PFLAG National Announces Speaker Lineup for Sold-Out Convention

WASHINGTON (Oct. 6, 2025) — Today, PFLAG National proudly announces the speaker lineup for Learning With Love: The 2025 PFLAG National Convention. Taking place October 10-12 in Chicago, this sold-out event will open with Illinois’ Gov. J.B. Pritzker, and will close with a keynote by actor Khary Payton (The Walking Dead), a proud LGBTQ+ advocate and parent of a transgender son. The powerful words of Pritzker and Payton, as well as honors for U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (IL-9) and Sheila Lopez, founding member of the PFLAG National Two Spirit and Indigenous Parent and Family Advisory Council, and convention plenary sessions will be streamed live on PFLAG National’s YouTube channel.

“At this time, in this moment, PFLAG parents, members and supporters are fighting for our LGBTQ+ pride on every front. The Learning With Love convention gives us a chance to get organized, educated and invigorated as we look toward 2026 and beyond,” said Brian K. Bond, CEO of PFLAG National. “I am proud to welcome Gov. Pritzker, Rep. Schakowsky, Khary Payton, and leaders from across the country to join with PFLAG in courageous love and community.”

“Now is the time for LGBTQ+ people, families, and allies to come together and say with one voice: you belong,” said Gov. J.B. Pritzker of Ill. “At a moment when our loved ones’ rights and humanity are being challenged, we must rise with love, courage, and community. This event is more than a gathering, it’s a call to action. Together, we will fight for our pride, and ensure that every LGBTQ+ person is welcomed, affirmed, and celebrated for exactly who they are.”

“I’m thrilled to be part of the 2025 PFLAG National Convention,” said The Walking Dead’s Khary Payton. “As a father of a trans kid and an advocate, I’ve seen firsthand how visibility and representation can empower LGBTQ+ people and their families. Being here to celebrate courageous love and community is a reminder that everyone deserves to be seen, heard, and affirmed.”

“As the proud Representative for Illinois’ 9th Congressional District, a founding member of of the Congressional Equality Caucus, a 2015 inductee into the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame, and the grandmother of four LGBTQ+ grandchildren, being a part of Learning With Love and the PFLAG family is incredibly meaningful to me,” said Rep. Jan Schakowsky (IL-09). “The work of PFLAG is more critical than ever. The last couple of months have not been easy, especially for those in the LGBTQ+ community. I’m so proud to have PFLAG in our wonderful state for this empowering event. I vow to use my platform to continue fighting for true and universal equality for all, and I am confident that love and compassion will triumph.”

The brief schedule for the Learning With Love: The 2025 PFLAG National Convention speakers, honorees, and plenaries is as follows:

• Friday, October 10: 
  • The convention opens with remarks from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, setting the tone for a weekend of learning and action.
  • The day continues with Crafting Intentional Partnerships to Build Community, a dynamic panel on building cross-movement solidarity. Moderated by nationally recognized transgender rights advocate Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen, the discussion will feature Dom Kelly, Co-Founder and CEO of New Disabled South; political strategist Howard Ou; Rafael Collazo, Director of Political Campaigns at UnidosUS, and Channyn Lynne Parker, the new CEO of Equality Illinois.
• Saturday, October 11:
  • The day begins by honoring U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (IL-09) with the 2025 PFLAG National Flag Bearer Award, recognizing her decades-long leadership in advancing LGBTQ+ rights.
  • Next, Sheila Lopez, a founding member of the PFLAG National Two Spirit and Indigenous Parent and Family Advisory Council, will be honored with the 2025 PFLAG National Starr Award for her extraordinary contributions to PFLAG’s mission.
  • It will also feature the launch of Fighting For Our Pride, a new campaign rooted in PFLAG’s powerful unity of families and LGBTQ+ people. The launch will include a powerful conversation with advocates including Katie Blair, Vice President of Advocacy at PFLAG National; Aisha N. Davis, Senior Policy Counsel with the ACLU of Illinois; Sam Helmick, president of the American Library Association; and Patty Reeves, PFLAG Regional Director for the Southern Region and President of PFLAG Odessa/Midland.
• Sunday, October 12: 
  • The convention concludes with a keynote address from actor Khary Payton, best known for his role in The Walking Dead. Payton, an outspoken LGBTQ+ advocate and proud parent of a transgender son, will share his deeply personal perspective on visibility, representation, and the power of affirming families.

Throughout the weekend, PFLAG National will also recognize and honor four of their 360+ PFLAG chapters for their impact and leadership: PFLAG Enfield [Conn.], PFLAG Fresno [Calif.], PFLAG Mt. Horeb [Wis.], and PFLAG Rome [Ga.].

For the full schedule and additional details, please visit pflag.org/2025convention.