Ari Gutierrez, co-founder of the Los Angeles-based Latino Equality Alliance, called the BOLD Gathering in Minneapolis, Minn., over the Dec. 2-4 weekend "an important event in the trajectory of the LGBT movement. Not just for the empowerment opportunity for our people of color leaders but more so because it provided a unique opportunity for the funders to learn more about us."

The event was designed to empower LGBT leaders of color to meet this “movement moment” when LGBT communities of color profoundly intersect with the economic crisis and the right wing response to such issues as immigration—and the opportunities offered by communication through new technologies and social media. Noting that people of color are becoming the majority in the U.S., the conference asked questions such as: “Are we, as QTPOC (Queer & Trans People of Color), a strong arm of a bigger movement (such as the mainstream gay movement) or are we leading a movement of our own? How can we, as QTPOC people, affect the creation and direction of a movement that brings about the change for which we dream and work?  What do we need to know?”

To see notes, photos and who was there go to the story on LGBT POV. Photo by Anna S. Min