Creating Change 2014- Passing The Torch To Denver

My last day at Creating Change 2014 started with a 9:30 AM panel discussion with Stacey Langley, Liz Elsen and Sable Schultz entitled Building A Bridge Over The Rainbow: LGBTQ Women Creating Community.  

We discussed many of the issues keeping us from building sisterhood amongst the letter in our community and attempted in the hour and 30 minutes we had for the discussion to come up with the beginnings of a solution to that problem.   After that panel was done, so was the seminar portion of the entire conference

We then headed to the ballroom for a brunch, a speech from Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia, a closing keynote speech, watch Houston's own Kristopher Sharp receive the Paul A. Anderson Youth Leadership Award on his last day in town before jetting off to DC to do his internship and see the fabulous Nona Hendryx close it out for us.

After Nona stepped off the stage John Denver's Rocky Mountain High started blaring over the speakers to signal that Creating Change 2014 was really over and our committee is now passing the torch to Denver.

I also got a chance on behalf of her trans fans like me after the closing concert was over to thank Nona Hendryx for her decision to not play MichFest last year.

The Houston Host Committee accomplished its mission.  Our goal was simple.  We wanted to put on the best Creative Change ever and do it with Houston flava..  We smashed records, proudly showed off our city, and were told that this just concluded Creating Change is the largest conference ever in the history of the Hilton Americas Hotel

To those of you who attended our record setting conference, visited the hospitality suites, interacted with us and our volunteers, and built community over the last few days, thank you and safe travels back home.  I had just as much fun being there as you did and hope you get many opportunities to put your newly learned skills to good use 

Okay Denver, you're now on the clock for #CC15.

Creating Change 2014-Day 4

Hard to believe that this is the last full day of Creating Change 2014 Houston style.  Some of the record TBLG and allied crowd we're had over the last two days are now on their way back home while others will be hanging out until the closing plenary and Nona Hendryx concert.

The hospitality suites not only have been busy since they opened Thursday, but each one has its own distinctive style.
They range from being places of quiet reflection to ones in which there is lively and thoughtful conversation about a wide range of subjects.

It's the last full day of seminars and panel discussions plotting the next steps of our movement, and since it's Saturday, it's playtime once the long day is done. 

There was the MasQUEERade Ball for the younglings 24 and under and for us grown folks the 50+ and Allies dance.   Shuttle buses departing from the hotel headed to the Montrose gayborhood and Neon Boots.  The Trans Pool Party.  The hotel bars at the Hilton Americas and the nearby Embassy Suites filling with #CC14 attendees talking about the day's events or other subjects.

But before we got to playtime, there was still the Saturday seminar schedule to get through.  Since I'd only had two hours of sleep leading into Friday, my body said "You are getting seven hours whether you like it or not."

Melissa opening the suite today allowed to get that extra shuteye and not have to be there until 11 AM 

I had a meeting of POC trans leaders and cis POC allies at 12:15 PM.  It was coordinated by Kris Hayashi to apprise us of the current situation concerning AB 1266 and let us know what their plans were in case the haters get enough signatures to trigger a ballot initiative.

Much of what was discussed in that room today is in The Trans Revolution Will Not Be Blogged About territory, so I can't comment on it. 

But what I can say is that AB 1266 went into effect on January 1 and is being implemented.  All AB1266 does is clarify California state and federal non-discrimination law as it applies to trans students, and the Forces of Intolerance are still hating on it.     

I was satisfied to discover the peeps in Cali are quite aware of the national implications of what the haters are up to, plans are being formulated and ready to roll out if necessary.

They sought our input and I am on the mailing list, so watch this space for further announcements  

As I was wandering the Hilton Americas halls, ran into Ace Portis, and finally my homegirl Michelle Brown and her spouse. 

Michelle and her cohorts from Can We Talk For Real were getting in line to take NOH8 photos.  After meeting her spouse and watching the fun for a moment, it was time to attend my first session of the day. 

It was entitled Inclusive Public Workplace Policies: The North Texas Model  and was taught by Rafael McDonnell   He discussed what the TBLG community in the DFW Metroplex has been doing to initiate an impressive string of policy wins since 2010.

When that was done, as one of the inaugural Trans 100 honorees, I headed to Grand Ballroom E for Trans Visibility and Positivity: The Trans 100 that stated at 6 PM.   Toni D'orsay and Jen Richards explained how the idea came to her, how they select the curators, created the show, and whats in store for 2014.

First thing is there will be a brand new set of Trans 100 winners.  None of us who were selected last year will repeat, so will be nice to see on March 31 who gets chosen.

So after that did a little suite hopping, and buzzed the Trans Pool P with Melissa and Dylan before returning to the Racial Diversity Suite to prepare to close it at 10 PM .

Just before I left the Hilton Americas, ran into Reina Gossett, told her she'd done a wonderful job on the panel before I headed off to catch my bus.  

Tonight was the KPFT-FM tribute broadcast for Jimmy Carper. As I wandered the four blocks to my bus stop I pondered a Circle of Life moment.   Back in 1999, I left Creating Change in Oakland to do my first broadcast that night at Jimmy's side.   Now with us hosting our first ever Creating Change here in Houston,  Jimmy passes away two days before it started. 

Well, gotta get that beauty sleep.   Doing a 9:30 AM panel in the morning entitle Building a Bridge Over The rainbow LGBTQ Women Creating Community. that is scheduled for room 335C. 

Creating Change 2014-Laverne Cox Speech

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This is the keynote speech Laverne gave at the opening Thursday night plenary. that everyone who heard it is STILL talking about.  

Hopefully I'll get to do that one day (hint hint)

Creating Change 2014-Day 3 Recap

Day 3 of Creating Change Houston Style is conference hump day, and I was doing so on two hours sleep.

It was a self inflicted wound of which alcohol or excessive partying wasn't the cause of it, but writing two posts that I didn't complete to my satisfaction until 4 AM

Unlike many of our attendees, in addition to my seminars I've been blessed to participate in, I've busy working and repping H-town in our Racial Diversity Suite along with Melissa and our proud volunteers.

Thanks to all our volunteers who have or will be working it.  James, Letitia, Jerry, Anthony, Larry, Kyndal, Joel, James A, Miriam, James D, Clarence, Ashley, Talor, Keciana, Rodney, Tammy, Erin, Ciro and Reggie.

Your work, smiles, and Texas hospitality is deeply appreciate by Melissa, myself, and our Houston Host  Committee.  You have our visitors feel welcome, special, appreciated and it has been noticed. 

