05/19/2026
Across Florida, LGBTQ+ communities and our allies are navigating an increasingly challenging political landscape—one where attacks on our rights, our healthcare, and our very existence are not just rhetoric, but policy. For many, the focus has been on survival: protecting what we have, defending against harmful legislation, and supporting one another through uncertainty.
But survival is not the end goal.
This panel brings together organizers, advocates, and leaders who are shifting the conversation from defense to offense—building real, sustainable power even in the face of opposition. Through candid discussion and real-world examples, panelists will explore how movements can grow stronger under pressure, how to engage communities that have been historically overlooked, and how to turn moments of crisis into opportunities for connection, mobilization, and change.
From rural organizing to coalition-building, from messaging that resonates beyond our base to strategies that win elections, this conversation will focus on what it actually takes to move from holding the line to moving it forward.
Because even in the most difficult environments, we are not standing still—we are organizing, we are building, and we are winning.
Moderator: Nathan Sharp, Managing Director, Sharp Ideas LLC, and President, NCR LGBTQ+ Democrats
Panelists:
Ant Avila, Tampa Bay Community Organizer, Equality Florida
Cat Margaux, President, Florida Young Democrats
Paul Snatchko, VicePresident, Lake Nona Democrats
Tickets and a limited number of rooms are still available. Visit https://lgbtqdems.org/2026-conference/ for more info.