Reflections on the Creating Change Conference in St Louis, MO By Bruce Moran
Posted December 12, 2004 “Disappointment” and “determination” are some words that might describe the feelings of 2,500 attendees of the 17th annual Creating Change Conference held in St Louis, MO, November 10-14, 2004. This conference, sponsored by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, came only 8 days after the November 2, 2004, election when 11 states overwhelmingly approved amendments to their constitutions banning gay and lesbian marriages.
Matt Foreman, Executive Director of The Task Force, stressed more emphasis should be given to grass-roots organizing and less emphasis should be given to Washington, DC, in order to change minds of voters. He called the election an “atomic wake-up call” to organize more locally. The attendees of the conference were primarily grass-roots organizers. Although in a somber mood, the attendees seemed determined as ever to continue the struggle for LGBT rights. To hone participants’ skills, the Creating Change Conference offered some 150 sessions, including workshops, caucus and networking sessions, skills sessions, and all-day institutes. Some all-day institutes were on dismantling
racism; organizing with and among communities of faith; economic justice and class issues in the LGBT community; outing age; and others. Some of the sessions were on (1) coalition building, (2) class and the queer agenda—how decisions are made in our movement and by whom (3) scapegoating and backlash in the 2004 presidential election, (4) taking partner abuse out of the closet, (5) federal court-stripping, (6) whom we are not reaching and why; and many more. Topics ranged from the weighty, as mentioned above, to the lighter side, such as queer aspects of the 1904 St Louis World’s Fair. Also offered was an evening of cabaret with singers, comediennes, and other performers. Also very valuable for attendees was the ability to network and discuss the issues further during breakfasts and long
lunch hours. Besides myself, other representatives or groups from Wisconsin included Action Wisconsin, University of Wisconsin—Madison, the La Crosse Community Center, 8 members of the Milwaukee GLBT Community Center, and others. Participants in these conferences often add in a few days of vacation around the conference. St Louis offered many tourist sites, perhaps the most famous being the St
Louis Gateway Arch. The Arch was only 1 block away from the conference hotel. Also 1 block away was the Old Courthouse where Dred Scott once tried but failed to free himself as a slave in a famous court case. Within a few blocks too were the stadiums of the St Louis Cardinals and the St Louis Rams. St Louis even has an international bowling museum which was only 2 blocks from the conference hotel. My roommate also wanted to tour as many local gay bars as possible. This conference was the second highest attended conference in The Task Force’s seventeen-year history of conferences. Only higher in attendance was the 1999 conference in Oakland, California. Many attribute the high attendance in Oakland as due to its close proximity to San Francisco. The November, 2005, Creating Change conference will be held once again in Oakland. | 
