You don’t have to be an expert in LGBTQ health or advocacy to know that it has been a continual struggle to fight for LGBTQ rights. While we have made a number of gains, especially in recent years, LGBTQ communities still face significant barriers in accessing health care and meeting basic needs. This year has brought about additional uncertainty and anxiety with legislative changes that directly impact LGBTQ and intersecting identities.

We’ve come so far, and yet there is still much work to do. So how do you stay motivated and energized for the work ahead? You find and build community, you celebrate the wins, and you embrace the strength of coming together for a common cause. This is why the conference committee has chosen the theme Stronger than Ever: Embracing New Hope in Health Equity. We hope that our attendees leave our conference feeling invigorated for the road ahead, overflowing with new skills and ideas they can immediately apply upon returning home.

We’re also happy to announce our keynote speaker Steve Kilar, with the American Civil Liberties Union, to start us off and lead us into Day 2 with this theme in mind.

Steve Kilar is the communications director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona. In addition to being responsible for the organization’s communications with news reporters and members, he is also a leader of the organization’s policy advocacy for LGBTQ people. Before moving to Arizona in 2013 and joining the ACLU of Arizona, Steve was a reporter for The Baltimore Sun and a lawyer for a law firm in New York City.

Steve’s keynote address will provide an overview of LGBTQ people’s rights related to healthcare and the legal, policy, and social impediments to accessible and equal care. An interactive portion of the session will put attendees in the shoes of judges, who are now on the front lines of deciding the healthcare rights of LGBTQ people, particularly transgender people, and women.

We can’t wait to see you in June. Together, we can continue creating an Arizona that supports full, healthy, vibrant lives for our diverse communities.