So since my next scheduled panel wasn't until 3 PM, I had the opportunity to support other people panels. But in the wake of Laverne's shoutout to me during her kick butt keynote speech, my coolness quotient was rising and I found myself taking a lot of photos today.

So I started my Day 3 with a panel Toni D'orsay was conducting entitled How Arizona Flushed Anti-Trans Legislation.  Toni broke down how the Arizona trans community banded together to kill the Your Papers To Pee and No Loo For You bills and discussed the strategies and tactics necessary to kill bad bills in red states. 

One of the things that is cool about Creating Change and maddening about it is there are so many wonderful panels that are happening at the same time that in order to get the info needed, you need to find a buddy, split up, attend them and take notes for each other to get the information that will be disseminated in them. 

One of those panels that was taking place at the same time I was in Toni's session was one featuring  Judge Tonya Parker from Dallas and one of my activist mentors in Judge Phyllis Frye discussing life on the bench for a TBLG judicial pioneer .  

If your still here and reading this Judge Parker, so want to meet you.

Then my next seminar was The Sisterhood, in which I watched a multicultural, bilingual at times and multigenerational panel of Latina, Asian and African American transwomen moderated by Andrea Jenkins that discussed the common issues that affect all our communities and do the work of builing a national sisterhood that will help us go a long way toward solving them.    The participants were Milan Alexander, Cecilia Chung, and my homegirls Bamby Salcedo and Arianna Lint.

It was also fun for me because I got to meet the rest of the members of the fabulous TransLatina Coalition and see Ruby Corado again..

After checking on the RD suite and hanging up there for a little to chat with some folks, bounced down to check out Imam Daayiee Abdullah, who I met during OUT on the Hill 2012 and the Muslim service that was held during the lunch hour.

I have been trying to get some quality time together all conference with Imam Abdullah and I have had one impediment after another keeping it from happening.  Even on my way to this service there was a room change that caused me to be a little late for this one. 

But when I arrived it was worth it because I not only got to hear his sermon and message to the assembled LGBT Muslims and people of other faiths like myself in the room, I got to witness a sadly not too common but emotionally powerful sight of a young woman leading the call to prayer.   After talking to Imam Abdullah and many of the other assembled worshipers who appreciated my heightened presence went back up to the suite to rest for a moment before my next panel.   

Then came my 3 PM GLAAD sponsored panel with the brilliant Reina Gossett, Tiq Milan and Laverne moderated by Dani Heffernan entitled Growing Visibility: Transgender People In The Media in which we spent much of our hour and a half discussing the ways in which media had positively and negatively impacted transpeople and especially transpeople of color.  

Then it was back to the suites for a few hours, checking out a blogging panel, bumping into my fave power could in Danielle and Aisha Moodie-Mills looking effortlessly lovely as usual, conversation in the bloggers reception with Venton Jones from NBJC and Samantha Master where we told some hilarious stories about past OUT on the Hills and Samantha joined Janet Mock in asking me to write a book on Black trans history.

And yes, the rumor is true. I had a sit down chat with NCTE's Mara Keisling, Lisa Mottet and Bamby Salcedo to talk about some issues in the community including our shared concern about the developing Jewlyes Gutierrez situation in California.

I said hi to my Houston homeboys and homegirls Lou Weaver, Yesenia Chavez and James Lee who were chilling out nearby before I bounced for the evening.

And what's this rumor I hear that the Denver #CC15 host committee people have been talking smack about busting all the Creating Change records we have set?   If its true, bring it on then. 

CC14's Hump Day has concluded for me, and now we have one last full day of seminars, plenaries, and once on one conversations with 4000 of our friends to Create Change who have made Houston the center of the LGBT Universe for now.
 

Creating Change 2014-Day 2

Day 2 of Creating Change 2014 Houston Style was a busy one for me.    We opened the suites and I was scheduled to supervise it today since Melissa had to work at her day job.

I was also invited to take part in thw National Black Justice Coalition's first ever at Creating Change Black Institute, and you know I wasn't missing the opportunity to be a prat of that event .

But what that set up for me was running back and forth from the fourth floor ballroom where the institute was being held to our Racial Diversity Suite on the 11th floor.

The Institute started at 9:15 AM after welcoming remarks from Task Force Deputy Director Darlene Nipper, NBJC ED/ECO Sharon Lettman-Hicks and the new man on the NBJC team in Venton Jones, their Events and Operations Manager. before they turned over the facilitation to Je-Shawna Wholley

After the screening of the film The Shadow Behind The Rainbow, we moved into the initial panel of the day I was on, entitled The Call of the Griot.  I was joined by Cleo Managao, Curtis Lipscomb, Dr. Kofi Adoma to discuss where we'd been as Black LGBT people and talk about intergenerational influences on the movement.

My mentor Mandy Carter was scheduled to participate in this panel, but the ATL weather related air traffic snarls delayed her arrival into Houston until later in the afternoon (darn it0  

When it was over I had to bounce to check on my suite (in room 11029 for you #cc14 attendees reading this post), and when I arrived it was packed for the lunch rush. I did get the opportunity to talk to many of our young attendees during the lunch break.

As I stepped out of the Ballroom H door enroute to the suite I had Charlene Carruthers and several people stop and  congratulate me for an award nomination.  I was puzzled until I was subsequently told TransGriot was nominated for a 2014 GLAAD Media Award. for Outstanding Blog.   Is there a trip to Los Angeles or New York in my future?    We'll see because my esteemed competition in this category is pretty stiff.


After making sure everything was copacetic in the suite, I returned to Ballroom H for the Young Gifted  Black and Queer Panel moderated by Je-Shawna and having as panelists Charlene Carruthers, Van Bailey Venton Jones and Samantha Master. 

Samantha had another surprise for me in an Asus laptop.   I've needed one for a while and this will do nicely to learn the nuances of laptop computing on.   I got to enjoy their panel and at the close of I spotted Louis Mitchell, Mandy Carter, Kimberley McLeod and Aisha Moodie-Mills entering the room a few minutes apart..

After she finished her chat with Sharon, I took a few moments to hug her and find out if Danielle was here (she is) before she had to moderate the third panel of the day entitled Double Jeopardy:: When The Struggle Overlaps.   It was a panel with Stacey Long, Holiday Simmons, Sheila Isong, and Dr. Imani Woody that looked at the political implications of being Black and gay.

