Dec 15
Creating Change Update: General Sessions, Speakers, Workshop Details for LGBTQ+ Advocates Convening in January 2026
National LGBTQ Task Force READ TIME: 3 MIN.
The following is a press release from EDGE OUTreach partner National LGBTQ Task Force
As thousands of LGBTQ+ activists and allies converge on Washington, DC this January, the National LGBTQ Task Force has announced several key speakers and sessions for the 38th annual Creating Change gathering.
Fernando Lopez, director of Creating Change, said the events relay the Task Force’s message about embracing the current climate of anti-trans incidents around the nation.
“There is a palpable call for courage in D.C. as we build momentum for Creating Change, where we will continue to blueprint our liberation at a time when our very existence is being legislated out of classrooms, clinics, and courtrooms,” Lopez said. “Our convening is our rebellion, our refuge, and our rallying cry. From the streets of our neighborhoods to the suites of power, we will gather to share wisdom, to turn outrage into strategy and strategy into action, equipping people from across the nation to build an unstoppable movement.”
The topics highlighted in the general sessions will highlight the climate of political extremism that LGBTQ+ and what queer activists are battling today, envisioning the steps that will be necessary for queer liberation in the coming midterm election year and beyond, as well as an “In Memorium” event to honor the LGBTQ+ lives the community has lost this past year.
“Creating Change’s general sessions highlight major issues affecting our LGBTQ+ communities and bring together diverse and powerful voices that are creating change in their communities and our culture,” Task Force President Kierra Johnson said. “At Creating Change 2026, we will address current challenges head-on, identify the next steps to strategically move forward andcelebrate queer culture by bringing much needed joy to the stage.”
The opening general session will include the traditional welcome by Indigenous LGBTQ+ and Two Spirit representatives, Kierra Johnson’s “State of the Movement,” and a performance by bands of the Go-Go Museum & Café, the official site of history, appreciation, and study of go-go music, history, and culture based in the historic Anacostia neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
Dominique Jackson, trans actress, activist, and ballroom icon will join her Task Force family as co-host Kierra’s Cabaret on Saturday evening as well as some other surprise apprearances.
Activist and artists Rayceen Pendarvis will also appear is a participant at theFriday general session. She is a lifelong Washingtonian and local activist who’sbeen named one of the Washington Blade’s Local Hero honorees and recognized as a Capital Pride Hero.
On Saturday, Leo Herrera, a queer Mexican artist renowned for his exploration of queer and immigrant experiences through the lenses of sex, technology, and history, will be a featured speaker. Laura Flanders will also appear in the daily plenary, bringing her decades-long journalism career on TV and radio as host of the Laura Flanders & Friend radio program and GRIT TV.
Alok Vaid-Menon, an internationally-acclaimed activist and artist, will appear at the Saturday general session, bringing their powerful message of hope, kindness, and self-acceptance as we close our the general sessions.
In their work, Vaid-Menon's worldwide appearances discuss the experience of being gender non-conorming and promoting LGBTQ+ advocacy. Their literary works include their projects “Beyond the Gender Binary” and “Your Wound, My Garden” as Vaid-Menon is also on a worldwide comedy tour.
Saturday’s general session will also include an In Memorium tribute to LGBTQ community members who have passed in the last year, including iconic Stonewall trailblazer Miss Major Griffin-Gracy and longtime bisexual author and activist Loraine Hutchins. The In Memorium will be honored with a tribute performance by the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington D.C.
In addition to the general sessions, there will be over 100 workshops and over 25 day-long institutes and caucuses.
On Sunday, the Creating Change Farewell Celebration will be held from 11 a.m. - 1p.m.
For more information about other programming and content at Creating Change, visit the web site .
