Attending Creating Change 2025 empowered our stewards with cutting-edge leadership and advocacy tools tailored for LGBTQ+ workers. With over 3,500 national participants and more than 150 deeply focused workshops, including the Trans Institute, Bi+ Institute, Youth Leadership Institute, and Queer Climate Justice Institute, our representatives gained first-hand knowledge of best practices in inclusive, intersectional union organizing. These sessions, specifically designed to uplift trans, nonbinary, bi+, and youth activists, equipped Local 1000 with strategies to enhance outreach, improve solidarity, and better advocate for LGBTQ+ members within our local and statewide structures.
By participating in high-profile plenaries like “Black Leadership Rising,” “Democracy, Fascism, and the Road Ahead,” and “Safety & Security: Trans Power Across Movements,” our stewards connected labor issues with broader social justice movements. This intersectional framing ensures that Local 1000’s advocacy addresses the unique vulnerabilities and strengths of LGBTQ+ members, especially those of color, ensuring equitable access to housing, healthcare, and workplace protections.
Beyond formal sessions, Creating Change’s Radical Welcome ethos fostered trust-building and coalition formation across identities and sectors. The intentional affinity spaces, healing rooms, and wellness resources provided tools for addressing burnout, a frequent hazard in labor and LGBTQ+ activism. Stewards returned better equipped to nurture a sustainable, inclusive union environment, ensuring every member feels seen and supported.
Finally, the conference’s emphasis on accessibility, waived registration, meal support, and financial aid mirrors Local 1000’s commitment to equity. This demonstrated to our stewards the importance of removing barriers to participation, a model Local 1000 can replicate by ensuring union programming is financially and socially inclusive to all members, especially those historically marginalized.
By investing in steward attendance at Creating Change, Local 1000 deepens its internal capacity to champion LGBTQ+ rights, strengthen intersectional solidarity, and foster a more resilient, equitable union culture. The knowledge, connections, and strategies gained have tangible and lasting benefits for all Local 1000 members.