Black Alphabet at the 2024 Creating Change Conference

Adam L. McMath, Darius Caffey, and Joshua X. Miller attending The Creating Change Conference 2024

From January 17-21, 2024, our team was in New Orleans for the Creating Change Conference, the National LGBTQ Task Force's annual gathering of the LGBTQIA+ movement. Five days of sharing, learning, and meeting people doing the same work we do.

Here's some of what we attended and what stuck with us:

How Our Struggles Connect

In a session titled "Pro" Doesn't Mean "Anti," we talked through how the fights facing different parts of the LGBTQIA+ community tie into one another. People listened, compared notes, and left with a better feel for each other's concerns.

AfroQueer Imagination

"Unleash Your Magic Within" was a workshop on AfroQueer imagination — on expressing yourself whole and building equitable liberation into how you run an organization and how you live.

Black Queer Students at HBCUs

We also sat in on discussions about Black LGBTQIA+ students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities: what those students are up against, and how alums are working to support and advocate for them.

Body Image

Odu Adamu led a session called "Body Language" about body image among Black Gay, Queer, and Same Gender Loving Men — how the way we see ourselves, and the way the world sees us, shapes attraction and self-esteem.

Odu Adamu Presenting On Body Language at The Creating Change Conference 2024

Sexual Liberation

"Desire Mapping Part 2" took on sexual liberation: knowing your desires, naming them, and carrying what you learn at a conference back into daily life.

Mental Health and Suicide Prevention

Angela Harvey's session, "Using Our Voice to Save Lives," focused on supporting survivors of suicide. It was a frank conversation about breaking the silence around suicide and showing up well for the people who need us.

Angela Harvey Presenting Using Our Voices To Save Lives at The Creating Change Conference 2024

Trans and Gender Expansive Voices

A two-part workshop looked at finding your own voice during transition and learning to advocate for yourself — down to writing a self-advocacy plan and practicing it.

Looking Ahead

The conference closed with a discussion about building unity and the way the LGBTQ+ community sets trends the rest of the world follows.

What We Heard from Partner Organizations

• Homeless Children's Network: Wellness and empowerment strategies for LGBTQIA+ students.

• Chatham University: LGBTQIA+ narratives and the case for queer joy.

• National LGBTQ Task Force: Grant-writing guidance for grassroots organizations.

• NBJC's Black Institute: A day-long institute on advocacy for the Black LGBTQIA+ community.

• Got to be REEL & National Center for Transgender Equality: Body image stereotypes and building narrative power.

• Let's TALK University & Funders for LGBTQ Issues: Approaches to mental health and fairer grantmaking.

We came home from Creating Change with new tools and new perspectives. Every session fed the mission we carry every day in Chicago: advocating for and celebrating the many identities within the LGBTQIA+ community.