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Information for the 2023 LGBTQ+ Youth Conference will be
announced soon!

Connecticut LGBTQ+ Youth Conference

Formerly the True Colors Conference

May 20 & 21, 2022

Southern Connecticut State University
501 Crescent Street
New Haven, Connecticut

The New Haven Pride Center is proud to announce the revamp of the former True Colors Conference for May 2022. It is our intent to foster a space for LGBTQ+ youth to come together, find community, and share their experiences. The 2022 Conference theme is Artivism – the space where art and activism meet.

With a definitive commitment to producing a conference for and by LGBTQ+ youth, this year’s conference schedule includes workshops, social events, keynotes, performances, and more. Alyssa Marie Cajigas Rivera Ortiz, hand-in-hand with our youth curators and youth community advisors, will curate a program that is reminiscent of past conferences but that reflects a new vision for how we can create spaces for our community’s youth. Check out the full program below!

Thanks to support from our presenting sponsors, the State of Connecticut’s LGBTQ+ Health & Human Services Network, the 2022 Connecticut LGBTQ+ Youth Conference will be completely FREE to attend.

2022 LGBTQ+ Youth Conference Wrap Video & Photo Gallery

Video by Johan Castillo

Photos by Lizamishel Boateng

Meet the Program Team

Lizamishel Boateng (she/her)
Communications Team

Johan Castillo (he/him)
Communications Team

Max Gamboa (he/him)
Conference Curator

Jamila Washington (she/her)
Conference Curator

Jaeana Bethea (pronouns)
Conference Curator

Thank You to Our Presenting Sponsors

Connecticut LGBTQ+ Youth Conference Schedule

Friday, May 20th
  • 8:45a | Registration Opens
  • 9:00a | Queer Vendor Village Opens with DJ Edgewood
  • 10:00a | Opening Keynote: Erycka (45 minutes)
  • 11:00a | Educational Workshops (45 minutes)
  • 12:00p | Lunch pick-up Opens
  • 12:00p | Queer Youth open Mic with Q+
  • 1:15p | Performance by Erycka (15 minutes)
  • 1:30p | Closing Keynote: Zoey Luna (45 minutes)
  • 2:15p | Closing Remarks 
Saturday, May 21st
  • 8:45a | Registration Opens
  • 9:00a | Queer Vendor Village Opens with DJ Edgewood
  • 10:00a | Opening Keynote: Cleo (45 minutes)
  • 11:00a | Educational Workshops I (45 minutes)
  • 12:00p | Educational Workshops II (45 minutes) 
  • 12:30p | Lunch Pick-up Opens
  • 12:45p | Queer Youth Open Mic with Q+
  • 1:30p | Drag Performance hosted by Kiki Lucia (30 minutes)
  • 2:00p | Keynote: Jennicet Gutiérrez (45 minutes)
  • 3:00p | Drag Performance hosted by Kiki Lucia (30 minutes)
  • 3:30p | Closing Keynote: Milan Garçon (45 minutes)
  • 4:15p | Closing Remarks

Social & Support Spaces

Vendor Village

Buy LGBTQ+ merch from local vendors, learn about local non-profits and community groups, meet the artists and performers. Music provided by DJ Edgewood.

Board Games

Board games are a great way to connect with others. Whether you’re a strategy gamer or brand new to board games, there’s something here for everyone!

Movie Room

Come unwind and get away from the crowds in our movie room! Different movies will play throughout the conference on a rotating schedule.

Chill & Hangout Space

Need a break from the conference or a quiet space to talk with friends? Come hang out in our dedicated lounge.

Meet the Speakers

Erycka (she/her), the experimental pop singer-songwriter, is a force to be reckoned with, despite starting her music career only 3 years ago. Since 2018, Erycka has performed on many stages including headlining New London’s Pride festival twice. Erycka organized her own tour in 2019 which included shows in Bridgeport, New Haven, and locations in New London such as Cultured Studios. She is also a community organizer, activist, poet, and this year’s Keynote speaker and performer for New Haven’s LGBTQ+ Youth Conference.

