Off The Chart

Off the Chart

First time conference Unleashed LGBTQ+ 2023 in Dallas, TX was a huge success.

BY COURTESY OF UNLEASHED LGBTQ PHOTOS BY ADRIAN LOPEZ

Unleashed LGBTQ was a first-of-its-kind conference and entertainment festival that created a space for brands, artists, and LGBTQ+ professionals to connect that took place at Gilley’s in Dallas, Texas, from September 22 - 24, 2023. Some of the most prominent names in the LGBTQ+ community partook in special panels, keynotes, workshops, screenings, performances, and engaging showcases throughout the weekend. Headliners for the show included:

• Antoni Porowski | Emmy-Award Winning Show Queer Eye (Net ix), Host and Executive Producer of Easy-Bake Battle (Net ix), NYT Bestselling Author of Antoni in the Kitchen & Antoni: Let's do Dinner

• Dyllón Burnside | Emmy Award-Winning Show Pose, Emmy-Award winning PBS docuseries PRIDELAND, Golden Globe nominated limited series MONSTER. GLAAD & HRC award recipient

• Indya Moore | Emmy Award-Winning Show POSE, Saint Laurent Cosmetics, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

• Billy Eichner | Co-writer and Star of Bros (Universal Pictures), Billy on the Street, The Lion King (Disney), American Horror Story (FX), Di cult People (Hulu)

• Brian Sims | Former Penn State Rep., LGBTQ+ Advocate & Speaker, Managing Director of Government A airs & Policy at Out Leadership, Board Member at Campus Pride & GLSEN

• Stacey Stevenson | CEO of Family Equality, Co-Founder of The Changists (Law Firm

Consulting), LGBTQ+ Activist, Speaker, Mother of Two

• Zach Herrin | Professional Stock Car Racing Driver for NASCAR, Member of the Founding Class of the North American Expansion of Racing Pride

• Jayzen Patria | Host of the Lead With Your Brand! Podcast, Personal Branding expert and Diversity & Inclusion Thought Leader

• Naomi Green | Transgender Rights Advocate, Vice-Chair of the Allocations Committee of the Ryan White Planning Council of the Dallas Area, Business and Development Consultant for Crush Limits, Adjunct Professor of Marketing for Lone Star College

• Daniel Franzese | Mean Girls (Paramount Pictures), Ru Paul's Drag Race (MTV), Looking (HBO)

• Ashley Brundage | President & CEO of Empowering Differences, Author of Empowering Differences, Transgender Advocate, Former DEI Vice President at PNC Bank, Mother

• Matt Skallerud | Founder & President of Pink Media, Host of #iLoveGayToday, former President of IGLTA, Award-Winning Online Marketer connecting businesses to the LGBTQ+ consumers.

• LaMecia Butler | Program Manager of Supplier Diversity at Meta

• Dr. Carlton Thomas, Gastro-Intestinal Medical Doctor, Social Media Sensation, Contributor to Men's Health Magazine, LGBTQ+ Consultant to the White House & the CDC

• Brad Pritchett, Award-Winning Marketing Executive, Chief Experience Officer at DMA (Dallas Museum of Art), Host of The Good, The Brad, & The Ugly podcast

“We are so proud of the diverse array of talent we’ve brought on to partake in this monumental event that will celebrate the LGBTQ+ community like never before,” said Wesley Smoot, Founder of Unleashed LGBTQ. “It takes a unique group of talented, accomplished, and empowering voices to come together and bring the Unleashed LGBTQ vision to life. From A-list actors, athletes, celebrities, entrepreneurs, industry experts, thought leaders and more, it’s amazing to see how many different brilliant minds [were] under the same roof at Gilley’s to celebrate how far our community has come.”

The three-day interactive event aimed to bring the LGBTQ+ community together through thought-provoking conversations, endless entertainment, and educational workshops to celebrate

the brilliance, innovation, and ground-breaking e orts taking place in the LGBTQ+ world.

Additionally, Unleashed LGBTQ partnered with the iconic Alamo Drafthouse to host screenings of new LGBTQ+ content from streaming services, movie studios, and television networks.

Unleashed LGBTQ, LLC is proud to have received support, endorsements, and/or grants from the following organizations: DTPID (Dallas Tourism Public Improvement District), Visit Dallas, North Texas LGBT Chamber of Commerce, NLGCC (National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce), and IGLTA (International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association).

Other partners included Gilead Sciences, iHeart Media, equalpride, The Advocate, Pink Media, iHeartMedia, Virgin Hotels, Out Magazine, Dallas Voice, OUT North Texas and Virgin Hotels.