It's time to travel somewhere over the rainbow in 2026. Join Basic Rights Oregon for our Statewide Action Summit (SAS) 2026, with the theme Beyond the Rainbow: Rise Up, Fight Back!
Amid an increasingly dark and stormy political climate for LGBTQ2SIA+ folks and our accomplices, queer and trans folks continue to shine through. And what do you get when you mix storms and sunshine? A rainbow: the enduring symbol of our community's joy, and our strength in diversity.
At SAS 2026, we'll be building on that strong foundation the rainbow represents, and going even further through organizing, educating, and collaborating. Come to see familiar queer conspirators and meet new ones; attend workshops to strengthen your organizing and advocacy skills; and learn about the goals on our horizon.
When we work together, we can't be stopped or erased. As gay ally icon Judy Garland put it, in this space beyond the rainbow, “skies are blue, and the dreams that you dream of really do come true.”
Taking place at the LaSells Stewart Center at Oregon State University (875 SW 26th Street, Corvallis, OR 97331), SAS 2026 starts in the afternoon of April 10, and concludes with a full day on April 11.
Friday, April 10
4:00-6:00PM, LaSells Stewart Center
Registration
5:30-5:45PM, Giustina Gallery
Welcome Address
5:45-6:45PM, Giustina Gallery
“Fighting Erasure: The Importance of Preserving Queer Historic Landmarks and Stories” presented by McMenamins.
Preserving the past is a vital aspect of the work it takes to protect the future. McMenamins Crystal Hotel is one of only four federally protected LGBTQ+ landmarks in Portland. Through the work of our historians, artists, and tour guides utilizing research, oral histories, monthly presentations, tours, and more, learn how McMenamins has preserved community stories and history that celebrates the LGBTQ+ heritage of Portland and beyond.
7:30-9PM, McMenamins on Monroe
Join BRO staff for a happy hour meet and greet.
Saturday, April 11
8:00AM-9:30AM, LaSells Stewart Center
Registration
9:00AM-10:00AM, Giustina Gallery
Breakfast
10:30-11:30AM, Various locations.
“Privilege in Protest” presented by Lewis & Clark College Queer Student Union.
Learn about the history of protesting and centering black and brown bodies in the conversation of revolution. How do we show up with intention and care as a community? Topics will include de-arresting, leveraging your privilege to protect black and brown bodies, and protest safety and first aid. Participants will come away from this workshop with confidence in their ability to safely protest and protect one another in these spaces.
“Voices of Resistance: How Trans Advocates Can Fight Back Through Media and Messaging Workshop” presented by Mixte Communications.
In a time of increasing legislative attacks and media misinformation targeting transgender communities, bold, strategic communication has become a critical tool for resistance and resilience. This session will explore real-world examples of campaigns, rapid-response strategies, and storytelling efforts that have reshaped public narratives and empowered trans voices.
From combating disinformation to uplifting lived experiences, this session will dive into the collaborative tactics used to push back against harmful rhetoric and create space for truth, dignity, and visibility.
“Resistance through the Ages: Building Community Power through Intergenerational Understanding” presented by Friendly House Elder Pride Services.
Join a panel of LGBTQ+ elders for a discussion of resistance in the LGBTQ+ community. Panelists will share their experiences with navigating homophobia and building community over the long haul, as well as lessons learned for the fights ahead.
“Yin Yoga: An Act of Resistance” led by Karmel Ungerleider-Abrams.
Need a restorative break from workshops? Through slow, intentional Yin postures and mindful stillness, participants are invited to regulate their nervous systems, refill their inner reserves, and release the pressure of constant urgency. This practice reframes rest not as disengagement, but as a vital strategy for resilience and collective liberation. Come as you are, this is a space to soften, recharge, and remember that care is part of the work.
11:45-12:45PM, Various locations.
“The Warm Springs Water Coalition: Clean Water, Mutual Aid, and Solidarity Against Colonialism in so-called Oregon” presented by The Warm Springs Water Coalition.
Please join the Warm Springs Water Coalition (WSWC) to learn more about the water crisis at Warm Springs and what WSWC is doing to support the community. WSWC is a mutual aid group led by Indigenous, Southwest Asian, and white Portlanders that works in direct collaboration with Warm Springs Tribal Emergency Management to help meet the reservation’s need for clean drinking water during a nearly decade-long water infrastructure crisis.
“From Survival to Strategy” presented by Q Center.
For Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (QTBIPOC) communities, political engagement has never been theoretical. It has been rooted in survival, resistance, and collective care. This workshop centers QTBIPOC leadership as essential to winning long-term protections for gender-affirming care and advancing equal rights for all across Oregon.
“Folklore as Liberation” presented by Aras Arcadia.
Presented by Aras Arcadia, Portland's shapeshifting countercultural folklore drag performer, this workshop will explore issues of class and gender in traditional English-language folklore and folk music. Viewing folklore as a part of our shared cultural heritage, this workshop will explore folklore as used to advocate for gender equality; working class and labor advocacy folk music through the ages; and the stripping of queerness from folk history and the pieces that survived. Aras Arcadia will live sing some of the folk music to provide examples.
“Yin Yoga: An Act of Resistance” led by Karmel Ungerleider-Abrams.
Need a restorative break from workshops? Through slow, intentional Yin postures and mindful stillness, participants are invited to regulate their nervous systems, refill their inner reserves, and release the pressure of constant urgency. This practice reframes rest not as disengagement, but as a vital strategy for resilience and collective liberation. Come as you are, this is a space to soften, recharge, and remember that care is part of the work.
1:20-1:45PM, Giustina Gallery
Lunch and Keynote by Kathleen Saadat.
One of Oregon’s most prolific and well-known LGBTQ+ rights and social justice leaders, Kathleen Sadaat, will share an inspiring message to attendees. Sadaat organized Portland’s very first Pride March in 1976 and has been organizing and fighting for justice ever since.
2:00-3:00PM, Various locations
“Know Your Rights Isn’t Enough If You Can’t Understand Them” presented by Hands United.
Know Your Rights Isn’t Enough If You Can’t Understand Them explores how language barriers undermine advocacy for transgender and gender-diverse immigrants, especially those who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or multilingual. This workshop highlights real gaps in traditional Know Your Rights efforts and how English-only approaches exclude some of the most vulnerable community members. Participants will learn practical strategies for designing rights-based education and advocacy campaigns that are multilingual, accessible, and culturally responsive—ensuring policy wins reach the people they are meant to protect.
“Nervous System Knowledge for Movement Workers in an Era of Collapse” presented by Basic Rights Oregon.
Involvement in movement work often puts us face to face with The Horrors, which can be depleting, traumatic, and emotionally taxing. But this fight needs us in it for our whole lives, which means we need tools for how to sustainably engage. Tools for understanding our bodies and what happens when we are in states of nervous system activation are an absolutely essential part of sustainable activism that doesn't calcify into hard-heartedness, permanent burnout, and trauma responses that demobilize us and the people around us. This workshop will offer a look into the science of our bodies, exploring the connections between the nervous system and anti-racism and anti-fascism, as well as will equip you with tangible somatic tools to utilize when in different states of activation.
“Speaking for ourselves: Get your story out in the media for greater organizing impact” presented by Western States Center.
LGBTQ+ organizers are working in a challenging context when it comes to communicating our experiences and needs to the broader public. In this hands-on workshop, Western States Center will focus on the role that effective communications planning and press outreach can play in successful community organizing. Attendees will explore the process of planning to speak with the press, practice creating important components of a press plan, and take home a set of templates they can adapt for their own use right away. Bring your questions, ideas and horror stories about that time you were misquoted -- let's talk about it!
“Yin Yoga: An Act of Resistance” led by Karmel Ungerleider-Abrams.
Need a restorative break from workshops? Through slow, intentional Yin postures and mindful stillness, participants are invited to regulate their nervous systems, refill their inner reserves, and release the pressure of constant urgency. This practice reframes rest not as disengagement, but as a vital strategy for resilience and collective liberation. Come as you are, this is a space to soften, recharge, and remember that care is part of the work.
3:00-3:20PM, Giustina Gallery
Guided Reflection
3:20-4:20PM, Various locations
Action Planning Labs
Join us for sessions where we plan regional and issue-based campaign planning locally for your communities and with BRO in 2026/2027.
“Yin Yoga: An Act of Resistance” led by Karmel Ungerleider-Abrams.
Need a restorative break? Through slow, intentional Yin postures and mindful stillness, participants are invited to regulate their nervous systems, refill their inner reserves, and release the pressure of constant urgency. This practice reframes rest not as disengagement, but as a vital strategy for resilience and collective liberation. Come as you are, this is a space to soften, recharge, and remember that care is part of the work.
4:20-5:15PM, Giustina Gallery
Report Backs and Shared Commitments
5:15-5:25, Giustina Gallery
Closing remarks