You are here: Home » LGBT Activists To Host Statewide Conference for Equality

LGBT Activists To Host Statewide Conference for Equality

LGBT Activists To Host Statewide Conference for Equality,
Will March in Honor of Harvey Milk Day

5-21-10 Melanie Nathan

On Saturday, May 22, the Austin organizing committee of Equality Across America (EAA) is hosting a daylong conference in Austin on the past, present, and future of grassroots organizing for full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people. The conference will last from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on the Austin Community College’s Eastview Campus, 3401 Webberville Road, 78702, building 8000. Organized by representatives of numerous organizations, the conference will draw several hundred participants from across the state of Texas.

One impetus for this event was the 300,000-strong National Equality March held last October in Washington, D.C. That march demonstrated the significance and possibility of building a new, young, grassroots movement that can pose an alternative to the lobbying and election-oriented politics of mainstream gay rights organizations. We are also inspired by the occasion of Harvey Milk Day (May 22), celebrating the life of the pioneering gay member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, cut short by assassination in 1978.

“Although he was a politician, Harvey Milk also stood for activism,” commented Houston activist Paul Mullan. “We are trying to make a statement—that the old way of working for gay rights has not worked. We have had decades of lobbying and voting and nothing to show for it. This conference announces a new approach and speaks to a new generation of activists.”

In this spirit, the opening plenary session of the conference features four activists who have national influence in transforming the lives of LGBTQ people. Chicago native and longtime activist Nik Maciejewski is on the governing board of the national organization Equality Across America. Zoe Nicholson is an activist, author, and speaker active in movements for equality since the 1970s, including the fight for the Equal Rights Amendment. Mattie Williams bring the voice of LGBTQ youth to the table. A member of Queer LiberAction in Denton, TX, she started an Amnesty International Chapter to defend LGBTQ rights in her high school. Finally, Amos Lim will point out how LGBTQ inequality intersects with other forms of discrimination. A native of Singapore, Lim founded the organization Out4Immigration, which works for the rights of LGBTQ persons to unite their families across borders.

Led by an amazing group of historians and activists, sessions throughout the day will address such topics as taking Texas seriously as a site of equality organizing; issues of inclusion and exclusion in our activism; public speaking, lobbying, and activism training; work toward amending the national Civil Rights Act; student activism in the movement; gender diversity; the history of the LGBTQ movement from 1969 to the present; the history and lessons of other civil rights struggles; the need for a grassroots activist network; bullying; and immigration.

“We’ve pulled together a fantastic lineup,” said Tiffani Bishop, a conference organizer and member of the Austin group Equality Rising. “We’ve got a speaker who has been involved in the movement for more than 40 years telling his stories, alongside high school students on bullying awareness.”

The day’s events will be followed by a Saturday evening march, rally, and vigil starting at 6:30 from Austin City Hall. Speakers include Zoe Nicholson (activist who recently personally challenged President Obama to repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell), Dana Cloud (UT professor of Communication and longstanding activist), Emmanuel Winston (member of Austin’s Shady Ladies softball team who organized community response to gay bashing), and Lisa Scheps (President, Transgender Educational Network of Texas).

“The rally and march will be the perfect ending to the day. We will put the lessons learned about activism into practice with hundreds of others sharing their experience and honoring Harvey Milk,” said march organizer Mike Corwin. “Our message is, we are the new movement and we are here to recruit you!”