Builing Power, Joy, and Justice
This January, a Yale delegation traveled to Las Vegas to attend the 2024 Creating Change Conference, the nation’s foremost annual gathering of LGBTQ activists, organizers, and advocates. Hosted by the National LGBTQ Task Force, the conference brought together thousands of community leaders to exchange ideas, develop strategies, and cultivate resilience in the fight for LGBTQ justice.
From intensive workshops on trans youth advocacy and housing justice to late-night storytelling circles and intergenerational dialogue, Creating Change was more than a conference—it was a transformative experience for the students and staff who represented Yale.
“What makes Creating Change so powerful is that it centers queer joy while never shying away from the hard truths,” said Samuel Byrd, Director and Stonewall Librarian of the Yale LGBTQ Center. “The connections we made there will ripple far beyond Las Vegas. They will inform how we show up for each other, how we navigate our identities on campus, and how we imagine what’s possible.”
The Yale delegation included students from Yale College, the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, and the Jackson School of Global Affairs. Representing a range of lived experiences, disciplines, and organizing backgrounds, the group spent four days immersed in critical conversations around anti-racism, disability justice, faith, and the future of LGBTQ movements.
“There was a real sense of urgency at the conference—but also profound hope,” said Alejandro Sánchez Flores, a Master in Public Policy candidate at the Jackson School of Global Affairs and Graduate Coordinator at the Yale LGBTQ Center. “In every workshop and hallway conversation, people were dreaming boldly about what it means to build community across difference. That energy is something I’m bringing back to Yale and into my future in the policy space.”
Among the key themes that emerged:
- Centering Intersectionality: From BIPOC-only spaces to sessions on queer migration and disability, Creating Change emphasized the need for movement strategies that center those most impacted.
- Building Spiritual and Political Resilience: Delegates were reminded that rest, joy, and cultural expression are vital tools for social change work.
- Sustaining the Work: Intergenerational wisdom and cross-movement coalitions were highlighted as essential to protecting hard-won gains and preparing for the challenges ahead.
As we reflected on our decades-long journey at Yale—from the early days of underground meetings to today’s vibrant center—one delegate captured our collective feeling: “We are a community forged in fire.” Our history has been shaped by struggle, resistance, and the courage to be visible despite institutional barriers. Like countless LGBTQ communities across the country, we’ve weathered storms of prejudice and policy battles while celebrating victories both small and profound.
This conference reminded us that the same resilience that built our community will carry us forward. In the months ahead, as the national landscape for LGBTQ rights faces new challenges, we will draw on this legacy to cultivate spaces for learning, healing, and transformation at Yale—ensuring that each generation of students finds both roots and wings in our shared work.
