No matter how you identify or the direction of your particular progressive political slant, the 14th annual National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Creating Change conference last weekend in Milwaukee likely had at least a little something for you.
For the estimated 2,100 participants young and old, gay and gay-allied, transgendered and transsexual, same-gender loving and two-spirited, pacifist and veteran, Creating Change tried to create a space for everyone, with a wide-ranging array of workshops and plenaries.
Events began Wed., Nov. 7, with the launch of the two-day People of Color Organizing Institute and ended Nov. 11 with closing remarks by Anthony Romero, the first openly gay Latino man to lead the American Civil Liberties Union.
Despite worries that Sept. 11 would negatively affect attendance, many participants said they felt it was even more important for them to come together for Creating Change in the wake of the attacks.
"I feel like the energy here is calmer and more focused and determined than I've felt in a long time," said new NGLTF Executive Director Lorri Jean. "I guess I think it's partly because an event like Sept. 11 wakes you up. People are realizing that even with our differences, that at our core we are fighting for the same things."
ABOVE: NGLTF Board member Kathy Levinson with openly lesbian U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc. Photos by Karen Hawkins
BELOW: Jaron Bryant of the Gill Foundation.
One of the most well-received plenaries dealt with Sept. 11 and featured Faisal Alam, executive director of Al-Fatiha Foundation, an international group for GLBT Muslims; and Surina Khan, executive director of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission.
"I thought the plenaries were excellent, and I had not heard anywhere anti-war talk articulated as well by people who are sort of targets," said Nasreen Mohamed, a program associate with the University of Minnesota's GLBT programs office. "I think that's actually the strength of the conference."
One oft-heard criticism of NGLTF at the conference was the organization's silence on the Sept. 11 attacks and the United States' response. While the group did not take a stance during the event, it did create a forum for discussion, including an anti-war workshop co-presented by Andy Thayer, of the Chicago Anti-Bashing Network.
Lending to the discussion was also Milwaukee's Veteran's Day parade, which ran directly in front of the conference hotel on Saturday.
Several conference-goers watched the parade and either lent their support as vets themselves or took the opportunity to criticize the military's policy on gays.
Christine Anderson, a trustee with Michigan's Triangle Foundation, was one of those on the sidelines holding a sign that read "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Think So."
At the same time, the conference itself was the subject of several days of protests, with anti-gay demonstrators blocking the entrances to the host hotel, carrying large anti-gay signs and allegedly trying to sneak into plenaries.
"We were much more vigilant about checking credentials this year," said Jean, NGLTF's executive director.
Jean said the Sept. 11 attacks and the subsequent treatment of the same-sex partners of the victims has increased the country's awareness of discrimination against GLBT people.
"If we move quickly to get our message out we have some opportunities that are pretty unprecedented," she said. "But I think we have to strike while the iron is hot."
She noted that some individuals and organizations on the right have used the attacks to their advantage to get their own, anti-gay messages out.
"Sept. 11 shows the danger of religious fundamentalism," she said. "America has yet to live up to its promise. I think there's a lot more similarities between religious fundamentalists in this country and religious fundamentalists attacking this country than people would like to admit."
Creating Change has become a valuable networking and skills-building opportunity for activists across the country, and many said that the practical sessions were among the things they found most useful. Fundraising, leadership development and youth organizing were among the topics of the practical sessions, with participants saying they walked away empowered.
Miranda Stevens Miller, of It's Time! Illinois, said the best part of Creating Change for her has always been the meeting of the Federation of Statewide LGBT advocacy organizations. Thirty-nine statewide groups are part of the Federation, and members come together to share success stories and strategies, Stevens Miller said.
Creating Change is also where NGLTF hands out its annual Community Service Awards. Beginning this year and continuing for the next two years, awardees will receive not only the award but $10,000 in cash from the Anderson Prize Foundation. The Foundation currently distributes the Stonewall Awards.
The niece of the Foundation's founder, Paul Anderson, was on hand Sunday to distribute the money. Anderson's partner, Allen Schuh, also attended Sunday's closing session.
Among this year's three Community Service Award winners was Chicago activist Mary Morten, who picked up her award Thursday.
Creating Change will celebrate its 15th anniversary year in Portland, Ore., in 2002. Next year also marks the 30th anniversary of NGLTF. See www.ngltf.org .
