The GRC "Steering Committee" made a fatal mistake in 2026

The so-called “Steering Committee” of the Grassroots Radio Conference has made a fatal error in this year’s planning that completely defeats the purpose of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), which the GRC is supposed to be based on.

There were four potential host stations that were willing to host the GRC this year. In a previous Bonnet Off blog, I had raised serious concerns about two of these stations (Omaha, Nebraska and Leesburg, Florida) because of issues such as rules compliance and accessibility to transportation.

This left us with two applicants that I considered to be stronger: Charlottesville, Virginia and Pensacola, Florida. I had raised serious concerns about the GRC going to Florida because of anti-LGBTQ2SIA+ laws, including those that could result in criminal prosecution for just existing, while Virginia was just the opposite.

The GRC “Steering Committee” decided that it would be cooler to go to Pensacola because (as one post stated) “the beach”. It would also be a potential “barn raising” for WPNX-LP. A “barn raising” has been done in the past by the original Prometheus Radio Project to celebrate the final construction of a new community radio station. The 2005 GRC included a barn raising.

However, even with a promise of the beach (during hurricane season) and a barn raising, the decision to hold a very DEI-focused event in Florida, especially a month or two before the midterm elections in a state where the airwaves will be filled to the brim with anti-LGBT rhetoric and in a state where trans people can be targeted for arrest for criminal trespass was a very shortsighted decision and is a slap in the face to all of the work that many in the grassroots radio community (both queer and allies) to promote LGBTQ+ causes.

What started with the “Don’t Say Gay” law has turned into a treasure trove of additional anti-LGBT laws, including first amendment violations such as censorship in libraries, attempts to outlaw drag shows and preventing teachers and others from using their identified pronouns.

Also of note is Fla. Stat. §553.865, also known as the “Safety in Private Spaces Act”, which makes it a misdemeanor of criminal trespass for a transgender person to use a single sex restroom or other facility that is not congruent with their biological sex assigned at birth in any public building including secondary and post-secondary schools, government operated convention facilities, roadside rest areas, airports and other facilities in the public sector. Other laws prohibit trans Florida residents from being able to have a congruent gender on their driver’s license.

This was an excuse made by a prominent member of the GRC “Steering Committee”. That is not exactly true. Virginia has had a history of being a mainly purple state. In 2025, Virginia elected Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, as Governor by a vote of 57 to 42 percent. A result that was celebrated by the LGBTQ+ and ally community in the Commonwealth.

Also, unlike Florida, Virginia does have Va. Code §2.2-3904, which is part of an expansion of the Virginia Human Rights Act, which states, in part:

It is an unlawful discriminatory practice for any person, including the owner, lessee, proprietor, manager, superintendent, agent, or employee of any place of public accommodation, to refuse, withhold from, or deny any individual, or to attempt to refuse, withhold from, or deny any individual, directly or indirectly, any of the accommodations, advantages, facilities, services, or privileges made available in any place of public accommodation, or to segregate or discriminate against any such person in the use thereof, or to publish, circulate, issue, display, post, or mail, either directly or indirectly, any communication, notice, or advertisement to the effect that any of the accommodations, advantages, facilities, privileges, or services of any such place shall be refused, withheld from, or denied to any individual on the basis of race, color, religion, ethnic or national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, or military status.

Unlike Florida, Virginia puts their money where their mouth is on human rights.

The GRC is no longer an informal gathering like it was in the early days. These days, it is a full-blown convention with exhibitors and education tracks. Think of it like a micro-mini NAB Show, but for small noncommercial broadcasters, mainly those who are left-leaning (though all political views have been welcome at the show). As a convention, this means that people will need lodging while they are there. It is not uncommon for the organizer of the GRC to work with local hotels to get room blocks. Florida imposes a 6% occupancy tax on any short-term (less than 6 months) accommodation including hotels, motels, AirBNB, VRBO, apartments, campgrounds and RV parks. This means that every night that someone stays in a Florida accommodation, they are contributing an additional 6% of their room bill to the DeSantis hate machine. We should not be rewarding Florida for promoting hate.

