The 24th National Creating Change Conference, held Jan. 25-19 in Baltimore offered quite the diversity in day long institutes and workshops, covering far more than what I have seen in the past.
It was very encouraging to see such a broad scope in topics as Sex Work, the Bisexual, Leather and other Communities (such as those Asexual) represented, and a day long organizing institute addressing queer economic issues such as Racism, Classism, Immigration, HIV/AIDS, Disability and Homelessness, all of which have been left behind in advocacy far too long.
The beauty of the Conference is that it broke all the rules as it typically does, imposed by gay-normative, hetero-normative and yes, even trans-normative ideals and issues. The Conference embodied the feeling of 'Queer' where opinion was welcomed and not chased away by those 'normatives.' Where 'who cares how many spouses' a politician has had, or how many one might be sleeping safely with or not sleeping with any one at all. Where faith is welcomed or faith rejected and where gender or no gender is presented. The ideal encompassing here is respect, dignity and civil rights, and where the word 'Equality' did mean all.
Perhaps people that I know, might be surprised I did not attend any coursework that was ‘Trans-specific.’ A bit heretical I suppose, but found myself engaged with a focus more specifically in those workshops and seminars that dealt across the demographics of the LGBTQ Community, that addressed queer economics and that of disability in the Community. One last bit of organizing coursework was that in advocacy in preparation for the 2012 Elections. There will be many challenges to these critical elections and lots of work to register and educate people in order to 'Get Out The Vote,' in that *every* element of LGBTQ civil rights and Equality is predicated on *everyone* voting this year. For 2012, the elections are critical and the single most important advocacy is to get out the vote. Without winning the elections at both State and Federal levels, there will be no Repeal of DOMA, there will be no ENDA, and there will no Immigration Equality. This message was spoken loud and clear in the ‘State of the Movement Address,’ the battle cry being “Occupy the Polls!”
What was missing from the Conference was that being a fair representation of disadvantaged queer people – that being people of color, those impoverished and those otherwise not having such opportunities - the point brought out that most attending, were privileged queer people, I do know that of myself. While the Conference recognized the advocacy for such representation, a collective (and the proper) voice of those disadvantaged in the LGBTQ Community was not seen or heard. How can those that do not know such a narrative begin to think that they alone can speak for Communities of which they hardly know at all. Next year we've got to do better, and get more disadvantaged queer people to Atlanta in 2013.
Contemplating those five days in Baltimore, perhaps the most profound thought being the energy and synergy brought to the Conference by those younger and those that are our Youth. Whether or not people agree or take the time to think, our youth do represent the soon to be next generation of community leaders and activists. Next year, Creating Change will occur not long after the next Congress is seated. If we have learned our lesson well in ‘getting out the vote,’ we should have also learned to empower those that are younger, those that are disadvantaged and those that represent the various minorities of this vast and variegated Community of ours. To keep pushing ‘Marriage’ alone, we will have lost sight of an inclusive Equality. By embracing all in this quest, we will have embodied more queer allies in seeing all the work is done. If we do not embrace ‘all’ in the Movement we have set yet another level of classism, and have alienated the our working class, the disadvantaged and that of our youth.
BY: ROBYN CAROLYN MONTAGUE
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