Openly LGBT elected and appointed officials and other public leaders from around the world will gather at the 26th International Gay & Lesbian Leadership Conference to continue our tradition of building connections, exchanging ideas and developing leadership skills.
This conference has seen remarkable growth since its inception in 1984. Then, about a dozen lawmakers, including a 24-year-old county supervisor from Wisconsin named Tammy Baldwin, gathered to discuss the unique challenges of serving as openly gay elected officials. Rep. Baldwin has now served more than a decade in the U.S. Congress, and today more than 1,000 openly LGBT elected and appointed officials are serving in offices around the world.
Our history tells us that when we come together, great things are possible. Participants have said this conference has helped them learn how to think creatively about critical issues that they deal with on a daily basis in their work. They leave able to more effectively craft policies and build coalitions to bring those policies to fruition. They learn from the experts, but also from one another.
Last year in San Francisco some 600 leaders gathered to celebrate the conference’s silver anniversary and welcome the Mayor of Berlin, Klaus Wowereit, as a keynote speaker. Our gathering in D.C. this year will feature even more exciting speakers and panels, so register now.
To download a schedule, click here.
To download conference speaker biographies, click here.