Tag Archives: Creating Change

Poet Kit Yan to slam Saturday's MasQueerAde Ball — but that's a good thing

Posted on

Yesterday I posted video of Vidur Kapur’s stand-up as a preview for this Saturday’s festivities at Creating Change’s MasQueerAde Ball. Along with Kapur, headlining for the night will be trans slam poet Kit Yan.

Yan isn’t just spoken word. His MySpace page classifies him as indie, folk rock and comedy. He was even an OutMusician of the Year nominee, so clearly Yan is quite versatile. But I’d say his slam talent looks pretty amazing. He rocks it here in his piece “Third Gender” from the Good Asian Drivers tour.

According to the Creating Change program, Yan will also premiere OUTMedia’s national video contest, “Be Queer, Buy Queer!” where college students can submit original video using that theme.

The MasQueerAde Ball happens Feb. 6 at 8 p.m. in the Dallas Sheraton ballroom. Check here for deets.

—  Rich Lopez

Creating Change: Day 1

Posted on

Registration

Creating Change opened today with day long institutes tackling racism within the LGBT community.

Attendees continued to arrive and received their welcome packets at the registration desk located on the first floor of the conference center across the street from the hotel. Saturday will probably be the busiest day at Creating Change. Many of the attendees were planning to head over to Cedar Springs for First Wednesday this evening.

Gabe Javier is the senior assistant director of the Spectrum Center at the University of Michigan. He served as local co-chair of Creating Change 20 in Detroit two years ago.

He said, “The city is still using the conference as a touchstone for the LGBT community’s common experience.”

He said that the value of the conference is that “we see a huge spectrum of issues and see that they’re all connected.”

FIERCE, a New York-based youth group, conducted one of the institutes. I’ll meet with them early this evening. After that, I’ll be talking to Roberta Sklar about the National Anti-Violence Project, if her plane is not delayed because of the weather.

Tomorrow morning, the alternative National Prayer Breakfast will be held at 8 a.m. in response to the prayer breakfast that will be held at about the same time in Washington, D.C. The president will attend that one, but so will the American instigators of the Ugandan genocide bill.

Kate Clinton mentioned to me that she wanted to run up to see George Bush’s house while she was here. She mentioned it again this afternoon on Twitter. When I interviewed her, I did sort of promise.

—  David Taffet

Tweeting up with Creating Change

Posted on

Looks like there’s plenty of excitement down at the Sheraton Dallas for the first day of Creating Change, including this killer game of Rocks, Paper, Scissors that was posted by “fiercenyc”.

Unfortunately I won’t be able to make it to the conference today, but intrepid staff writer David Taffet is en route downtown as we speak. In the meantime, I thought I might point you to the Creating Change Twitter feed, where you can find plenty more gems like these:

Screen shot 2010-02-03 at 1.45.13 PM

We’ll of course be posting updates here on Instant Tea throughout the conference, which runs through Sunday. There’s also a blog on the Creating Change Web site. For those who are reading this from the conference, you can follow the Voice and this blog on Twitter @DallasVoice.

UPDATE: Shortly after I posted this, I received a press release from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force noting that in addition to Twitter,  you can follow the conference on Facebook and Flickr.

—  John Wright

Dance troupe Vogue Evolution from New York brings it to Creating Change

Posted on

You’re probably planning on getting a whole lot of learning done during the Creative Change conference this week. Well, they also have some of your entertainment options provided as well.

So I’m jumping ahead here but at the closing plenary and brunch Sunday, New York’s Vogue Evolution will be performing. And they are probably gonna work it if their show looks anything like their bid to win America’s Best Dance Crew 4 on MTV last year. They are pretty amazing in the above compilation video of their performances on the show. Although I must say I was kinda charmed by this video where they won over an audience that didn’t seem overly razzed about it.

But they are more than a dance troupe. Check their bio from the Creating Change program after the jump.

Continue reading “Dance troupe Vogue Evolution from New York brings it to Creating Change” »

—  Rich Lopez

One day to go till Creating Change

Posted on

CC10Header-F

The Creating Change conference opens at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel tomorrow. National Gay and Lesbian Task Force staff has been in Dallas, some since last week. Attendees began arriving last night.

Earlier today I walked into an informal planning meeting being held outside one of the conference rooms at the hotel.

Jorge Taveras does E-blasts and Web work for NGLTF. He said, “I love it here already. The food’s amazing!”

Inga Sarda-Sorensen is director of communications for the Task Force.

“Lots of hospitality — just as we expected,” she said.

Sue Hyde said registrations are running well ahead of expectations. The conference contracted for 2,300 room-nights with the hotel. More than 3,000 room-nights are reserved.

With hundreds of workshops and speakers scheduled over the next few days, I asked Hyde what some of the highlights will be.

“Everyone’s excited that Dan Choi is coming,” she said.