Zoey Luna (she/her) is a pioneering transgender youth activist turned actress from Los Angeles. As one of the first transgender youth public figures, Zoey has shared her life story through several documentaries and interviews. Zoey (along with her mother) was invited to be in “Laverne Cox presents: The T word”, a documentary for MTV following the lives of transgender individuals that was being headlined by Zoey’s longtime friend Laverne Cox which first aired on October of 2014. Zoey then began a nearly 3 year shoot for the documentary “Raising Zoey” after local filmmaker Dante Alencastre saw Zoey make her first public appearance at the age of 12, speaking at Transgender Day of Remembrance (a worldwide event on November 20 each year) in West Hollywood. Dante was taken aback by Zoey’s outspoken voice and confidence and proposed the documentary which covered Zoey’s life from the age of 13 through 15. Zoey also made guest appearances on reality shows including “I Am Jazz” and “I Am Cait”, and was a guest on HLN’s Dr. Drew show in 2015. Zoey then shot an episode of “15 A Quinceanera Story: Zoey” which aired on HBO in the winter of 2017 after filmmaker Matthew O’Neill came across one of Zoey’s articles and realized she was an LA local, 14, and Latina. Matt was working on a film series to document the process of Latinx people in the US celebrating the Latino Quinceaneras tradition; Zoey fit all of the criteria and being a trans teen and having a quince would be outright unheard of in the past. Zoey then started shifting her focus towards acting. Zoey previously acted in school productions, but her first professional acting engagement was for a lead role in the Rosario Dawson directed short film “Boundless” in which she played Liz, a trans tween building a high tech science fair project with her best friends and taking some huge risks. Zoey recently appeared in the season finale of “Pose” as LACEY, a pier girl with the chance of being so much more and now has booked a lead role in the Blumhouse feature film remake “The Craft.” At the age of 18, Zoey has a burgeoning acting career, has found love and recently has become engaged, and continues her activism to promote tolerance and inclusiveness for the transgender community.

Clèo-Devina (she/her) is a Afro-Latinx Trans Woman who has been organizing in Connecticut for about 4 years now. Clèo began her journey in the path of organizing as just a mere student activist. Clèo went to highschool in Waterbury, CT where she would begin advocating and organizing youth for issues such as the following: Gender-Neutral Bathrooms, Ending the School-to-prison pipeline, Climate justice, and a diverse number of issues of which directly affected the communities in which she pertains to. Clèo never believed she could be able to be her true authentic self in a world that frowns upon Trans Women, but ultimately she continues to prevail, constantly testing the limits and creating better spaces for those who share similar experiences.

Jennicet Gutiérrez (she/her/ella) is a transgender immigrant Latina from Tuxpan, Jalisco. She is the co-Director of Familia: Trans Queer Liberation Movement – a national trans and queer Latinx and immigrant grassroots organization organizing at the intersections of trans and queer rights and migrant and racial justice. The organization’s vision is to work at the national and local level to achieve the collective liberation of trans and queer Latinx folks by leading an intergenerational movement through grassroots organizing, direct action, and advocacy. Jennicet advocates for transgender rights and immigrant rights and prioritizes centering the voices of trans women of color in all racial justice work. Jennicet is determined to fight against all oppressive political and social institutions that stand in the way of the rights and dignity of all people.

Milan Garcon (they/them) is a Black non-binary content creator from Cleveland OH. Now based in NYC, they are a fresh face in media and fashion. As an on-air personality, model, emcee, influencer and LGBT advocate, their purpose is to uplift the human spirit through understanding and laughter. With their career starting in media, Milan has corresponded for major networks such as FOX’s Fox29Philly “The Good-Day Morning Show” and entertainment talk show The Q-Show, NYLON Magazine’s Pride Conversations and featured on CNN’s short docuseries Great Big Story. In New York City, their career in fashion took off as they stepped on the runway and became an internationally published model as part of beauty campaigns like Sephora and Natalia Beauty. Milan’s commentary has been featured in publications such as Vogue, CNN, Essence, NYLON, Refinery29, OUT, MTV, Elle, FX, Paper, GAY TIMES, Genius for their insight on fashion, gender and how to elevate LGBTQ+ experience in media!

Meet the Artists & Performers

DJ Edgewood
Kiki Lucia
Mia E Z’Lay
Giganta Smalls
Crystal Starz
Xiomarie LaBeija
Paxx Headroom
Angel Rivers