When it was over and the assembled peeps were in another breakout session, I once again had to leave to  check on my suite.  A shift change had happened while I was gone, it needed a little TLC and it was also busy.

We were shutting down early tonight because we wanted everyone to attend the initial plenary session featuring speeches from our CC14 Host Committee Co-Chairs, and Mayor Annise Parker. 

But the buzz and excitement at the Hilton Americas had been building all day and frankly, ever since it was announced Laverne Cox would be our keynote speaker.

I got to the plenary after shutting down the Racial Diversity Suite for the night and the ballroom was standing room only.

Fortunately for me Kylar Broadus and and Marisa Richmond had a seat for me after standing for a few minutes and I settled in to watch Sue and Russell,  my Houston Host Committee Co Chairs, and Mayor Parker welcome everyone to Houston along with emcee Kate Clinton. 

And then the moment arrived in which our keynote speaker arrived to a standing ovation, she gave shoutouts in the speech to several people, including some GLAAD Award nominated blogger y'all know. before moving to the salient points in her speech.

Laverne's keynote discussed self love, the criminal justice system and how it impacts the trans community and pride in being not only trans, but a Black trans woman.  .

Looking forward to doing that panel with her, Tiq and Reina later today.

Creating Change 2014-Day 1 Recap

January 29, 2014 was the day we'd been planning as a Host Committee almost a year to have seamlessly happen, and it dawned clear and cold.

It was Day One of Creating Change Houston style, and on tap for it was The Racial Justice Institute. I didn't actually have to be up at the Hilton Americas until 5 PM for a meeting concerning the suites, but I'd sat at home and gotten my beauty sleep long enough   It was time for Moni to make an appearance at the Hilton Americas Hotel for CC14 and see my LGBT peeps .

I bounced out of the house at 7 in order to get a feel for the layout of the space and where our suites were located.   I discovered they are all on the west side of the hotel starting on the sixth floor and going all the way up to the 21st floor.  I returned to the lower levels after locating the 11th floor location of the Racial Diversity Suite , chatted with some of the peps at the registration desk before heading to the Lanier Ballroom where the initial session of the RJI was occurring.and being facilitated by The Washington Consulting Group, of whose members I met and chatted with before it started. 

It also didn't take me long to start seeing people as the cavernous room began to fill up with people attending the RJI..  I finally met the lovely Angelica Ross, who I have known online and chatted with on the phone from time to time for several years.   That triggered the floodgate of people rushing up to want to talk to me once they realized the TransGriot was in the CC14 house. 

And yes, I enjoy those conversations as much as the people who are approaching me do.  

The RJI started at 9 AM and was scheduled to run until our 12:30 PM lunch break, and we spent that time working toward the goal of having deeper and meaningful conversations across race and sexuality.  


As that lunch break happened and I pondered what I was going to do, I ran into Stacey Langley and we decided to walk over to a nearby food court in the mall near the Four Seasons Hotel.   

I ran into in rapid succession on that walk Holiday Simmons from Lambda Legal, Jen Richards of Trans 100 fame and my Arizona homegirl and newlywed Toni D'orsay.

After lunch Stacey and I returned to hit different breakout session .   She hit the Engaging Race As A Multiracial Person in the LGBT Community one while I decided to head to the Engaging Race Gender Identity And Sexual Orientation Across People of Color Communities.

Shiva Subbaraman and Vernon Wall facilitated an interesting conversation over the next hour and 15 minutes that touched on a wide range of topics including the internalized issues inside our various POC communities.

I got to see Imam Daayiee Abdullah during this session and looking forward to checking out the Muslim service he's leading on Friday.   Didn't get to finish the RJI because of that 5 PM meeting to pick up the key for the suite that opens tomorrow at 8 AM and help set it up with Melissa Meadows.

On that note, I didn't get back home until almost 9:30 PM.   I did have a nice package waiting for me when I arrived, and it was my autographed copy of Janet's book Redefining Realness that's going to be released February 4.

As busy as I'm going to be for the next two days, quiet time to read it is going to be at a premium.    And yep, need to get my behind in bed to get up at 5 AM so I can be there to open the suite and do the NBJC sponsored institute I'm a part of  in a few hours.

And nope, for those of you #CC14 attendees who are fans of TransGriot and have asked me, haven't decided who gets this week's Shut Up Fool Award yet.  I am taking suggestions though.

Creating Change 2014- Moni's Busy CC14 Schedule

Creating Change 2014 officially starts in a few hours with the day long Racial Justice Institute kicking off at 9 AM, and despite Houston Freeze Part 2, people are either here in H-town already or on their way here.  

Creating Change already started for me with the Volunteer Training Session that was held on Sunday.  I have a 5 PM meeting to attend to do some additional training related to my supervisory duties in the Racial Diversity Suite, but I'm looking forward to my first Creating Change since 1999 for a lot of reasons.

The Hilton Americas and the other overflow hotels for the next several days will be the epicenter for the TBLG movement, and it's going to be a wonderful thing to witness.

In addition to seeing all my old friends in the movement, meeting many people for the first time and people I'm aware of via their movement work but I'll meet for the first time ever during CC14, I'll be fulfilling another dream and getting to participate in Creating Change as a panelist. 

I'm part of the host committee, and I'm so looking forward to seeing old friends, meeting people I've connected with via The Net or admired for a long time in the TBLG community.

And the best part about it is Creating Change came to me this year.

Because Creating Change 2014 is happening in H-town, I got asked by a few peeps to be part of their various presentations and panels. I've feel blessed and honored that people sought me out to do so. 

On Thursday January 30 I'm one of the panelists in the first ever The Black Institute: From the Civil Rights Movement to the LGBT-Equality Movement sponsored and organized by the National Black Justice Coalition.  It runs from 9 AM-6 PM in Grand Ballroom H on Level 4 of the hotel.  

This institute will explore the challenges and successes while living at the intersection of racial justice and LGBT equality and here's a description of some of the topics we'll tackle during this day long conversation.

From Selma to Stonewall, there is uniqueness about telling the story of where Black folks fit in the conversation about LGBT equality, especially when you live openly as a Black LGBTQ person who is deeply-rooted in Black culture in America.

Are Black queer folks always to live in survival mode? Or do we have an opportunity to THRIVE in both movements? This conversation is long overdue to declare Black LGBTQ people as a distinct population with specific needs and challenges that must not be relegated in one movement versus another. The time is NOW to set the agenda for our future. The place is HERE where we will come together to achieve this goal.