Choi will be speaking on Friday. He has been in the news because, after fighting in Iraq, he is being discharged from the military under don’t ask, don’t tell. His appearance is particularly timely because of the congressional hearing today on the discriminatory policy.

Hyde also mentioned a plenary session on Saturday moderated by writer Kai Wright. Cynthia Ruiz and Jesus Montelongo from Youth First Texas and Juan Gabriel Padilla from Out Youth Austin will be on the panel with four other youth from across the country.

On Thursday, an alternative prayer breakfast will be held at the same time as the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington. The event in D.C. is tainted, this year, by the appearance of the American “ministers” who proposed the LGBT genocide law in Uganda.

Sunday’s closing ceremony includes a performance by Dallas PUMP! Sheriff Lupe Valdez will speak and awards will be presented, including one to Dallas Voice columnist Hardy Haberman.

The day rate to attend the conference is $75 per day. Registration for the full weekend begins tonight. For those who could not afford the full registration price, 235 scholarships were awarded.

Stay tuned to Instant Tea and Dallas Voice for updates on the conference.

—  David Taffet

Catch a movie at Creating Change

Posted on

I’ve been poring over the Creating Change program book and I think there is nothing they’ve left out. They’ve even added two days of film screenings. Just don’t go in expecting Avatar or Sherlock Holmes. These are a little more relevant.

Films range from docs about undocumented students to a film that takes a “look at how popular pressures around gender and sexuality are shaping the lives of American teens.” However, I’m hoping to catch the screening of Outrage. Filmmaker Kirby Dick takes on closeted politicians who rant and rave against the LGBT communities.

Dick also did the clever 2006 documentary This Film Is Not Yet Rated, an expose on the movie ratings board. I expect good stuff and this trailer sure helps.

The film screens at Sheraton Dallas, 400 N. Olive St. Feb. 6 at 4:45 p.m. in the Dallas Ballroom A1. Visit the site for details.

—  Rich Lopez

Volunteers ready for Creating Change

Posted on

Sunday was volunteer training day for the Creating Change conference coming to Dallas this week. The conference begins Wednesday, Feb. 3, and runs through next Sunday.

Sue Hyde, executive director of Creating Change, said that more than 200 people attended training sessions on Sunday and that the conference will be well staffed.

However, additional volunteer opportunities may still exist. Anyone who would like to volunteer may still do so. Go to the registration desk on the second floor of the Sheraton Dallas Hotel during the conference and inquire about assisting there.

Registration for the conference has been running very strong and is well ahead of last year’s, but won’t break the record.

More than 2,000 people are expected at this year’s conference, but Hyde said the record stands at more than 2,700 at the 1999 conference held in the San Francisco Bay area.

Despite the Advocate leaving San Francisco out as one of the 15 gayest cities in America, you can’t beat that city in attracting the LGBT community.

—  David Taffet

Query: Creating Change

Posted on

CC10Header-F

Next week, 2,000 LGBT activists from around the country are expected in Dallas at the Creating Change conference.

This week’s Query:

What is the top attraction visitors to Dallas should see while they are in town?

Some of the answers will be used in this week’s print edition of the Dallas Voice. To be considered for publication, we need your full name along with your post.

—  David Taffet

Volunteers needed for Creating Change

Posted on

I was at Best Friends in Fort Worth last Friday night and I met Julie Walker, who had a table set up at the bar there to recruit volunteers for Creating Change, the national conference for LGBT activists being held Feb. 3-7 here in Dallas.

Julie told me they still need about 80 volunteers for the conference, and if you volunteer you do get something in return, other than the satisfaction of knowing you helped with a good cause.

If a volunteer works for four hours, they get to attend the rest of that day’s conference events for free, and the four-hour shift can be split up however you want. Julie said: “We are suggesting people take a look at the list of workshops and sign up to be room monitors; that way they get to attend the workshop of their choice and fulfill their four-hour requirement at the same time.”

You can find the full list at CreatingChange.org.

She said room monitors are responsible for making sure the speaker(s) for that workshop have everything they need (like a glass of water), that the room temperature is ok, and so on. At the end of the workshop, the room monitor passes out surveys for participants. Easy work!

Volunteers are also needed to work the registration desk and the information desk, as well as for running errands and stuff like that. There is a volunteer orientation set for Sunday, Jan 31, from noon to 6 p.m., but volunteers only have to attend one hour of that time, with tours of the hotel starting each hour on the hour. Even if you can’t attend orientation, you can still volunteer.

There will be a Conference Kick-Off Party on Saturday, Jan 30, at 7 p.m. at Illusions, with food and a small show. The United Court of the Lone Star Empire is hosting the party and it is open to all that want to come party and meet the Creating Change staff members along with the local Host Committee.

Want more information, e-mail Julie at juicyjuliebear@yahoo.com

—  admin