More than 4,000 LGBT activists and advocates will converge for a focus on HIV/AIDS, trans violence awareness for 26th annual conference
TWIN CAUSES | Laverne Cox, right, trans actress on Orange is the New Black, will address conference attendees about the violence trans women face, and Phill Wilson, president and CEO of the Black AIDS Institute, will speak on a panel about ending HIV/AIDS now. Both issues are featured prominently in the Creating Change programming.
HOUSTON — Two main focal points at national LGBT conference Creating Change next week will be ending HIV/AIDS and the violence transgender woman face.
Sue Hyde, director of Creating Change, said organizers were startled to see the high infection rates of HIV in young adults and in minority communities. A record 16 workshops on HIV/AIDS is slated for this year’s conference, and the topic will be discussed during a panel discussion on Saturday, Feb. 1, entitled “Why We Can’t Wait: Let’s End AIDS Now.”
Panelists include Michael Kaplan, president and CEO of AIDS United; Phill Wilson, president and CEO of the Black AIDS Institute; Cecilia Chung, present of U.S. People Living with HIV Caucus; Elicia Gonzales executive director for queer Hispanic organization GALAEI; and writer Charles Stephens, who’s written about racial and HIV issues. On-site HIV testing will also be available throughout the five-day conference.
“We wanted to re-focus ourselves so we can end this scourge, this epidemic and we find one of the best ways to refocus LGBT people and communities and organizations is to feature that at Creating Change,” Hyde said.
Another main focus this year is on the anti-trans violence minority trans women face. A daylong institute about the topic, “Transgender People Unite Against Hate and Violence,” takes place Thursday, Jan. 30. In addition, black trans actress Laverne Cox, famous for her role of a trans prisoner on Orange is the New Black, will speak that evening on the topic.
“It is right alongside the epidemic of AIDS,” Hyde said about trans violence. “Especially as regards young men of color who have sex with men, there is an epidemic of violence against transgender women of color in this country, and they are twin epidemics and both need to be addressed in very serious ways.”
The conference will have 25 daylong institutes, 24 academy training sessions and 309 workshops for attendees to choose from, as well as a State of the Movement session with Rea Carey, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, and a performance by bisexual singer Nona Hendryx.
This is the third time the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force has brought Creating Change to Texas. It was held in Dallas in 1994 and again in 2010. While Dallas wasn’t ruled out for this year’s host city, Hyde said organizers wanted to have the conference in Houston for a while, especially when lesbian Mayor Annise Parker, who will speak Jan. 30, would be in office.
“And Houston, in our minds, is kind of an unsung hero LGBTQ community and people don’t realize it,” Hyde said. “But people who haven’t visited don’t really realize what a fantastically wonderful LGBTQ community it is that’s there.”
More than 4,000 people have registered for the event, compared to 3,500 people Hyde said attended in Atlanta last year. So many have registered, that two overflow hotels were opened to accommodate the number. There’s also more sessions than in the past. Hyde said organizers received a record number of session proposals from the host state with 101 proposals coming from Texas organizations and leaders.
The conference will also be the host of the largest gathering of Hispanic LGBT leaders in the nation. Lambda Legal organized the inaugural “La Unión Hace La Fuerza: Latino Institute” at last year’s Creating Change with more than 200 Hispanic leaders in attendance.
Omar Narvaez, community educator is Lambda Legal’s south central regional office in Dallas, said the turnout this year is expected to exceed that number. He said it’s an opportunity for LGBT leaders across the country to network and discuss ways to help advance activism within their communities
“It’s the largest LGBT Latino gathering in the U.S.,” he said.
Among the various award recipients at the conference this year will be Houston’s own Kristopher Sharp, who will receive the Paul A. Anderson Youth Leadership Award. Homophobic attacks targeting his HIV status while running for vice president of the student body at University of Houston-Downtown last year were first reported by Dallas Voice.
Hyde said NGLTF read about Sharp’s campaign and how he handled it, revealing that he’s “a leader to be followed” and making the award “a pretty easy choice.”
“We were very impressed that Kristopher spoke out in the course of the campaign about AIDS stigma and homophobia, which we thought was very bold,” Hyde said.
Sharp said he’s “beyond honored” to be selected for the award.
“From a personal perspective, I don’t see this as an award being presented to me — I see this as an award to our community for all the amazing work we’ve been able to do to push our community forward,” he said. “Without the love, support, and guidance from the community I wouldn’t be where I am today. This is an honor for us all.”
Other award recipients are: Bamby Salcedo, founder and president of The Trans-Latin@ Coalition, the Susan J. Hyde Award for Longevity in the Movement; Pat Baillie, owner of International Ms Leather event and creator of the IMsL Foundation, The Leather Leadership Award; Sivagami Subbaraman, the first director of the LGBTQ Resource Center at Georgetown University, Award for Intersectionality in Higher Education LGBTQ Services; Stu Maddux, filmmaker who filmed and produced Gen Silent, The SAGE Advocacy Award for Excellence in Leadership on Aging Issues; The Queer Undocumented Immigrant Project (QUIP), a project of United We Dream, Leadership on Immigration Reform; and Southwest Airlines, Corporate Leadership Award.
The National Conference on LGBT Equality: Creating Change in Houston, Jan. 29–Feb. 2. For more information or to register, go here.