CLGS staff members will facilitate and participate in programs, workshop sessions, and exhibitions at the 28th National Conference on LGBT Equality, Creating Change, in Chicago, IL on January 20-24th. Programs Include:

  • AAPI: Building a Queer Asian American/ South Asian Movement Day-Long Institute: Jess Delegenica, Coordinator of CLGS’ API Roundtable, will be co-facilitating this day-long institute on Thursday, January 21. As part of this day long session participants will learn about LGBTQ AAPI movement history and roles  in racial justice movements. As well as discuss how LGBTQ AAPIs organize and advocate, practice engaging in media advocacy, and build skills around organization development through a trans* and gender justice lens.
  • The Transgender Seminarians Cohort: As part of the year-long development program, cohort members will be immersed in the faith-based advocacy networks and skill-building events at the conference.  This program sponsored by CLGS, The Freedom Center for Social Justice’s Transgender Faith and Action Network, and The Institute for Welcoming Resources at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.
  • Seeing is Believing: Queering Religious Art Workshop: Sexy saints? A gender-bending Jesus? Bondage in a sacred painting? What? Join us for this workshop to look at religious works by queer artists which expand our understanding of the holy and our relationship to it. We’ll tell stories and gaze together at some wonderfully queer images while considering how artists can help us see things differently–from a vision of radical inclusion to the particulars of sacred sexuality–that we can incorporate into our own spiritual understandings. By viewing images of people like us as holy, we can gain insight into our holy selves. Led by two scholars of religion, gender and sexuality, this workshop will primarily consider images from the Christian tradition, but queerly and expansively defined. Join us for this workshop facilitated by Justin Tanis and Bernie Schlager on Saturday, January 23 from 3:00pm–4:30pm. 
  • CLGS and Pacific School of Religion’s Exhibition Table: Swing by our exhibition table to connect with us and find out more about our upcoming events and programs as well as the array of dynamic certificate and degree opportunities offered at Pacific School of Religion.

The National LGBTQ Task Force sponsors and organizes the Creating Change Conference. 2016 marks the 28th gathering of this unique national conference, the pre-eminent political, leadership and skills-building conference for the LGBTQ social justice movement. Since 1988, Creating Change has created the opportunity for thousands of committed people to develop and hone their skills, celebrate victories, build community, and to be inspired by visionaries of our LGBTQ movement and allied movements for justice and equality. Find out more at the Creating Change website.