I'm looking forward to Laverne's keynote speech Thursday night and hearing Mayor Annise Parker's remarks at the opening plenary session in the Ballroom of the Americas.

On Friday I join GLAAD Media Strategists Dani Heffernan and Tiq Milan in Grand Ballroom F on Level 4 for a 3-4:30 PM panel entitled "Growing Visibility: Transgender People in the Media,"   It will discuss transgender images in the media and features Reina Gossett of the Sylvia Rivera Law Project and our CC14 keynote speaker Laverne Cox.

I then head upstairs to the Racial Diversity Suite in Room 11029 to do a Texas Trans History presentation in the suite from 7-8:10 PM.

On Saturday February 1 from 12:15-1:30 PM I'll be in Room 333.attending a person of color only space discussion about the attacks against Trans and Gender non-conforming youth in California, that will also discuss AB1266 (the School Success and Opportunity Act) the attempt by the haters to take it to a ballot initiative, and the implications for and impacts on the continued national trend of attacks on trans and gender non conforming youth of color in schools 

On Sunday February 2, I join my Houston homegirl Stacey Langley in Room 335C for a discussion entitled  Building A Bridge Over The Rainbow: LGBTQ Women Creating Community.   That panel will be a 9:30-11:00 AM start before we move into the final plenary and the concert with Nona Hendryx to close it out and pass the Creating Change torch to Denver.     

And that's not even counting the other panels I'll attend, be chatting in, the networking I'll be doing and the the large numbers of people I'll be engaged with during this January 29-February 2 period.

Glad I got my beauty sleep last week.   Gonna need it.

Creating Change 2014-Volunteer Training Day

Officially Creating Change 2014 isn't starting until January 29, but yesterday was the first day of Creating Change Houston action for me, the Host Committee and the 600 local peeps who showed up at the Hilton Americas downtown for our mandatory training day.

We had a choice of one hour sessions starting at 12 noon and running until 6 PM.   I and my fellow Racial Diversity committee member Keciana chose to get our shift out of the way early. 

Keciana and I got up on this beautiful 70 degree Sunday morning and after she picked me up we headed downtown to the Hilton Americas Hotel.

After being greeted by one of our co-chairs Cristina Gorczynski in the hotel's cavernous and opulent lobby I was surprised to run into Congressman Al Green (D-TX) and one of his aides.  We chatted for a few moments as he asked me how my mom was doing.  I also took the opportunity to briefly tell him about the nine month drama I had getting my TDL before Keciana and I headed upstairs to Room 343. 

After we found a pair of seats our seats and greeted many of our fellow Host Committee member who also had the same idea of getting it out of the way early, we found ourselves in Room 343 on the massive hotel's third floor to be greeted by Sue Hyde, Russell Roybal and the gang from CC National.

After the room filled up Sue proceeded to give us some background on the conferences origins, proclaim the Houston Host committee the best ever  

At the overview the four House Captains, Adam Wexelbaum,Colin Lovell, Alex Breitman and Rich Mohn took groups of us on a tour of the spaces in which 4000 of our LGBT will soon be roaming in less than 72 hours.   The tour ended with each group being steered toward the the room where you could sign up for your shifts and the volunteer jobs you wished to do during the conference.

Oh yeah, we now know the dates for Creating Change 15 in Denver.   It'll be February 3-8, 2015, so if you're bummed you had to miss this record breaking one in H-town, get your schedule and ducks in a row for next year.   Our friends in Colorado will be glad to have you at their event.

But back to talking about CC14 Volunteer Sunday

I signed on the dotted line last April when I showed up for the Host Committee meeting at the Montrose Center, and I'm already going to be a busy girl during this conference in addition to my Racial Diversity Suite supervisory duties.   I have a meeting for that on Wednesday afternoon, so I left the volunteer signup to all the eager people who want to take part on one level or another in making this the best Creating Change event ever.

So mine and everyone else's Creating Change week has started.   Looking forward to seeing how the rest of this week plays out.  

Creating Change 2014 Begins...

Well, for me, the Houston Host Committee and the volunteers it begins today.    

Starting at 12 noon CST, the members of the Houston Host Committee and our 600 volunteers (another record) will be gathering at the Hilton Americas until 6 PM today to undergo mandatory training. 

We are prepping to welcome the anticipated record  4000 people headed to H-town by plane, train, bus and automobile for Creating Change 2014.

We'll have our choice of a one hour session that happens between 12-6 today and I'm looking forward to it.  As one of the co-chairs of the Racial Diversity Committee, I have an additional supervisory suite training session I'll be attending on Wednesday afternoon at 5:30 PM.

And yes people, you knew with Creating Change being inside Loop 610 until February 2 that not only was I not going to miss this 26th annual conference happening in my hometown, but I will be taking part in several panel discussions and events throughout this weekend.  

Even Kate Clinton is excited about coming to the Lone Star State's largest city..




But it's just another sign that what we've been planning for nearly a year in terms of Creating Change Houston style is really about to happen.   Our January 29 conference start date is rapidly approaching and as we get closer to that date we as a host committee get more excited by the nanosecond. 

But one thing we are breathing a major sigh of relief about is the deep freeze that whacked H-town happened on last Thursday and Friday and not this week.

Do I Have People I Admire In This Community? I Sure Do

Much of the time I'm in the position of having someone come up to me and tell me how much they admire me, how long they've been a faithful reader of TransGriot or treat me like a rock star when I'm at a conference or a speaking engagement.. 

Most of the time I'm trying to stay on a even keel about the attention, focus on what I need to do panel or speech wise and not get Big Head Syndrome about it. 

But rest assured, if I start exhibiting signs of it, I have people in my circle of close friends who are ready, willing and eager to pop the air in my big head balloon and quickly bring me back to reality. .

With the looming visit of 4000 of our closest LGBT friends, allies and colleagues in the TBLG human rights struggle headed to my hometown, I've been making sure I've been getting my beauty sleep.  Creating Change 2014 starts for me tomorrow when I walk into that training session at the Hilton American Hotel.

I'm excited because it will not only be my first Creating Change since 1999, I'll get to see some of my old friends in the community on my home turf for a change and get the opportunity to make new ones. 

Also included in that group of 4000 people we Houston Host Committee members are anticipating here at the Hilton Americas and the other overflow hotels around the downtown area are people that I have known for years and been linked with via social media, but for one reason or another our paths haven't crossed for us to officially meet until now.

And yes, I'm excited about that.

