Creating Change 2027: Frequently Asked Questions

Creating Change 2027 will take place Wednesday, January 27 through Sunday, January 31, 2027 in Louisville.

We are excited to host Creating Change 2027 in Louisville, Kentucky. Additional venue and hotel details will be shared when registration opens in July. 

Creating Change moves to a new city each year for two key reasons. 

First, it gives people from across the country the chance to learn from how different communities organize, resist, and build power. Each location expands our networks, our strategies, and our collective imagination. 

Second, it brings the convening closer to people who might not otherwise be able to attend. We go to them. 

This year’s gathering in Louisville is no coincidence. Kentucky is home to generations of LGBTQ organizing local Fairness victories, legal and cultural movement history, and communities building power under real pressure. Creating Change comes to Louisville to learn from that work, invest in local relationships, and strengthen the movement infrastructure we all need. 

We don’t choose our host cities lightly. Creating Change gathers where the work is urgent, where our presence can be additive, and where our movement has something to learn. 

Louisville and communities across Kentucky are home to generations-deep LGBTQ organizing, including sustained local nondiscrimination work, strategic policy defense, litigation, reproductive and economic justice organizing, Black LGBTQ history preservation, and QTBIPOC, youth, and trans-led grassroots leadership. 

Kentucky organizers know how to build durable infrastructure under pressure: defending local gains, advancing policy where possible, building coalitions that hold, and continuing to create power despite escalating attacks, particularly against trans communities. 

This is why we are bringing Creating Change to Louisville January 27–31, 2027. 

Safety is a real and valid concern, and we take it seriously. Like any city, Louisville comes with its own risks and realities, especially those of us who are most targeted. We also know this is not unique to Louisville or Kentucky. In past years, we have had to be just as clear about safety concerns in places like New Orleans, Las Vegas, and Washington, DC. Each location brings its own context, and we work closely with local organizers to understand and respond to what is happening on the ground. 

We are not approaching this lightly. We are listening to and working with people who live and organize in Louisville and across Kentucky, who know the terrain, the tensions, and the strengths of the local community. Their guidance is helping us build a convening and a safety team that is rooted, responsive, supportive, and grounded in care for our people. 

Stay tuned for more information as we approach our time together. 

Call for Ambassadors: April 15 – June 15, 2026 

Call for Proposals: June 15 – September 15, 2026 

Registration & Host Hotel Booking Opens: July 15, 2026 

Proposal Accept/Decline Notices: November 5, 2026 

Conference Schedule Announced: December 15, 2026 

Registration & Host Hotel Booking Closes: January 6, 2027 

Creating Change 2027: January 27–31, 2027 

Registration for Creating Change 2027 opens July 15, 2026. 

If you submit a workshop or caucus proposal, please wait to register until proposal decisions are released on November 15, 2026. 

Registration pricing tiers and details will be announced when registration opens on July 15, 2026. 

All registrations are non-refundable and non-transferable. If you cancel, your registration fee will be treated as a donation supporting the ongoing work of the National LGBTQ Task Force. The Task Force maintains a firm commitment to hosting a conference that is financially accessible for as many participants as possible. For Creating Change 2027 in Louisville, Kentucky. We currently offer reduced registration rates and volunteering opportunities. Final CC27 registration rates, volunteer details, and financial access options will be shared when registration opens in July 2026. 

The official host hotel booking link will open on July 15, 2026 alongside registration. 

We strongly encourage attendees to book through the official conference room block once available. Rooms are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. 

The official host hotel booking deadline is January 6, 2027, subject to availability. Rooms may sell out before that date. 

For accessibility-related needs and senior services support, please contact Mark Maddox at [email protected]. This includes support for elder community members and people across all age groups who may need assistance navigating the digital registration process or accessing digital conference materials. 

The Schedule at a Glance will be published closer to Creating Change 2027, and the full conference schedule will be available in the official conference mobile app prior to the event. 

Please plan travel around the full conference dates: January 27–31, 2027. Presenter schedule requests cannot be accommodated. 

The Call for Proposals opens June 15, 2026 and closes September 15, 2026. 

All proposal accept/decline notices will be sent by November 5, 2026, to the email address used in your submission. Please make sure your email address is entered correctly before submitting. When notices are released, be sure to check your spam, junk, and promotions folders as well. 

Accepted presenters will receive instructions by email, including presenter agreements, deadlines, and access to presenter registration. 

Additional scheduling and session details will be shared after acceptance notices are released.  

The Call for Ambassadors runs April 15 – June 15, 2026. 

Ambassadors help build local excitement, strengthen outreach, and connect communities to Creating Change. Our team will follow up with ambassador applicants throughout the months of June and July 2026. Interested in becoming a Creating Change 2027 Ambassador?

For questions about the Ambassador program, please contact Mark Maddox at [email protected]. 

First, complete your CC27 registration and payment in full. 

Then email your payment confirmation to [email protected] to request an official invitation letter. 

Email Michael Bongiorni at [email protected] for information about exhibit booths, ad placements, and sponsor visibility opportunities. 

Book your hotel through our official room block after registering. More details will be shared via email and on our website in August. 

Please Note: 

• Room block availability is limited and filled on a first-come, first-served basis. 

• All participants, including presenters, are responsible for their own travel and lodging costs. 

Yes! Volunteers are vital to the success of Creating Change. 

Anyone who completes at least two volunteer shifts may be eligible for a registration waiver, subject to program availability and requirements. 

Start or review your volunteer profile here. 

Shift sign-up will begin in late Summer 2026. 

Questions:

[email protected]

Reach out. We are listening. We believe in informed consent. That means sharing what we know and not sugarcoating anything. We want you to be able to make choices that are right for you, based on real information. 

Creating Change is a movement space. It’s evolving and shifting each year, informed by the people who attend or who need to attend but have yet to. It’s where we come to learn, connect, resist, and build. If there’s something you need to be part of that, let us know. For general questions, contact [email protected]. 

A lot — and not just during the week of the convening. We are preparing in partnership with people who live and organize in Louisville and across Kentucky. Here’s some of what we’re doing: 

• Working with hotel staff around LGBTQ cultural humility, accessibility, and guest safety 
• Working with safety and security experts with deep experience in social justice movement spaces 
• Staying informed about local conditions and coordinating with trusted local partners 
• Partnering with Louisville- and Kentucky-based organizers to guide our local plans 
• Offering practical safety tips and real-time support during key arrival and transition times 

At Creating Change itself: 

• Safety monitors will be on site to provide additional support 
• A 24-hour crisis hotline will be available 
• The Care Bears Team will be on site, trained in de-escalation, trauma-informed support, and peer care. They are not security. They are here to help people feel safe, supported, and held 
• Legal support will be available on site to advise and support attendees 
• Mental health volunteers will be available for emotional and mental health support 

We are putting care and resources where they are most needed. That means centering: 

• Undocumented folks and people facing criminalization or surveillance 
• Black and Brown attendees 
• Trans and nonbinary people 
• People with disabilities