Learning with Love: The 2023 PFLAG National Convention

Learning With Love: The 2023 PFLAG National Convention will be held October 19-22, 2023 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Washington DC-Crystal City in Arlington, VA.

Early bird rates ended on September 4th, 2023. Regular rates are $250 for PFLAG National Members (including Chapter members), and $340 for non-members. If you join PFLAG National now with a membership donation of $50 or more, you can automatically qualify for the discounted rate!

Check your spam folder; if you still did not receive a confirmation email, contact [email protected].

We welcome you! Through workshops, panels, and presentations from community leaders over the course of four days, we’ll provide insight, expertise, training, strategies, and best practices so that PFLAG friends, families, members, supporters, and leaders can work together to fulfill our organizational mission to create a caring, just, and affirming world for LGBTQ+ people and those who love them.

The nearest airport is Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), about a 10-minute drive from the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Washington, DC-Crystal City. You can also fly into Dulles International Airport (IAD), about 30-45 minutes by car or Baltimore/Washington International (BWI), about 1-1.5 hours by car.

The DoubleTree by Hilton Washington DC-Crystal City Hotel provides free shuttle service to and from Reagan National Airport (DCA). Shuttle service starts at 5am and ends and midnight, and is provided every 15 minutes during peak hours from 5pm-10pm, and every 20 minutes during all other hours. At the airport, follow the signs to Ground Transportation-Hotel Shuttles located at Curbside 2.

Taxis, Lyft, and Uber are widely available at all airports and throughout the DC area.

Other transportation options include Amtrak (Union Station in Washington, DC) and bus (Greyhound, Peter Pan, Wanderu).

The nearest Metro station is Pentagon City Metro Station on the Blue and Yellow lines, about a ten-minute walk to the hotel. Crystal City Metro Station, also on the Blue and Yellow lines, is about a 12-15 minute walk to the hotel. (Please note that there is also a Metro station stop called “Pentagon” – do not exit from this stop.)

Use the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) Trip Planner to determine the best route to the Convention using Metro or bus.

Yes! The special convention rate at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Washington DC-Crystal City is $204 per night (taxes and other rates not included) for a standard room. Book your room early, as we may sell out!

Yes, parking is available for $39 per day with in/out privileges.

Check our Sessions page regularly for the latest updates. We also encourage you to download the PFLAG National Convention app on Apple or Google for everything you need to know about the Convention!

Lobby Day is included in your Convention registration. More information about participating in Lobby Day will be shared soon.

PFLAG Gives Back has been an integral part of PFLAG National’s in-person events since our 2015 National Convention in Nashville, TN. In the years since, PFLAG chapters and members have participated in additional events, including most recently in Atlanta, where earlier this year members of the PFLAG National Board of Directors, Regional Directors Council, and national staff spent time volunteering with Lost-n-Found Youth.

This year, as PFLAG leaders, members, and supporters from across the country come together in Washington, DC and Arlington, VA for Learning With Love: The 2023 PFLAG National Convention, we’ll host a PFLAG Gives Back event in support of LGBTQ+ young people accessing the housing and street outreach services at SMYAL. You can learn more about SMYAL’s life-saving work at smyal.org.

To participate, please consider purchasing a gift card of $25 or more from retailers like Sephora, Ulta, Target, Giant, Safeway, Amazon, Uber, and Visa to give to LGBTQ+ young people who are in need of some holiday cheer. Then, at the convention, you can drop your donation off at the PFLAG Gives Back table in the exhibit hall and use our craft supplies to write a supportive note to accompany the gift, letting them know they’re not alone and that PFLAG has got their back.

After Learning With Love has concluded, a member of the PFLAG National staff will deliver everything we’ve collected to the team at SMYAL for distribution.

Have questions? Reach out to us at [email protected].

Portions of the Convention will be live-streamed, and we’ll share more details soon. We’ll also be highlighting the Convention on social media both during and in the days and weeks afterwards, and we will feature the Convention in the next issue of The PFLAG Banner.

Yes PFLAG National is happy to offer a limited number of convention scholarships–awarded at the $500 and $1,000 level–to help LGBTQ+ people and those who love them attend the Convention.

By providing monetary support to those who need it, our hope is to inspire and support the next wave of leaders in our fight for equality by increasing their access to learning opportunities facilitated at the convention.

We strongly encourage LGBTQ+ people, people of color, LGBTQ+ and ally young people, leaders of PFLAG chapters formed in the last three years, and people from rural areas to apply.

The deadline for submitting your scholarship application was Tuesday, August 15. 

