NATIONAL GAY & LESBIAN TASK FORCE
PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Ivy Young 
         Catherine Carter
         (202) 332-6483
         Ron.DeVrou@f70.n109.z1.fidonet.org

PLENARY SPEAKERS SLATED 
FOR FIFTH ANNUAL CREATING CHANGE CONFERENCE

Washington, D.C., April 30, 1992...Seven plenary speakers have been announced
for the fifth annual Creating Change Conference of the National Gay and Lesbian
Task Force, slated this year for November 13 through 15 in Los Angeles. Creating
Change is the country's largest skills-building conference for gay and lesbian
political activists and organizations, attracting over 1,000 participants last
year.

	The opening address will be given jointly by John Preston and Margaret Cerullo.
Preston, a resident of Portland, Maine, was co-founder of the first gay and
lesbian community center in the U.S. and former editor of The Advocate. He is
also author of more than 35 books, including The Big Gay Book, and his most
recent, Hometowns: Gay Men Write About Where They Belong. Cerullo is a professor
of sociology and feminist studies at Hampshire College in Amherst,
Massachusetts, and has helped establish gay and lesbian studies programs. 

	The second day's plenary, entitled "Voices of Leadership: Visions of Our
Future," is a panel featuring: Phill Wilson, founder and co-chair of the Black
Gay and Lesbian Leadership Forum and the Los Angeles City AIDS Coordinator;
Valli Kanuha, deputy director for programs at Hetrick-Martin Institute;
Angukcuaq (Richard La Fortune), co-founder of American Indian Gays and Lesbians
in Minneapolis and former member of the Governor's Task Force on Lesbians and
Gay Minnesotans; and from San Antonio, Texas, Odilia Mendez, a board member of
the national Latina/o Lesbian and Gay Organization. Paul Monette, the author of
sixteen books including Borrowed Time, Afterlife, and Becoming a Man: Half a
Life Story will deliver the closing address.

	Creating Change will feature over 80 workshops addressing the critical issues
facing the gay and lesbian community, such as media advocacy, lobbying
strategies, opposing right-wing initiatives, organizing against violence, class
bias within our movement and sodomy law repeal. Some specific workshops include:
Fascism in America?; Reports from the Field--The Impact of Election '92; The War
on Gay and Lesbian Art; 'Zines, Queens, and Scenes--The New Homocentrics; Queer
Sex--Blurring Boundaries; and Grief, Anger and the Politics of AIDS. Special
focus tracks include Fundraising, Direct Action, Skills Building for Activists
of Color, International Gay and Lesbian Organizing, and Arts and Culture.  

	In addition to the workshops, Creating Change will feature cultural events,
caucuses, networking sessions, and provocative speakers and presenters.

	Like last year, there will be three all-day organizing institutes held prior to
the Creating Change Conference.  The Campus Institute, held Wednesday, November
11, will be a full-day training for student activists working for lesbian, gay
and bisexual equality on campus. The Diversity Training Institute, held
Thursday, November 12, will be a day-long intensive designed to help activists
build effective coalitions and create and strengthen multi-cultural
organizations. Staff members of California's Equity Institute, Inc. will lead
the Diversity Training Institute. At the same time, the People of Color
Institute, open only to people of color, will offer in-depth theoretical
discussions and practical workshops on some of the critical issues facing
activists of color in the lesbian and gay movement. The Diversity Training
Institute and the People of Color Institute will feature a joint luncheon.

	Limited scholarship assistance is offered to low-income activists who wish to
attend Creating Change '92. For more information about the conference or for a
scholarship application, contact Catherine Carter, Conference Coordinator,
NGLTF, 1734 14th St., NW, Washington, DC 20009-4309, (202) 332-6483.
Ron.DeVrou@f70.n109.z1.fidonet.org

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