The Let’s Get Better Together Conference committee takes the safety of the community very seriously and, as a result, has made a decision regarding the 2021 Let’s Get Better Together Conference: on June 24-25, the summit will be virtual.

While we are relieved that the Covid-19 cases are going down and more people are being vaccinated, the pace of vaccinations and the threat of Covid variants makes it uncertain that an in-person conference would be able to live up to our standards of safety. Consequently, we’ve decided to have the entire conference virtually through an online platform. This keeps our conference in alignment with the focus of our conference: the health and wellness of the LGBTQIA+ community.

We know that many people are experiencing virtual meeting fatigue that matches or in some cases supersedes their fatigue over the pandemic itself. However, we want to assure you that the conference will be as interactive as possible, with many self-care breaks and interesting mini-presentation between sessions.

Moving to a virtual format will increase accessibility for some folx who are not able to attend in person and will keep us all strong during a pandemic which is disproportionately impacting LGBTQ people and communities of color. We encourage people from around the state to attend this year. We have reduced prices and increased options for utilizing scholarships for greater accessibility so that first-time attendees can still access and experience the conference.

If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s the resilience and necessity of this community. Continuing to educate and network on issues about LGBTQIA health and wellness is imperative. We will continue to host quality presentations, panels, keynote speakers and break-out sessions, just as we have in past in-person events. Next year, 2022, we look forward to being together, in person at our in-person venue the Hilton Phoenix Resort at the Peak. Please join us for a safe, entertaining, and informative opportunity to increase community health.

Thank you,
Amy D’Arpino, Mandee Bahadar, & Jason Vail Cruz
Co-chairs of the Let’s Get Better Together Conference.