Hey, I have my fangirl moments just like 'errbody' else in this community.  I also have much love and respect for many of my contemporaries in the trans, bi and SGL communities who are handling their human rights business and doing it well and I've told them as much.  

With the untimely death of Min. Bobbie Jean Baker a few weeks ago, it was a reminder for me to tell the people I care about how much I love and respect them while they are still on this space rock to hear it. 

It really shouldn't be a shock that with 2014 being the 20th year since I transitioned and this being my 16th year in trans oriented human rights activism, that I have people that I admire who do this work just as much as they do me. 

The folks I admire have many qualities.  Their intellect.  Their longevity in the movement.  Their public speaking or writing talents.  Their willingness to speak truth to power.  Their trailblazing leadership. The intangible qualities they possess that compel me to want to get to know them better as human beings.

And some are allies like Nona Hendryx.  I want to meet her when she does our CC14 closing concert and personally thank her for standing up for the trans community and not playing MichFest last year.

From January 29-February 2 I'm going to get the opportunity to tell them personally how much I love, respect and admire them.  

After the shaking of hands, the hugs, the exchange of compliments and updates on our personal lives, we'll start discussing what they came to Houston for and what I spent almost a year along with the hundred plus members of the Houston Host Committee helping to plan. 

We'll get busy discussing the tactics and strategies necessary to move our BTLG human rights movement forward.
 

Can We Talk For Real Talks CC14

With seven days to go until Creating Change 2014 kicks off in Houston, I and the entire Houston Host Committee are eager to roll out the rainbow carpet for you and welcome you to our beloved hometown and blue oasis for the first ever Creating Change in the largest city in Texas.

I get the honor of appearing on Can We Talk For Real with Ina, Michelle, and Terry Boi who are also coming to CC14.  I've met 2/3s of the CWT4R team and will finally get to meet Terry next week. 

Starting at 10:30 PM EST (9:30 CST, 8:30 MST and 7:30 PST) yours truly will be on your internet radio podcast dial to talk about Creating Change.

You'll be getting it from the perspective of someone who spent the last year being part of the Houston Host Committee planning process for this major TBLG community event as the co-chair of the Racial Diversity Committee and documenting it for posterity on TransGriot

Can We Talk For Real is on Blog Talk Radio, and if you wish to join in the conversation you can dial 1-347-215-8985 to do so. 

Looking forward to seeing you folks when y'all come to H-town January 29-February 2 at the Hilton Americas Hotel for the largest annual gathering of activists, organizers and leaders of the TBLG movement. 
 

Creating Change 2014-Program

It's T minus eight days and counting until Creating Change Houston style happens, and as we get closer to January 29 the excitement is building for those of us who spent the last nine months putting together this conference. 

The only thing that would have made us happier is if the Texans were playing football in January, but oh well we couldn't get everything we wanted.    

In addition to this year's conference schedule, it also contains welcome letters from our co-chairs, Mayor Parker, Councilmember Mike Laster, one from HISD jointly signed by school board President Anna Eastman and Vice President Juliet Stipeche, Texas State Senator John Whitmire,  Texas State Reps Jessica Farrar, Gene Wu and Mary Gonzalez, Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia and Harris County Democratic Party Chair Lane Lewis. 

The program for Creating Change 2014 is up and here's the link to it here.

Those of you who are attending our event January 29-February 2 may wish to use it to figure out what events, seminars and sessions you wish to participate in..

Road To Creating Change Houston 2014 Diary -Light At The End Of The Tunnel

Back in May I started writing a series of posts on the blog that sought to capture my thoughts as I watched the process of putting together the Task Force's Creating Change conference unfold.

It seems like it was eons ago that we had our first Host Committee meeting at the Montrose Center on May7 and began that process by filling out the subcommittees that would do the bulk of the organizing work

Now we are an anxious two weeks away from having the conference happen and having to execute all the plans we have spent months putting together and laying out..

Speaking of having things happen, I missed the December 3 meeting because I wasn't feeling well, and that killed my chances of attending every one of the meetings from start to finish.   But I didn't need to be sharing my cold with my fellow Host Committee members either.    

But I made sure I was there for our last Host Committee meeting on January 7.   As the meeting started at the Montrose Center and we gave our respective reports, there were mixed emotions in the room.   We are excited that January 29 is rapidly approaching and we're about to host our first ever Creating Change, but sad that this was the last Host Committee meeting.   .

While I was sad that it was the last time we'd be gathering together for Host Committee meeting purposes, the work still isn't over. .  

We are still on our various committee fine tuning our programming in the hospitality suites, still promoting our conference to the people in the Houston metro area, and doing our best to get the word out that Creating Change is coming to town January 29-February 2. 

Christina had a article published earlier this month in OutSmart magazine as part of those efforts, and I don't doubt that our media team has reached out to our local media to cover CC14 when it happens


Lou was delayed getting to that final Host Committee meeting due to travel issues related to the polar vortex deep freeze gripping the nation, (and Houston was in the low 40s for a high that day) but our other co-chairs Christina, Bryan and Augie were there in full effect ticking off the reasons why this conference was poised to be the most successful ever.

Speaking of weather, we're wanting Chamber of Commerce weather for it, (sunny, 45-60 degrees) so you CC14 attendees can get the opportunity to enjoy the ice rink at Discovery Green across the street.

The temps have been all over the map this month.  It was cold earlier that Host Committee meeting week but was up to 70 degrees by the weekend. 

Just an FYI, January is our coldest month in Houston with the average temp at 53.1 degrees.  I'm not going to mention what our average rainfall is for January.   Don't want to jinx us. 

I'm getting increasing e-mail and chat messages from people who are headed here asking if I'm going to be in the house for it and other general information related questions about my hometown. 

As for the conference programming, I'm part of two panel discussions on Friday afternoon and Sunday morning during Creating Change along with handling my Racial Diversity Suite supervisory shifts on Wednesday and Thursday.   

We set a goal of 4000 attendees for it, and have already sold out not only the host hotel, but two overflow hotels.  A third overflow hotel is rapidly approaching that status.  We're still getting volunteers and know the mandatory training session is happening January 26.   So for those of you coming to Houston, you are going to be part of a record breaking all time attendance for a Creating Change Conference  
 
We smashed the all time fundraising record by raising $33,000 for this event . We have Laverne Cox coming to Houston to give the plenary speech and Nona Hendryx performing at our closing concert and I'm looking forward to seeing both of them. 

You may even see a former Creating Change attendee who happens to work at City Hall in Mayor Annise Parker.

