In her call to action, Rea Carey described the many challenges ahead: “Many of you will be called to lead in your communities on immigration reform, making schools safe, fighting anti-affirmative action measures, and on economic justice and transgender rights. But what’s important to remember is that leading doesn’t have to mean winning. I know we won’t win in all of these places, but what I do know is that we are strong and determined and that with perseverance like ours, we cannot be denied for long. We cannot stop until the abuses of transgender immigrant detainees stop. We cannot stop until our brothers and sisters who can now openly serve in the military can share their benefits with their spouses and until transgender people can choose to serve. We can’t be fully free if after 30 years of AIDS, we know more about prevention and treatment than ever before, but infection rates for gay and bisexual men — especially for men of color — are actually rising, while funding and services are decreasing. Progress for some is not progress for all and we will not stop until we are all fully free.”
Rea’s speech was certainly a call to action. And, it is no surprise during this pivotal year that this Creating Change conference was the largest ever. Creating Change was an opportunity to highlight the basic inequalities that LGBT Americans experience in everyday life ― and focus on solutions — while blocking the barrage of hatespeech during the entertaining, but disgustingly negative GOP primaries.
In the nearly 40 years since its founding, the Task Force has effected real change for LGBT people, and continues to train the next generation of activists. It is always inspiring and the place I certainly want to be each winter.
