Leadership Conference Policies

Your Conference badge is a vital tool for building our community and maintaining our shared sanctuary. We ask that you wear it visibly to all events—including plenaries, workshops, and off-site evening events—as it helps us foster a culture of safety where we can easily call one another by name and honor each person’s pronouns. By clearly identifying ourselves as part of this collective, we ensure that our spaces remain secure and "community-only" for our most vulnerable members. Please keep your badge with you throughout the week; if you happen to forget it, you will be asked to retrieve it before re-entering session spaces. Should your badge be lost, our registration team can assist with a reprint for a $5.00 fee to cover materials.

Our movement is fueled by the joy of connection and the strength of our collective relationships. We are here to create a vibrant, positive experience where we can meet new people, share our stories, and sharpen our strategies for the work ahead. To protect the integrity of this space and the well-being of every attendee, we maintain a zero-tolerance policy for harassment, sexual harassment, or hate speech of any kind. We are committed to a community rooted in mutual respect, where every person can participate without fear of intimidation or harm.

If you notice anything that feels unsafe or witness behavior that violates these standards, please do not hesitate to speak up. You can find the nearest volunteer, who will immediately help you reach a manager to address the situation. By joining us, you are agreeing to help uphold this standard, ensuring that our time together remains a safe and empowering environment for building the future we all deserve.

Our Conference is made possible by the hard work and dedication of Equality Federation staff, the hotel staff, contracted vendors, and our team of volunteers. We ask that you treat every worker and volunteer with the same radical welcome, respect, and dignity that we extend to one another. They are essential partners in our movement, and their well-being is a priority. Conversely, we expect you to be treated with that same level of respect. If you experience any negative treatment or feel unsupported by staff or a volunteer, please find the nearest volunteer so they can connect you with a manager to address and resolve the situation immediately.

We cannot have a thriving community without a healthy one. We ask everyone to practice a "Culture of Care" regarding our collective health, especially for our immunocompromised and disabled friends.

Please keep our community safe by washing your hands frequently and using the provided sanitizer stations. Masking is strongly encouraged (see COVID-19 Policy below) to reduce the spread of germs and viruses.

If you feel unwell, we encourage you to prioritize rest and stay isolated. By taking care of yourself, you are taking care of all of us. Let’s work together to ensure that our time in Baltimore is as safe as it is transformative.

Air Quality Efforts
This year’s Leadership Conference will include additional air filtration in the main ballroom and breakout rooms, and periodic staff review of CO2 levels using an Aranet4.

COVID-19 Policy
Our collective commitment to safety and access requires serious steps to mitigate COVID-19 before, during, and after the Conference. These guidelines reflect our responsibility to protect one another, including our disabled comrades, and are part of a broader public health effort to reduce transmission. Any additional public health policies (including mask and/or vaccine requirements) will be adopted and enforced at Equality Federation’s discretion. Prior to arriving in Baltimore, all Leadership Conference registrants will receive information regarding policies and on-site health resources (masks, testing, local medical services, etc.).
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Masking Strongly Encouraged While Indoors
We are asking attendees, volunteers, and staff to mask. Equality Federation will have KN95 masks available on-site, but we do not have the capacity to provide everyone with a mask for the duration of the Conference. For more information, see: How well do face masks protect against COVID-19?

Required COVID-19 testing
When checking in at registration, Conference attendees will be required to confirm a negative test within the last 12 hours upon check-in (honor system). We will have limited tests available on-site.

Exposure Communication
If you test positive for COVID-19 during or after the Conference, please let us know so that we can inform attendees of potential exposure while protecting your anonymity. Please direct any questions regarding our COVID-19 safety protocols or COVID-19 exposure to events@equalityfederation.org.

Recognizing that staff, volunteers, and attendees may have sensitivities and/or allergies to various fragrant products, Leadership Conference is committed to being a fragrance-free space. Personal fragrant products (fragrances, colognes, lotions, powders, and other similar products) that are perceptible to others should not be worn when in Conference spaces. Other fragrant products (scented candles, potpourri, and other similar items) will not be used in Conference spaces.

To ensure our space remains a sanctuary, we take policy violations very seriously. Anyone who violates our harassment, sexual harassment, hate speech, and safety guidelines may be asked to leave the Conference immediately and may be prohibited from attending future events. By holding each other accountable, we protect the integrity of our movement and ensure our gatherings remain a safe home for everyone.