And speaking of City Hall, it will be floodlit in rainbow colors during the conference.    

But the best thing that has come out of this experience for me in addition to the new friendships and the opportunity to see the peeps in the national and international LGBT community again, is being able to work with people who I might not have gotten a chance to meet otherwise or it may have taken a while to do so. 

That's also true of the people who I've been chatting with online for years and will finally get the opportunity to meet during Creating Change.  

Those of us who have embarked on the project of putting together Creating Change Houston style have established working partnerships that will last long after we pass the Creating Change torch to Denver and their Host Committee has the task of trying to top in 2015 what we accomplished in H-town.

Those partnerships will serve us in the local and statewide TBLG human rights battles to come..

But can't wait for January 29-February 2 to finally get here so we can roll out the rainbow carpet for you.

OutSmart Article On Creating Change 2014

OutSmart is our local TBLG community magazine that has been publishing since 1997.  

Christina Gorczynski, one of our Houston Host Committee Co-Chairs,wrote an article that published in the latest issue of it concerning the rapidly approaching January 29-February 2 date of Creating Change Houston style. 

And yeah, as you probably guessed, a  certain blogger y'all know and love was quoted in it.

And for those of you traveling to Houston wondering  if I'm going to be there for CC14, um yeah.  This is my birthplace and hometown (although Louisville likes to claim me as theirs, too).  I've been part of the team helping put it together since April and I'm already scheduled for two panel discussions.   You think I was going to miss a Creating Change in my backyard?    

Here's the link to it, and looking forward to seeing everyone who is going to be part of the record breaking crowd we are expecting at the Hilton Americas Hotel in a few weeks. 

Help Some Latina Trans Sisters Get To Creating Change 2014

As those of us on the Houston Host Committee already are keenly aware of, Creating Change 2014 will start January 29.  People will be coming from all over Texas, the country and the world to get to the Hilton Americas Hotel to enjoy our Houston hospitality and Creating Change Texas style. 

These ladies of the Trans Latin@ Coalition want to join the 4000 people we are anticipating will be there for Creating Change, but need a little help to get there.   Yours truly and my peeps on the Host Committee want to meet them.

We are trying to support 9 women from the national TransLatin@ Coalition to get to the Latino Institute at Creating Change. We have lodging for 9 women and 4 flights donated. Please make a donation to support these amazing women from local communities across the country who advocate for transgender Latin@ immigrants in the US. Donations will be matched by a donor up to $1,000 -

http://www.unionfuerza.org/home

We appreciate your support for our sisters attend this important national LGBT Latin@ day-long training.

Hope to see you in a few weeks, ladies. 

T-30 Days And Counting To Creating Change 2014

After the months of meetings, planning fundraisers, getting the word out, and other activities wrapped around it, we are now 30 tantalizing days away from Creating Change 2014 happening in my hometown January 29-Febuary 2.. 

Am I excited about it?    Is Annise Parker still my awesome mayor?

Yeah, me and our Creating Change team can't wait to roll out the rainbow carpet for you peeps who are traveling to H-town for this event. 

Looking forward to seeing the Hilton Americas Hotel swarming with our TBLG community members from around the country and the world as we plot, plan, learn from each other and strategize the next stages of our human rights movement. 

I'm looking forward to seeing and chatting with as many peeps during this conference as humanly possible while doing my part to make sure that things run smoothly in the Racial Diversity Suite.

But still have 30 days of work and nervous anticipation along with the rest of the Houston host committee before that happens.

Road To Creating Change 2014 Houston Diary- Emotional Rollercoaster

As you TransGriot readers know I'm co-chair of the Racial Diversity Committee, one of the subcommittees that's part of the organizing process for our upcoming Creating Change Conference that will be talking place in Houston January 29-February 2.

I've been documenting since May what it's like to have a ringside seat for and be part of the team of people doing the organizing work in the host city to put together a major national conference like Creating Change.

Well, in this edition of my Creating Change 2014 Diary me and my fellow Host Committee have been riding a rollercoaster ride of emotions.   We see our convention date is rapidly approaching, we're excited about that, but realize that we still have a lot of work ahead of us before it happens.
. 
But first up was a night to have some fun.  On October 19 we kicked up our heels, cowboy boots and other fashion forward footwear at the Creating Change Pre-Convention Celebration event that was held at Neon Boots, a large GLBT country western bar on the northwest side of town.   It was a Creating Change 2014 local promotion event open to all volunteers, guests and people wanting to know more about this conference that is mere weeks away at this writing from happening.

When planning a major conference, there are some elements of it that are out of your local control.   There are aspects of it that Creating Change National decides such as who our plenary keynote speakers are going to be and which seminar proposals get accepted.  We have no idea or control over what the weather is going to be like for those days we have scheduled for the conference.  But as an FYI for you Creating Change conference attendees, Houston's average temperature in January ranges from 43-64 degrees F.

Don't want to jinx us by mentioning what our average rainfall number is for January.

The other major thing we didn't have a whole lot of control over as a Host Committee besides us voting in it was our mayoral election.   One reason Creating Change is here is because with 2.2 million people in it, Houston (the fourth largest city in the US) is the largest city in the United States and in the state of Texas run by a gay mayor.  

But Mayor Annise Parker was going to have to run for her third and final term during the fall while we were planning this conference.  Our worst nightmare as the Host Committee that nagged at us through the summer and fall was she not getting reelected and having someone in that chair taking the oath of office at the Wortham Center on January 1, 2014 that was hostile to our community.

It turned out our fears were well founded.  Although we knew that Mayor Parker had done an excellent job leading our city, elections can be unpredictable at times.  We had Ben Hall, one of Mayor Parker's major challengers deciding to pander to the anti-gay haters late in the campaign in a desperate bid to make up the double digit deficit he was facing.  It also pissed us off because when he was trying to get the Houston GLBT Caucus mayoral endorsement, Hall said he supported adding sexual orientation and gender identity to our city's non-discrimination ordinance, then did a 180 on that.

Fortunately for us Hall did his Mitt Romney impression while early voting was still transpiring, so we had time to handle our electoral business as a community and punish him at the polls.  But we still had to hold our breath until Election Day arrived on November 5.

We got to exhale and celebrate as Annise won with 57% of ours and our fellow Houstonian's votes to win without a runoff.   It ensured that when you show up in H-town for Creating Change, our city will still be run by Mayor Parker, a former attendee of Creating Change.  We're working on getting her to come by the Hilton Americas to say hello to y'all.   I'm hoping she'll be doing so since she made it clear when we were bidding for the conference she wanted it here.   

