Upcoming 2017 International LGBTQ Leaders Conference

This is a conference I would love to attend but not looking like I'll be able to be there this year

It's the International LGBTQ Leaders Cobference sponsored by the Victory Institute.  It has been held every year since 1984 when it started with a gathering of a dozen openly gay elected officials discussing the unique challenges of serving as an elected official while openly gay.



As the number of LGBT elected officials has grown to over 1000 around the planet, so has the popularity and importance of the conference.   Last year's event in Washington DC saw over 500 participants from around the world attend, with 141 of them being TBLGQ elected officials.

40 of those TBLGQ elected officials went into a closed door session at the beginning of the 2016 conference to strategize about the unexpected election of Trump to the presidency and what their response should be to it.

The 2017 edition of the conference is back in Washington DC at the Washington Hilton from December 6-9 with the theme of 'Representation Is Power'. 

Some of the speakers for this year's event include Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) , former Houston Mayor Annise Parker, Ca Senator Ricardo Lara, Long Beach, CA mayor  Robert Garcia. Guatemalan Congressmember Sandra Moran, and Peruvian Congressmember Alberto de Belaunde . 

Over the three days of the LGBTQ Leaders Conference attendees will engage in skills building, networking, plenaries and breakout sessions designed to help TBLGQ leaders harness and wield that power for the benefit of their constituents and our community.

And hopefully one day I'll get to be in the house for that event.