More than 400 elected, appointed and community leaders who are openly lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) are expected to attend the 25^th International Gay & Lesbian Leadership Conference in San Francisco this weekend, according to the Gay & Lesbian Leadership Institute (GLLI), which convenes the annual event.

The three-day conference will feature a keynote speech by Berlin, Germany Mayor Klaus Wowereit, who is openly gay, and panel appearances by openly LGBT political and policy leaders such as: U.S. Reps. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Jared Polis (D-Colo.) (pictured); Former U.S. Ambassador Michael Guest; Hawaii Board of Education member Kim Coco Iwamoto; Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown; and Campbell, Calif. Mayor Evan Low.

Joyce Newstat, GLLI’s board chair and a San Francisco resident, said conference attendees can expect a warm welcome:  “Harvey Milk’s legacy is as powerful today as ever, and it was born on the streets of this beautiful city.  I am proud that we will get to host hundreds of people who heard his call to enter public service, to never hide and to tell the truth about who we are and why we deserve equality.”

Conference attendees and local officials will take part in a service event sponsored by Levi Strauss & Co. at Glide Memorial Church, 330 Ellis Street, at 11:00am-2pm, December 3.

The 25^th International Gay & Lesbian Leadership Conference will be held December 3 to 6 at the Parc 55 Hotel in downtown San Francisco.  Program information and registration is available at www.glli.org/conference.  Local residents can register for one daily pass at a rate of $99.

Photo:  Pam Spaulding