There was finite disappointment handed to the Houston trans community in this election cycle.  Jenifer Rene Pool missed getting into the runoff for the at-large Position 3 City Council seat she was running for by an agonizing 1,125 votes. 

That unfortunately ended her second bid to become the first out trans person ever elected to Houston City Council, but she's already let us know that she's going to make another run at it in 2015.    


So when we gathered at the Montrose Center for our November 10 Host Committee meeting, we were relieved that one of our nagging planning headaches was off our checklist and gleefully celebrating the fact that Annise would be our mayor until January 1, 2016.

As we waited for the Host Committee meeting to start, a transformer in the area blew out, subsequently knocking out power in the neighborhood and the Montrose Center building that hosts our meetings for almost two hours.   I joked when it happened that we probably wouldn't get power back until after the meeting was over and that's exactly what happened.   

As the Montrose Center building staff scrambled into action to provide us and the other community organizations hosting meetings in the darkened building at the time mini lights to give us some semblance of illumination, we soldiered on with our Host Committee business, issued subcommittee reports and greeted CC National's Russell Roybal.   

Overseeing Creating Change is one of his supervisory responsibilities and he was in H-town along with the IT director to not only convey to us what Sue Hyde told us last month in terms of H-town setting the CC organizing bar to unprecedented levels and congratulate us for our hard work, he also let us know who one of our keynote speakers would be and the folks who would be receiving awards at our event. The awards part I have to keep quiet about for now, but I can talk about who one of the keynote speakers will be. 

And peeps, I get to see my homegirl Laverne Cox again.  I met her during the National Black Justice Coalition's 2012 OUT on the Hill conference when I was part of the trans feminine panel discussion she moderated before she blew up in Orange Is The New Black    So I'm looking forward to along with the rest of the Houston Host Committee in welcoming her to my hometown and hearing her keynote speech. 

We're also trying to get another major Texas political speaker here for you besides our mayor. 

Russell also advised us that Task Force ED Rea Carey's State of the Movement speech would be carried live on C-SPAN.  He also let us know that people would begin to be notified about whether their panel discussions they submitted would be accepted or rejected, and I was part of two proposals.   One was accepted, the other was rejected.  I will be doing a panel discussion at CC14, and when they set the schedule I'll let y'all know which one and what time.

Our subcommittees were busy submitting our budgets proposals before the hard 6 PM CST November 15 submission deadline.  We also discovered the subcommittees were only getting $500 to spend, so we had to revise our plans to do what we'd wanted to do in our suites to fit that budgetary hard number.   I got to sit in on the Trans* and Gender Diversity subcommittee meeting November 14 and watch them go through the process, then had to get with my Racial Diversity subcommittee Chair Melissa Meadows the next morning and do the same thing for our committee.

We're still wanting to have barbecue in our Racial Diversity Suite, but because of the lower than expected hard budget number it'll be for one night instead of the two we'd originally planned.

We have just two Creating Change Houston Host Committee planning meetings left on December 3 and January 7 and we are now mere weeks away from rolling out the rainbow carpet and welcoming y'all to Creating Change Houston 2014.   

And I and my fellow Host Committee members can't wait to see y'all at the Hilton Americas.

Now if we can get that Chamber of Commerce weather we're wanting, sunny, cool 50-60 degrees and not a cloud in the sky, we'll be happy. 
   

Moni's CC14 Interview

In the runup to our upcoming Creating Change conference in Houston January 29-February 2, in addition to yours truly writing the series of TransGriot diary posts about our Host Committee putting together the CC14 event, we have different members of our Houston Host Committee like myself who have attended past Creating Change conferences being interviewed about our experiences at this major LGBT community event.

The interview that I recently did was posted on the CC14 website today.  Here's a taste of it.

***

Creating Change: What are the 3 biggest learnings/discoveries/takeaways you have gleaned from the Creating Change Conference(s) you’ve attended?

Monica Roberts: The first discovery is that Creating Change is an amazingly diverse event with people there from 18-80.

It is the place to be if you want to meet people in the LGBT movement and acquire the knowledge base and skills necessary to become an effective activist.

The worst time to commit a discriminatory act against a member of the LGBT community is when Creating Change is in town.   The transphobic disrespecting of a transfeminine Creating Change attendee and her friends by the Oakland Police Department  in front of our convention hotel led to a protest march and use of the advocacy tactics we’d been learning in a real world situation.

Creating Change: What motivated you to volunteer to serve on the Creating Change Organizing committee?

Monica Roberts: I’m very proud of my hometown and wanted to be part of the team organizing the first Creating Change to take place in Houston.   I also believed it was important for me to do so as a past attendee and a longtime African-American trans leader from this city.

***

You can read the rest of what I had to say by following this link to the Creating Change 2014 website.

Road To Creating Change 2014-Setting The Bar

It's time for another episode of my Creating Change 2014 Diary.  I've been chronicling through my eyes since May what's happening as the Houston TBLG community prepares to host Creating Change here for the first time ever at the Hilton Americas Hotel January 29-February 2, 2014.

The Houston Host Committee is a little more than 100 days and and one month closer to our Creating Change 2014 dates and we couldn't be happier.  We know from looking at our remaining Host Committee meeting schedule and the calendar we have only three more of them on November 12, December 3, and January 7.

Our conference is taking shape, but we still have a lot of work ahead of us to complete before January 29 arrives.

Speaking of completed, with the passage of the September 30 deadline date to submit proposals, one of our committees has wrapped up its work  Major kudos to Januari Leo for handling the Programming committee's business to the point we set an all time Creating Change record for proposal submissions with 650.   101 of those proposals were from Texans, which was another Creating Change record. 

With the Programming committee's work done, the members of it are migrating to other committees whose work is ramping up as our convention dates approach and need the help.   

Our October 1 Host Committee meeting had three special guests from Creating Change National in the Montrose Center house. 

Creating Change National Director Sue Hyde was in town along with Daniel Pino and Mel Braman.   Once we gave our 15 subcommittee reports, they said a few words and answered the questions we had for them before we ended the meeting.  

Hyde remarked about how impressed they were concerning our Host Committee team, the quality of leadership in the subcommittees from top to bottom, our innovative touches in terms of creating a Host Committee website to promote our conference, the aggressive regional marketing of CC14, our social media pages and the fact the Houston Host Committee is obliterating many of the previous all-time Creating Change records including the fundraising one. 

