2009 Equality Conference & Gala Workshops

Conference workshops to include:

• Same-Sex Parenting in NC: Legal Implications of Recent Court Cases

  High-profile court cases focused on second-parent adoption have raised questions in the LGBT community--and among our opposition--of what rights we have as parents. Join legal professionals as they discuss the implications of these cases for the rest of us.
  
  

• Working on LGBTQ Issues at an HBCU: Two Programs in Development

  A panel of presenters will explore the black community's homophobia and contentious relationship regarding gender roles and sexuality. These long-standing values and community norms negatively impact the success of LGBTQ students of color on Historically Black College and University (HBCU) campuses. As case studies, we will present the successful creation and implementation of the Winston-Salem State University Gay-Straight Student Alliance and North Carolina A&T's Awareness Without Exception (AWE) as examples of providing a nurturing environment and safe space where LGBTQ students can begin to resolve sexual identity issues and find the support they need to achieve their academic and professional goals.
  
  

• A Matter of Opinion

  Editorial and op-ed pages, broadcast commentaries and social media often are overlooked opportunities to convey key messages, manage public opinion or shape a debate. Few vehicles offer such a solid means of taking a stand, defending a position or promoting a particular point of view. We'll review media outlets and learn a pre-writing strategy that will help you write quickly and effectively with sensitivity to your audience and the right details to drive results.
  
  

• Advancing Transgender Equality
  Based on the Movement Advancement Project (MAP) report by the same name, this presentation will provide a comprehensive overview of the movement for transgender equality in the US. The presentation will cover a brief overview of the evolution and growth of the movement for transgender equality and a thorough examination of the obstacles that face transgender Americans, such as health issues, safety, legal documentation, and employment and self-sufficiency.
  
  

• The Case for Good Business

  Representatives from Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams and Replacements Ltd. will talk about how their pro-LGBT, pro-employee, pro-family policies impact their companies and surrounding communities. Both companies have strong reputations for being great places to work for all employees--LGBT and straight, alike. We want this workshop to be a sneak peek inside how they created and are maintaining their workplace culture, and how what they're doing "on campus" is impacting employees and community members, and changing hearts and minds on LGBT issues. We're hoping this will be a way to highlight NC companies that are "doing it right."
  
  

• Ending Don't Ask, Don't Tell

  North Carolina has six major military installations and the fourth largest number of military personnel in the nation, including more than 30,000 National Guard and Reserve members who live throughout the state. This makes ending Don't Ask, Don't Tell especially relevant to North Carolina. Hear the latest news about ending DADT as panelists discuss the legal aspects of this policy coming from their personal experiences on the front lines.
  
  

• Change Begins at Home

  2009 has shown us the best and the worst in local government’s involvement in LGBT rights. From county boards of commissioners across the state attempting to covertly lend their support to the Marriage Discrimination Amendment to Durham City Council’s historic vote supporting same-sex marriage, hear what you may have missed, and why you should pay attention to what’s happening on the local level!
  
  

• Addressing Hate Crimes in Your Community
  
  We have all seen the news of crimes perpetrated against LGBT North Carolinians in the past year, and it has left many of us wondering what we can do to call these crimes out for what they are and make our communities safer. Learn from a leader in the movement against LGBT violence, a local activist, and a police captain what you can do to organize around hate crimes.
  
  

• The Dallas Principles: No Delay, No Excuses

  In May 2009, in Dallas, Texas, twenty-four thinkers, activists, and donors gathered to discuss the immediate need for full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the United States.  The result was The Dallas Principles. This panel, composed of some of the authors, will discuss the Principles, the goals they address and the accompanying call to action. The audience will be invited to discuss how the Principles can be implemented nationally, statewide and locally.
  
  

• Your Issues are My Issues: Building Alliances Outside the LGBT Community

  Straight allies are very important to our overall success in pushing for LGBT equality.  One important way of building alliances is to get involved in advocating for issues within the larger activist community.  Issues like Racial Justice, Immigrant Rights, Health Care, The Environment, Farmworker Rights, and Economic Justice are often pertinent to the LGBT community.  By getting involved in these areas, we can form alliance with those who can later join us in our work for LGBT justice.
  
  

• The Dialectics of Oppression: 3,000 Years of Prejudice with a Purpose

  Using the talking points of right-wing groups like the Alliance Defense Fund and Liberty Counsel, James Dye traces the origins of our opposition's arguments in remote antiquity and, giving examples from history, shows not only the calamitous results but how these strategies consistently backfire.
  
  

• Next Steps for the School Violence Prevention Act

  The School Violence Prevention Act may be on the books now, but that doesn't mean the push for safe schools is over. Learn how this historic bill became law and find out how the new, inclusive anti-bullying policy is being implemented in schools around the state. (And what to do if it's not in your local schools!)
  
  

• Creating Change in Your Community: A Toolkit for LGBTQ Campus Activism

  Are you a student who wants to see change but doesn't know where to start? Have you been engaged in campus activism for a while but need a few new ideas? Join us for an interactive, step-by-step process to creating change on your campus or in your community. We'll discuss the spectrum of activism, how to build an inclusive movement, and the dynamics of power, privilege, and intersectionality. All skill levels welcome -- let's learn from and share with each other!
  
  

• How Do Rights Become Laws?

  How does change happen? Key rights victories of the past century were the result of legal changes decades in the making. What lessons can we learn from them? How did leaders change the country’s political and legal landscape for African-Americans and women? We will focus on the legal building blocks used to accomplish these changes and discuss how the LGBT equality movement can learn from these in hopes of finding strategies and methods of creating the change we want to see.
  
  

• Prepare to Care

  Most people understand that it’s helpful to plan for the future. But when it comes to caring for a loved one, many families don't have a plan until there is a problem. Learn about solutions and acquire valuable resources, such as tools to show you how to have conversations to PREPARE you and your loved one to CARE. We will also go over areas of specific concern to LGBT caregivers, such as receiving caregiver tax deductions (state and federal), the importance of health care powers of attorney, and relationships with partners’ families.
  
  

• Working it Out: Starting an Employee Resource Group in your Workplace

  Panelists will address the successes and challenges in starting and maintaining an LGBT and Allied employee resource group. Discussion will include how to cultivate member interest, develop leaders, support transgender employees, and build business goal alignment.
  
  

• The African-American Dilemma: African-American Culture and Homosexuality

  The workshop will explore the troubled, sometimes dangerous, intersection of African American culture and homosexuality. We will examine why conflict abounds; who, what and where it affects; and what can be done in response. The audience will be able to take note of the major sociological, cultural, anthropological and psychological aspects that pervade the issue.