Collections by Michelle Brown wsg Cathy Renna & Danny Linden Creating Change Rem

Collections by Michelle Brown

Attending the annual Creating Change Conference has been a rite of passage for LGBTQ activists for over 30 years, We would come together, share ideas, make new friends, catch up with old friends and even find love. What’s happened to Creating Change in the time of COVID??? Pivoting to a virtual format in 2021, activists, organizers, and newbies were looking forward to coming together in 2022 once again in New Orleans when the omicron variant of the coronavirus begin showing up in communities around the world. After dealing with the momentary disappointment of having to cancel the in-person conference, the staff went to work reimagining Creating Change and looking forward to 2023 when the conference also include a celebration of The Task Force’s 50th anniversary. Communications Director Cathy Renna is a veteran of Creating Change. She’s watched the conference grow not just by the number of participants but in the programming, diversity, and inclusion of varying and new voices in the LGBTQ community. Conference Director Danny Linden is the new kid on the block. He joined the staff in 2021 but is not new to conference organizing and planning. He has spent much of the past 31 years as a conference and events specialist. Cathy and Danny are here to talk about Creating Change 2022, the shift to Creating Change 365 and the big celebration planned for 2023.