Because many people around LGBT nation aren't aware of the major role that Houston has played in shaping trans, bi and SGL history, when you out-of-town guests arrive in January, you will be greeted with a display in the lobbies of the Hilton Americas using historical documents and mementos from various local organizations, including National Coming Out Day memories.  In addition, my Racial Diversity Hospitality Committee is planning to honor a diverse group of Houston LGBT history makers in our hospitality suite during the conference.

Our team is determined to smash the all-time Creating Change attendance record, too  We set a goal of 4000 attendees for Creating Change 2014. 

And just an FYI Texas and Louisiana LGBT peeps and allies wanting to come, we have Megabus service into Houston from Dallas, Austin, San Antonio and New Orleans that drops off across the street from METRO's Downtown Transit Center.   

The CC National team also shared with us that we were setting the organizational bar for Creating Change so high that the Denver Host Committee, who gets Creating Change 2015 was getting a little nervous about how they were going to top us when CC14 concluded. 


Sue also shared the news that CC National was in negotiations to get some very special and well known guests for our keynotes and CC14 performances that must stay secret for now.   Y'all know as soon as I find out and I'm able to tell you, I will.

As for the Racial Diversity Committee I co-chair with Melissa Meadows, we're still working hard toward planning that Houstoncentric experience.  We have another meeting scheduled on October 17 at 7 PM CDT to take the next steps toward making it happen.

On October 10 another milestone event happened that let us know that CC14 is closer to becoming a reality.  

15 members of the Host Committee along with three of our CC14 Co-chairs, Augie, Christina and Bryan met in the opulent lobby of the Hilton Americas to be escorted by Carol from the Hilton staff on a tour of the facility.  

We got a chance to look at one of the hospitality suites, which was an immense help to Melissa, myself and the other hospitality suite planners who were part of the tour group to have a concrete idea of what kind of space we're working with. 

We were also shown one of the third floor breakout rooms that will be used for the seminars, the space that we'll be using to check in our local volunteers and one of the proposed spots for CC14 convention check in.

And if you trans* and gender variant peeps are wondering about gender neutral bathrooms, since this hotel opened in 2003, it has family bathrooms in various spots between the gendered ones.  

We got a chance to look at the massive Ballroom of the Americas, where our plenary sessions will be held and the miniball will be conducted for the younglings 24 and under.    There's another party being planned for those of us above age 24, and as I mentioned we've talked to the city about having the ice rink at Discovery Green open.during CC14.  The Host committee is also discussing getting the Skyline Room for a TBD convention event.    

Melissa, Dylan and I took a look at the pool/jacuzzi area which opens up to a patio that has a beautiful view of downtown, the Hermann Park-Medical Center area and Houston's south side that the Trans* and Gender Diversity Hospitality Committee is planning..  

We're also having a Creating Change Pre-Convention Celebration event open to all volunteers, guests and people wanting to know more about Creating Change 2014 this Saturday, October 19 from 4-8 PM.  It'll be held at Neon Boots Dancehall and Saloon, a GLBT country venue that is one of the largest such clubs of its type in the South and practically screams TEXAS. 


Light food and entertainment will be part of this kickoff event celebrating the fact that Creating Change 2014 is coming to H-town soon.  

So nope, I wasn't kidding when I said our goal was to have the best Creating Change event ever and we're well on our way to making it a reality.      

Road To Creating Change Houston 2014 Diary-Handling Our Business

Fall is approaching and with the eagerly anticipated relief from our infamous summer heat and humidity comes cooler weather and the knowledge that January 29 will be here sooner than we thought. 

And it's time for another episode of my Creating Change Diary, in which I'm chronicling my observations and keeping track of what's happening as the Houston TBLG community prepares to host Creating Change here in 2014. 

We continue to conduct our monthly host committee meetings at the Montrose Center, in which the 15 subcommittee update everyone on their progress on the first Tuesday of every month.in organizing their piece of a conference in which our goal is to show off the diversity of the fourth largest city in the nation.

At our August 6 meeting, our co-chairs Lou and Christina conducted a Trans 101 Gender Sensitivity skit which highlighted to those of us in attendance for that meeting how to respectfully interact with the trans community and the do's and don't of those interactions.  

There was another committee that changed names like my now named Racial Diversity Committee did back in July.   The Bisexual Hospitality Committee became the Bi-Panfluid Hospitality Committee.   At the just conducted September 3 meeting the Transgender Host Committee's name was changed to the Trans* and Gender Diversity Hospitality Committee. 

I was also reminded just how many movers and shakers in our community are part of this effort when a stylishly dressed Christina conducted our September 3 Host Committee meeting before heading off to a fundraising gala for Mayor Annise Parker.   We are organizing this in the middle of a city election that is getting more active as we passed Labor Day.  We are doing everything we can to ensure that Mayor Parker will get her third term as H-town's leader.   I'm also hoping that Jenifer Rene Pool will be there in January as an openly trans member of our city council.  

The push in August and this month is not only to get our budgets for our various committees together and submit them to fundraising, but for our local community talent to submit our proposals for Creating Change workshops and seminars by September 30.   We're not kidding about having this event showcase our community.

In order to hit our goal of 4000 attendees, we have been showing up at local events and getting the word out that Creating Change is coming to town..  Our outreach teams are not only hitting college campuses, they will will be heading to pride events in Austin and Dallas to talk up Creating Change 2014.  In my capacity as the Racial Diversity Committee co-chair, yours truly has been spreading the words in her radio interviews and when I show up in the Bay Area for Trans H4CK I will be armed with Save the Date cards promoting our conference.

Speaking of the Racial Diversity Committee I co-chair, we're finalizing our budget numbers and have a September 13 meeting to do that, are discussing programming and how we want to decorate our suite.  Our Creating Change team will be doing a walkthrough of the Hilton Americas convention space in October to ensure that whatever accessibility issues that crop up are resolved.

We've even talked to the folks at Discovery Green, the park across the street from the Hilton Americas about having the ice rink open.  Yes, people, it does get cold enough at times in Houston for us to enjoy outdoor ice skating.  The bars in Montrose are also putting together a shuttle bus service from the hotel to the bar complex areas to give you a taste of our LGBT nightlife.

So yes, we can see our Houston flavored Creating Change conference starting to take shape.  But we still have a lot of work ahead of us    For those of you in the Houston area, still not too late for you to join us in this effort.  We have Host Committee meetings scheduled for October 1, November 12, December 3, and January 7 and would love to see you there.