Appearing at Creating Change will be, from left, Big Freedia, Dominique Jackson and adrienne maree brown.

The National LGBTQ Task Force recently announced plans for the 33rd annual Creating Change Conference, taking place virtually from Jan. 28-31. The conference is, organizers said, “the foremost political, leadership and skills-building conference for the LGBTQ social justice movement.”

Registration is now open here.

This will be the third Creating Change Conference managed by Andy Garcia, who has guided this year’s complete overhaul of the conference as an entirely virtual experience. He said, “We knew that 2020 was going to be a critical year for all of us, but could never have predicted the overwhelming challenges we face, from a global pandemic to an economic depression to the uprising against racial injustice facing this country.

Sandra Valls will emcee the conference, with Dominique Jackson delivering the open keynote and adrienne maree brown as closing keynote speaker.The conference will also include the annual State of the Movement Address, performances by Big Freedia and two days of day-long institutes,d dozens of workshops and caucuses, the annual Agents of Change Ball and more.

“I am thrilled that we have Big Freedia, adrienne maree brown and Dominique Jackson participating, along with thousands of LGBTQ+ activists and allies,” Garcia said. “We will have the chance to create community, learn from each other and plan for the year ahead.

“When Creating Change begins we will be living under a new White House administration and hopeful, but also facing a possible sea change in the status of queer rights from the Supreme Court and needing to see real institutional and policy change for racial and economic justice,” Garcia continued. “All while we continue to grapple with the impact of the pandemic and other obstacles we face as a community. Given its virtual nature, we hope more queer people than ever before participate in Creating Change, as we need each other now more than ever.” concluded Garcia.

The Creating Change Conference is committed to radical accessibility. When you register online for Creating Change, you can request: ASL interpretation, Spanish interpretation.

— Tammye Nash