Just days after Donald Trump is inaugurated in Washington, D.C., thousands of leaders and advocates in the LGBTQ and progressive movements will be gathering in Las Vegas for the 2025 Creating Change Conference, five days of discussion and fellowship focused on “planning a path forward in a time of challenge and opportunity for our communities.”
Organizers say the 2025 conference – happening Jan, 22-26 at the Rio Hotel and Resorts, is on track to be the largest ever, with “close to 4,000 attendees, powerful plenaries and numerous opportunities to gather, learn and share in community, including workshops, day-long institutes, special events and share resources.”
All Creating Change programming and events will take place in the host hotel’s convention space.
The theme for the 2025 conference is “Rooted in Resistance, Power and Love,” and organizers say the event will serve as “a call to action emphasizing the importance of confronting injustice, harnessing our collective power and acting with love. At CC25 in Las Vegas, we invite participants to explore how resistance nurtures our LGBTQ+ movement, strengthens our activism, and shapes our future.”
The conference schedule, including the Day-Long Institutes and workshops, will be updated regularly and can be accessed here.
All plenaries will be streamed live on the Creating Change YouTube channel, and videos will be available later for viewing as well.
The conference opens Jan. 22 with a plenary on “Black Leadership Rising,” a “powerful discussion featuring some of the most influential Black LGBTQ leaders across our movements,” according to a press release for the conference. The panel will “explore the unique insights and challenges of how Black LGBTQ voices are shaping policy, advocacy, and cultural change to advance liberation for all,” the press release explained.
The Jan. 23 plenary, “Democracy, Fascism and the Road Ahead,” will focus on “the state of our lived and political realities in the post-election landscape, addressing the ongoing fight against fascism and the struggle for a truly multi-ethnic democracy,” while also exploring strategies for shaping “an inclusive political future that centers and uplifts LGBTQ communities.”
Kierra Johnson and Tre’vell Anderson will sit down for an “intimate fireside conversation reflecting on the progress and challenges ahead within the LGBTQ and progressive movements,” for the Jan. 24 plenary, “State of the Movement.”
Anderson returns to emcee the Jan. 25 plenary on safety and security, “We got us,” addressing questions of how to create safety and security with a panel of trans leadership in intersecting movements including youth advocacy, reproductive justice, criminal justice reform, disability justice and more.
Tre’vell Anderson (they/them) is an award-winning journalist, podcast host and authoress doing world-changing work around society and culture. They were named to Out magazine’s 2023 list of the 100 most impactful LGBTQ+ people and The Root’s 2020 list of the 100 most influential African-Americans, and they have “dedicated their career to centering those in the margins, gray spaces and at the intersections of life,” the press release said.
Other services at the conference will include the Health and Wellness Space, a collaborative expression of community care created with the help of local partners in the Las Vegas community and conference ambassadors. The space will offer free, confidential and in-person support including STI/STD testing, safer sex kits, harm reduction tools, mental health support, sobriety support services, mental health and crisis counseling and legal and advocacy resources.
Conference organizers, in partnership with Oasis Legal Services, the Transgender Law Center and the National Center for Lesbian Rights are also providing in-person legal and advocacy support. Advocacy partners will lead key sessions offering updates from the Trump administration’s first week, answering community questions and providing essential resources and referrals.
Oasis Legal Services offers immigration law guidance, including how to respond to enforcement actions and navigate forms as a TGNC individual.
NCLR offers family law support, such as ensuring legal recognition of parentage and creating advance planning documents to protect your family.
TLC offers assistance with trans-specific legal needs, including access to healthcare and updating ID documents.
Special events taking place as part of the conference including the Agents of Change Ball which invites attendees to pay homage to Ballroom culture by participating in various competition categories and giving to benefit a local LGBTQ-serving organization.
Creating Change Conference will host several film screenings including America You Kill Me, Bad Lesbian, El Canto de Colibri, AIDS Diva: The Legend Of Connie Norman and Rustin.
Registration for the Creating Change Conference is open to all, but registration closes at midnight, Dec. 30. There will be no onsite registration this year to further restrict operations for public health safety.
Creating Change is committed to remaining financially accessible, and no one will be turned away for lack of funds. For more information, email creatingchange@thetaskforce.org. Registration is comped for volunteers who work a minimum of six hours in check-in or room monitoring shifts. Online and in-person orientation are also required.
For more information visit CreatingChange.org.