LGBTQ+ Victory Institute is coming to Memphis on Saturday, March 11th for our one-day LGBTQ+ Leadership Summit. In early 2023, more than 20 anti-LGBTQ+ pieces of legislation were introduced in the Tennessee legislature– with many more introduced by city councils and school boards. The onslaught of hateful legislation requires an urgent and comprehensive response, with increasing short and long-term LGBTQ+ political participation among the most impactful solutions.
Working with local partners, Victory Institute will bring together LGBTQ+ leaders and community members interested in exploring avenues to grow LGBTQ+ political participation in their states, whether by running for office, volunteering on a campaign, or building LGBTQ+ representation in political parties and organizations.
The free, one-day convening curriculum includes:
- An examination of entry points into the political process;
- A review of considerations and paths to running for office;
- The challenges of political participation as an out LGBTQ+ leader; and
- An assessment of the experiences of LGBTQ+ elected officials and political leaders.
The summits will include opportunities to hear from and speak with LGBTQ+ elected officials from the state and ends with a networking happy hour to build community and solidarity.
Increasing LGBTQ+ political participation and representation in elected government is essential to stopping anti-LGBTQ+ bills and moving equality forward for our community. While 0.22% of elected officials identify in the U.S. identify as LGBTQ+, we need to elect 35,000 more LGBTQ+ people across all levels of elected office in order to reach equitable representation for our community.
Please reach out to Sarah Pope (sarah.pope@victoryinstitute.org) with any questions.
