Upcoming 2011 Transfaith In Color Conference In Charlotte

I talked about it briefly in a post last year because the organizers of the 2010 event in Los Angeles wanted me to speak at it and I wanted to be there for it but had a scheduling conflict that prevented it from happening...

The 2011 edition of the Transfaith in Color Conference will be taking place in Charlotte July 29-31, and they will also host the 2012 edition of it as well. 

As to why the conference?  You've heard me discuss at length (and will continue to do so) the issues that impact the African descended trans community.  Some of those issues are going to have to be dealt with with some FUBU action.

The North Carolina based Freedom Center for Social Justice (FCSJ) invited a group of transgender people of color to the table to shape and frame a summit to train a cohort of transgender people of faith to work as grassroots activists and opinion leaders around issues of sexuality within their respective faith and general communities.    That summit led to the TransFaith In Color Conference that is designed to be an annual event for transgender people and allies.  

But I'll step aside for a moment and let my Houston homegirl Diamond Stylz, who attended the 2010 event, give you her impressions about it courtesy of her Vlog



So if you're in the Charlotte area or have that weekend off, you may wish to hop on down and check this event out.

Creating Change Conference 2011

Next to IFGE and the Southern Comfort Conference in the ATL,  the Creating Change one gets the Moni Two Snaps Up Seal of Approval.

It's known as the National Conference on LGBT Equality, but in the TBLG community it's known by the moniker Creating Change.    It's the event the Task Force puts on, and if you're a budding GLBT activist or a veteran, this is the conference that you want to come to and learn how to be a better one.

I attended my first Creating Change when they held it in Oakland in 1999.   I had the pleasure of seeing then Oakland mayor Jerry Brown do a welcoming speech at the initial plenary session and meet many of the TBLG people fighting for Kentucky that a few years later I'd be working with on various projects..  Since then either my work schedule or cash flow have been a barrier to me attending it, but eventually I will get to do another one.

One of the things I haven't liked is that they changed the date of the event from late fall to February, which means that if they have it in a cold weather city, the weather will be at its winter worst and you run the risk of it getting snowed out.

This year's host city is Minneapolis and it's running from today through February 6.   And right on cue the Midwest is dealing with a nasty snowstorm that is impacting air travel and ground transportation for the folks trying to get there.

But that's the weather breaks.    Hopefully it'll clear and the folks who are traveling to the Twin Cities to participate in it can do so.

To my TransGriot readers who are headed to Creating Change or who are already there, stay warm, get your learn on and have a wonderful time.    Hope to see y'all at the 2012 event