PITTSFIELD, Mass — The Live Out Loud Community Conference will have its eighth annual event at Berkshire Community College (BCC) on Saturday, April 2 from 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. in the Connector on the Main Campus. 

 

This event is free to the public, although registrations are preferred. Attendees can register at www.liveoutloudberkshires.org.

 

The Live Out Loud Community Conference is Berkshire County's annual community conference to strengthen the community's understanding and advocacy of the LGBTQIA+ population. Beginning in 2014, the Live Out Loud Conference is designed to build community in Rural Berkshire County.

 

This year's event will feature a Keynote Presentation at 10:00 a.m. called "A Conversation About LGBTQ+ Healthcare in the Berkshires," followed by three additional morning presentations.

 

There will be a break for lunch (provided for free to attendees) and the chance for folks to visit the "Show Up to Show Off" LGBTQIA+ vendor tables, where attendees can browse goods & services provided by local LGBTQIA+ owned businesses, and learn about community resources and their providers.

 

After lunch, there will be four options for break out community conversations on topics from Nonbinary Identities, the History of Advocacy for LGBTQ Rights, conversations on coming out, and an additional conversation on accessing healthcare in the Berkshires with medical professionals.

 

TransExchange will be organizing a free clothing swap on site too. Attendees are encouraged to bring clean, gently used clothes to give away, and/or walk away with new items.

 

The conference has been held at BCC or Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) over the past several years. It took a year off when COVID-19 impacted the county and made hosting the event near impossible.