt in the near future. Jeff’s partner and two of the children are deaf, so American Sign Language is the primary mode of communication in their home.