Scholarship recipients will be asked to submit a short post-event report in the format of their choice (e.g. written, video, etc.) chronicling what they learned and how they plan on using their new skills to enrich their community/field of work/etc. Additionally, recipients will sign a release allowing PFLAG National to use that report  for marketing and promotional purposes.

Contact Chapter Engagement Manager Shaun Connors (he/they) at [email protected] with questions.

PFLAG National’s philanthropic partners received a limited number of tickets to attend the Convention. Please contact the lead of your company’s DEI department or LGBTQ+ employee resource group for information.

Yes – we would love to hear from you! Convention sponsorships offer a unique opportunity to showcase your company or brand while supporting educational opportunities for LGBTQ+ and ally community leaders. Learn more about Convention sponsorship opportunities or contact Corporate Philanthropy Manager David Kinstley (he/him) at [email protected].

Yes! Our Exhibit Hall will feature PFLAG chapters, businesses, and organizations dedicated to supporting the LGBTQ+ community and reaching our audience. We have more information for those who would like to purchase an exhibit table. Please email [email protected] if you’re interested in purchasing an exhibit table.

The deadline for submitting an application for an exhibit table is September 30, 2023.

Registration will be located in the Crystal Ballroom Foyer and opens beginning Wednesday, October 18 at 4:00pm ET for Lobby Day participants. Registration will be open throughout the Convention between the hours of 8:00am – 5:00pm ET. You will receive a name badge which will grant you access to all Convention activities, along with a special PFLAG Convention swag bag with goodies from PFLAG National and our philanthropic partners.

PFLAG National requires all attendees be fully vaccinated for COVID-19. Proof of full vaccination by showing a vaccine card or clear photo of the card will be required for entrance.

While we are not requiring masks at this event, we ask that attendees be respectful of others wearing or not wearing a mask. Masks will be available to those who would like to wear them but might not have brought their own.

If you are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms, were recently exposed to someone with COVID-19, or have tested positive for COVID-19, we ask that you stay home to keep yourself and others safe.

As the COVID-19 pandemic is an evolving situation, PFLAG National reserves the right to update this policy as necessary before the event and will communicate changes to attendees and on this webpage.

PFLAG National is committed to creating a safe and welcoming environment for all Convention attendees. Harassment, verbal/physical abuse, or discrimination in any form will not be tolerated and will result in your immediate removal from the Convention.

PFLAG National and the DoubleTree by Hilton Washington DC-Crystal City cannot be held liable for any injuries or losses that take place during the course of the Convention, including unauthorized pre-and post-convention events.

The safety of our attendees, volunteers, and staff are our highest priority. More information about security protocols will be shared soon.

Please have your confirmation email ready when you check-in (print or digital), along with your COVID-19 vaccination card (photos of both will suffice).

We encourage you to bring a light jacket or sweater, as hotel meeting rooms tend to be colder than room temperature.

You can bring cell phones and cameras for taking photos or short videos throughout the Convention.

Prohibited items include weapons/firearms/knives, pepper spray/mace, laser pens, outside food or drink, professional photography equipment (unless authorized by PFLAG), and promotional items not authorized by PFLAG.

If you are participating in Lobby Day on Thursday, October 19, we recommend wearing business, business casual, or PFLAG apparel, and we encourage wearing comfortable shoes, as you will be doing a lot of walking throughout the Capitol buildings. Please do not wear shorts or flip flops.

Throughout the Convention, dress how you feel most comfortable! We encourage attendees to wear PFLAG apparel, which will be available for sale in limited quantities at our onsite PFLAG Shop.

Yes, ASL interpreters will be available throughout the convention, including workshops, and during the Annual Meeting on Friday, Plenary Lunch on Saturday, and Awards Luncheon on Sunday.

We value inclusion and access for all participants, and we’ll have more details soon about accessibility during the Convention. In the “Additional Needs” section of the registration process, please indicate what type of accommodation PFLAG National can provide you at the event. You can also contact [email protected] or 202-349-0788 if you have any questions.

If at any point that you recognize a need to request accommodations on-site at the Convention, please contact a PFLAG staff member or send a message through the Convention app.

On site, if you need assistance or to report an incident, please reach out to anyone wearing a STAFF or VOLUNTEER badge, located at registration. You can also send a message through the PFLAG National Convention app.

We offer a 50% refund to anyone cancelling up until October 1 or we are able to transfer your registration to someone else if you know of anyone else who will be attending.

Please email [email protected], call 202-467-8180, or send a message through the PFLAG National Convention app.