Many continue to cope with some of the harshest winter weather in a very long time, but it will take a lot more than blustery snowstorms to keep the country’s most ardent and committed LGBT activists from this year’s Creating Change Conference, which opens its doors at the Minneapolis Hilton bright and early tomorrow morning.

The National Conference on LGBT Equality: Creating Change, an event hosted annually by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, is considered by many as the most prominent conference in the country explicitly touching on the most urgent social justice issues the LGBT community and their allies face. This week marks the second time in the Conference’s 23 year run that the city of Minneapolis has been asked to host Creating Change.

In addition to having access to well over a hundred workshops and countless networking opportunities throughout the Conference’s five-day run, Creating Change will also feature keynote addresses from Comedian and renowned LGBT commentator Kate Clinton.  Other keynotes will include spiritual leaders like City of Refuge Community Church Founder Bishop Yvette Flunder and a performance from the midwest hip-hop/pop/soul duo God-Des and She.

Running adjunct to the Conference will be another Conference called Practice Spirit, Do Justice, whose goal – according to Creating Change’s Website – is “to build stronger alliances between secular and religious communities.”

The 2011 Creating Change Conference will open its doors Wednesday morning, and will register individuals at the door.  Visit www.creatingchange.org for more information about the Conference, or peruse their Program Guide to get an idea of the programming that is being offered.

In the spirit of full disclosure, it should be noted that when Justin Jagoe is not reviewing movies for TheColu.mn, he spends some of his time on the Creating Chabge 2011 Host Committee.