Gay & Sober 2021 - Common Questions

COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT THE EVENTS...

WHAT IS BEING DONE TO ADDRESS COVID -19 AKA CORONA VIRUS CONCERNS?

At the 2021 Conference, we are reimagining planning in an effort to ensure participant's piece of mind. Our team has developed a solid plan that will be in effect during the conference. This plan includes a bottle of hand sanitizer in your welcome bag, Greeters that smile instead of giving hugs, mandatory masks, social distancing, and no hand-holding at the end of the big meetings.

Click here for

complete details.

ARE TRANS, QUEER, AND BISEXUAL MEN WELCOMED AT THE GAY & SOBER MEN'S CONFERENCE?

Of Course. Please join in the fun!

ARE ALL TRANS PEOPLE WELCOMED AT THE PRIDE CELEBRATION MARCH AND DANCE ON THE RIVER ON PRIDE SUNDAY?

Yes. The Pride Celebration on Pride Sunday is for ALL LGBTQ+ people in the recovery community and allies. The Dance on the River Cruise is a part of The Pride Celebration. All are welcome!

WHAT IF I DON'T IDENTIFY AS A "GAY MAN" AND STILL WANT TO PARTICIPATE?

If you are a man and self-identify as Queer, Bisexual, gender non-conforming, or gender fluid, you are very much welcomed at the GSM Conference!

WHY IS THE GSM CONFERENCE ON THURSDAY THRU SATURDAY FOR GAY MEN ONLY?

Because we feel that there is a need for special programming that speaks to the unique experience of being a "gay man" in recovery.

MY HUSBAND, BOYFRIEND OR PARTNER IS NOT SOBER. MAY I BRING THEM TO THE CONFERENCE?

Yes. Our workshops are designed to appeal to friends and loved ones too. We invite them to dive into the experience with you. Our nightly speaker meetings and events are just as entertaining as a live spectacle. You will need to get them their own registration.

I NEED A ROOMMATE AT THE HOST HOTEL SO I CAN SAVE ON SOME MONEY.

Please contact our Housing Team at housing@gayandsober.org and they will try to match you with others needing a roommate.

Also, even though it says there is one, there is NO Destination Fee.

For more details on roommate pairing, please click here.

WHAT IF I'M COMING TO THE CONFERENCE BY MYSELF? I WON'T KNOW ANYONE.

Many participants have come by themselves and felt the same way. But what they found at the conference were friends that would last a lifetime. So long as you participate in the workshops, help out by doing service, and open yourself up to the experience...you'll be fine. We promise!

To volunteer, please contact service@gayandsober.org

I PREFER AN APPROACH SUCH AS PEER SUPPORT OR SMART RECOVERY. IS THIS OK? WILL I BE ACCEPTED?

The short answer is yes. GSM is not your typical Roundup. That's why it's called a conference. The entire weekend is designed to appeal to broad spectrum of attendees. All of the activities and workshops are about health & wellness. Not just the 12 Steps. The big nightly meetings are fashioned in the style of Alcoholics Anonymous, but take what you like and leave the rest. We've selected the best of the best for the speaker meetings and the star entertainer immediately following the Saturday night meeting is something you don't want to miss.

ARE SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE?

The first round of Scholarships were awarded on March 5th. The second round on December 25th. And the final round on January 8th. We awarded 50 scholarships this year. There are no more scholarship applications. To learn more please click here.

IF I CHANGE MY MIND, CAN I GET A REFUND?

No. However you have three generous options. 1. You may re-sell it and transfer your registration to someone else. 2. You may donate it back to our Scholarship Program for newcomers with financial hardships. 3. Or you can save your spot for the following year.

If you can't make it, please email and let them know which option above works best for you. You have to inform us by June 1st, 2021 to modify, transfer cancel or resell your registration.

The last day to cancel your reservation at the host hotel is also June 1st, 2021.

When placing your order, you must agree to the Terms and Conditions by clicking the box. That means that you agree that there are no refunds. We as a nonprofit are not legally required to issue refunds when we have a clear and fair policy as stated in our terms and conditions. No exceptions will be made.

For those participants that pre-paid in 2019, you have until 12/31/20 to complete and redeem your registration. Otherwise, you will have abandoned your spot. Choices!

IS THE GAY & SOBER MEN'S CONFERENCE THE SAME AS THE BIG APPLE ROUNDUP?

Absolutely not. GSM is 4 full days of workshops, activities, fellowship, fun and entertainment. GSM attracts participants from all over the world. GSM is highly produced, highly attended and has a high-energy vibe. It's like comparing an apple to a juicy, ripe peach.

There's nothing like it!

IS GAY & SOBER FOR PROFIT OR A NONPROFIT?

Yes. Gay & Sober Inc. is a registered 501c3 tax-exempt nonprofit organization. There are no paid positions. Everyone is a volunteer.

HEALTH & SAFETY UPDATES

May 8th, 2020

Gay & Sober has been closely monitoring the COVID-19 developments over the past several weeks, and in light of the current New York shutdown, other government agency recommendations and social distancing measures that will carry on well past the summer, we have decided to POSTPONE the 2020 Gay & Sober Men’s Conference and Pride Celebration until June 24th thru June 27th of 2021.

