CHICAGO, IL— Breaking with tradition, the State of the Movement address at the National LGBTQ Task Force’s Creating Change Conference will be delivered by a chorus of voices rather than one. In previous years, it has been the role of the Task Force’s Executive Director Rea Carey, to deliver the annual speech at the Creating Change Conference, which will take place at the Hilton Chicago hotel (720 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL) Jan. 20-24.
“No one person — in this case one white lesbian — can ever speak authentically or fully for an entire movement in one speech. This is not where we are, nor is it where we are going. Our vision for the future of the movement is one that is broad, inclusive and dynamic. When we made this decision late last year to change the annual speech, I was very much inspired to do so after listening to the many voices on staff and across our movement for change. That’s why this year’s state of the movement will include a diversity of voices — featuring some of the people, as Task Force staff, who are driving our movement forward to real freedom, justice and equality for all LGBTQ people and for a changed country. We hope you will enjoy what I believe will be a very powerful speech,” said Rea Carey, executive director, National LGBTQ Task Force.