 White Plains, NY - Educators, youth workers and students from communities in the region will gather for the 11th annual conference designed to teach safety and respect for all, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity or expression. The conference will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 17 at the Westchester County Center.
The full-day event is designed in particular for school staff, parents, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth who are questioning their sexual orientation and their straight allies. The conference will open with a keynote address by Alan Van Capelle, the executive director of the Empire State Pride Agenda, a state-wide advocacy group. He will speak about building a full equality agenda for all New Yorkers. The conference will feature workshops, including a panel discussion on “Four Decades of Coming Out Stories,” in which panelists ranging from adolescents to seniors will share their coming out stories.
The conference will run from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Registration is $85 for adults and $30 for students. Scholarships are available. A continental breakfast and buffet lunch are included in the fees. For more information and a brochure, visit www.westchestergov.com/lgbt, or www.glsen.org/hudsonvalley, or call (914) 962-7888 or e-mail
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The conference is co-sponsored by the Office of the Westchester County Executive; GLSEN Hudson Valley, a chapter of the national Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network; PFLAG of Westchester (Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays); and Westchester Jewish Community Services’ Center Lane. It is being endorsed by the Westchester-Putnam School Boards Association, National Association of Social Workers, Westchester Division, the Hudson River Teacher Center, Putnam-Northern Westchester Guidance Center, New York Association of School Psychologists, School Social Workers Association of America, and the New York State School Social Workers Association.
Attendees and workshop leaders come from Westchester, Rockland, Putnam and Ulster counties and New York City. Twenty-six workshops are scheduled for the day. New this year is: “Debunking Anti-Gay Myths in the Bible,” “African-American Community's Acceptance of Its LGBTQ Youth,” and a first-ever double session on “Cyberbullying” for adults. Other workshops cover starting and running Gay/Straight Alliances, LGBT history and timelines, and how teens can have healthy relationships.
Workshops will also address the basics of understanding LGBT culture in “LGBT 101,” “How to be an Effective Straight Ally,” and a family perspective on transgender youth.
New this year is a workshop on “Political Action 101,” which will offer practical ways on how youth can become involved in the political process and how they may become advocates and activists for LGBT causes.
“Political Action 101” follows up on Capelle's keynote address, “Building a Full Equality Agenda for All New Yorkers.” As the executive director of the influential Empire State Pride Agenda, he will address New York's LGBT legislative agenda and his impact on that agenda. He will also tell the personal story about how he came to be the head of this powerful state-wide advocacy organization.
Financial support for the conference came from the county Departments of Social Services and county Youth Bureau, Norman E. Friedman, Assemblyman Adam Bradley, IBM, Pepsi Bottling Group Foundation, Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester, The Guidance Center and The LOFT: the LGBT Community Center.
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