It has always been our mission to ensure that your sobriety, health, and safety are our top priority during this decision-making process. Although this was a difficult decision to make, we feel that it was the most prudent one. We want to express our deepest gratitude to our loyal patrons and participants, and we guarantee you that next summer’s GSM2021 VARSITY will be the most memorable conference/roundup you’ve ever experienced. As most of you know, there is just nothing like Pride weekend in New York City.

TICKET HOLDERS: To make the transition as smooth as possible, we will automatically transfer your current GSM 2020 registration to the new June 24th - 27th, 2021 dates and honor the registration fee you have already paid. All 2020 scholarships awarded will be honored in 2021 as well.

HOTEL ROOMS: If you booked your hotel room reservation for GSM2020, there is no reason to contact the hotel to change or alter your existing reservation. This has already been taken care of for you. The Westin Times Square has moved your reservation to June of 2021 with the same check in/out days that you had already selected. You may get an auto-cancel email from the hotel; please disregard it.

All room rates will stay the same.

All GSM registrations are Non-Refundable; however, if you cannot attend the June 2021 Conference, you can donate your registration to our scholarship fund to help those less fortunate attend or transfer and/or resell your registration to someone else. You have until Dec 31st, 2020 to notify us in writing of your wish to transfer and/or resell your registration.

Everyone here at Gay & Sober wishes all of you
and your families the best, and we look forward to welcoming
you back to the greatest city in the world in June of 2021.

With Love & Service,

Kevin Michael

Chief Operations Officer

Gay & Sober Inc.

April 20th, 2020

On Monday morning, in response to the ongoing health crisis, Mayor Bill De Blasio made the official announcement to cancel all June in-person gatherings - including the annual Pride events.

Due to this announcement and the impact it has on our community partner, NYC Pride, and for the health and safety of all of our participants and volunteers, we have made the difficult but wise decision to postpone our June pride events.

Our events are not cancelled, only postponed.

Stay tuned for an announcement about the new dates and for information about the transferring of hotel reservations.

We are extremely grateful for your support of Gay & Sober and we share your enthusiasm for our unique fellowship events and the life-changing experiences of the weekend. Thank you for your understanding and patience.

In Love & Service,

Christian Cerna - Parker

Chief Executive Officer

Gay & Sober Inc.

April 8th, 2020

We would like to update and reassure you on the current plans for this year’s Gay & Sober Men’s Conference & Pride Celebration.

Gay & Sober is currently looking at all alternative possibilities for what our conference will look like this year amidst the current climate in NYC and across the country. We are very busy behind the scenes continuing to plan the event. Every detail of our conference is still being worked on to ensure that we deliver another exceptional GSM weekend.

Regardless of when that date will be, we can guarantee you that it will still be the best conference/roundup that you’ve ever experienced.

Meanwhile we are asking for the community to be understanding and remember that your health and safety are our top priority and that we are working hard to make sure we see all of you here in NYC this year. We choose to look towards the future with hope, faith, and optimism that this too shall pass. Stay tuned...

Yours in Good Health,

Kevin Michael

Chief Operations Officer

Gay & Sober Inc.

March 25th, 2020

As attendees of the annual Gay & Sober Men’s Conference and The Pride Celebration, your health and safety are a top priority to us that we take very seriously.

After assessing the bigger picture and learning from what others are doing, we feel it a disservice to prematurely make any decisions that could impact the conference. It’s simply too early to call. In light of this, we have decided to continue with the conference as scheduled for June 25th - 28th, 2020. Again, as of today, all of the scheduled GSM events for Pride Weekend in NYC will proceed as planned.

Many fellows choose GSM because of our commitment to excellence. Now our commitment to you is broader, and perhaps even more important than before. We are committing to you that we are doing everything we can to make GSM2020 and The Pride Celebration a safe, healthy, fun, and memorable experience for all of our participants.

Just like you, we are closely monitoring new developments regarding the Coronavirus. We have implemented several new policies and procedures which will be in effect throughout the conference weekend. These procedures follow recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the New York State Department of Health (NYSDH). For more complete details on these changes designed for everyone’s health and safety please visit www.gayandsober.org/facts.

For further reassurance, NYC Pride has announced that they are still working on all June 2020 Pride events 100% as planned. The Gay & Sober Board and Conference Committee are also hard at work as we continue full speed ahead to plan for another memorable pride weekend.

We are committed to supporting our recovery community during this unprecedented time and want to share with you what we are doing. We have mobilized our network across the globe to pull together an inventory of online meeting links, which are being added to our meeting’s inventory on a daily basis. To explore the online meeting directory, CLICK HERE. We also host a nightly virtual recovery meeting open to the entire LGBTQ+ community. For more information on this daily meeting please visit: https://www.facebook.com/events/879432485862157/

We will continue to monitor the situation closely regarding COVID-19 (Coronavirus) for further developments, and will inform you of any potential effects it may have on the GSM2020 Conference. We share in NYC Pride’s confidence that this too shall pass and look forward to hosting all of you in New York City this June!

As the pandemic comes under control, GSM may very well be the perfect opportunity for fellowship and camaraderie that we have all earned and deserve!

With Love & Service,

Kevin Michael
Chief Operations Officer

Gay & Sober Inc.