The current GRC “Steering Committee” was formed in an attempt by a small number of people following the 2017 GRC in Albany, NY in a hostile takeover in resistance to those elder GRC stakeholders who recognized that because the noncommercial broadcasting space has grown significantly with the upswing in LPFM broadcast stations following the second generation LPFM Filing Window, which resulted in 1,977 granted construction permits for new 100-watt (@30m HAAT) broadcast stations; that the conference needed to become its own separate nonprofit entity (The Grassroots Radio Conference Association) to be the caretaker of the seed money that is passed from host to host and other traditions, such as administering the transfer of the GRC quilts, which are a tribute to community radio. This need was escalated because of an incident that took place at the Albany GRC where the seed money was embezzled by someone associated with the host.

The resistance depended on a definition of the GRC “Steering Committee” that was developed in 2006 that included “representatives from stations who have hosted past GRCs, representatives of future GRC hosts and representatives from the People of Color Caucus. The latter, which is a described as a “loose group of producers and activists in the Grassroots Radio Coalition”.

The current GRC “Steering Committee” includes the following people:

• Ted Coe KCSB

• Zac Smith KUHS

• Max Kelley WAYO

• Sharon Scott WXOX

• LaGanzie Kale KLEK

• Joseph Orozco KIDE

• Damon Cater WTSQ

• Liana Elliot WHIV

• Dr. MarkAlain Déry WHIV

• Michael Moon Bear KYRS

It is not clear who on this list is representing the People of Color Caucus.

It is also important to recognize that this concept was originally agreed by a small number of people in 2006. A lot has changed in civil rights in the past 20 years. 2006 predates Obergefell vs. Hodges by 9 years, the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy in the military, which initially instituted by Democrat Bill Clinton was still a thing and most advancements in trans rights would not start coming to fruition until many years to come and thus transphobia was rampant.

Let’s be clear here. The current definition of the GRC “Steering Committee” is outdated and obsolete. In addition, some people on this Committee have gotten too comfortable in their roles to the point where it has turned into a quasi-dicatatorship.

First and foremost, there needs to be a balance of representation and experience on the GRC Steering Committee. This means that those on the Committee should have some basic knowledge of event planning (and yes, hosting a past conference does help here as long as the representatives were directly involved in that planning). It also has to be representative of all marginalized communities, not just people of color (who are very important), but also those who represent the queer community, the disabled community, neurodivergent and other marginalized communities.

In addition, we also need to have people who understand actual laws and not base their decisions on political opinions (such as the assumptions about Virginia). We also need rotation on the Committee. No one should be able to have a “reign”. Regular rotation brings fresh ideas to the table.

Meetings of the Steering Committee need to be open, transparent and accessible during times when business is conducted. Running a conference is a business and business activities need to be conducted during business hours. No business planning function should take place any time after 6PM Eastern Time.

By even considering a bid from Florida or Texas, the two worst states that have enforced institutionalized discrimination with some similarities to Jim Crow, but towards a demographic that is currently not protected under the U.S. Civil Rights Act, the current GRC “Steering Committee” has told the world that they do not care about anyone who is not straight nor cis-gender and that they are willing to overlook enshrined laws that enforce discrimination towards a significant and underrepresented minority group. There have been many groups that have specifically avoided Florida and Texas for their conventions because of the laws passed in those states. Why not the GRC?

The GRC “Steering Committee” has proven that they want the conference to be limited to straight cis-gender people, relying on outdated “tradition” as an excuse.

Their actions have proven that they cannot be trusted and I am calling for a complete dissolution and restructure of the GRC Steering Committee under a new mantra of modern inclusion for planning of 2027 and forward.

As such, as long as the GRC remains in Florida, I will not be attending this year’s GRC and as an individual who has been in this community radio movement for more than 25 years, but not as a representative of REC Networks (remember, bonnet off here), I am calling on those in the queer, disabled, and other marginalized unrepresented communities as well as allies to sit out this year in protest unless the conference is moved to a different state where everyone is welcome. I doubt I will get any takers, but I am putting this out there.

Representation matters. Discrimination is not the GRC way.