Friends and colleagues, on behalf of the LGBTQ+ Focus Group and the conference proposal planning committee, we are writing to apologize for the wording of a proposal with which many of our members do not agree, and which was harmful to our community. In particular there was verbiage that elided a historicization of the AIDS epidemic in making a comparison to the current COVID pandemic. It was never our intention to offend, but we recognize how the language utilizes rhetoric that can be read as homophobic. We realize now more than ever that it is crucial for us, as queer theatre scholars, to recognize and support different points of view based on our own research but also the tacit knowledge of our individual lived experiences. We are sorry if this posting has been hurtful in any way. We are all overextended in this time of COVID and often move too quickly. We pledge to do better, be more diligent, and to take the time to think through how we might review and discuss ideas that frame our work more productively in the future and how to also best support different points of view. We also recognize that many of us, particularly in the Queer community, may very well be triggered by the actions (or inactions) of the federal government with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic that echo some of the inaction on the part of the federal government during the onset of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s. We should have been more sensitive to how making these connections could negatively impact our community. The recent discussion regarding language used in our CFP has revealed an issue that has many sides and perspectives to be considered. In the spirit of community dialogue and scholarly collegiality, the Focus Group members hope that this controversy can be addressed and discussed at the upcoming conference. We appreciate everyone who has rightly called us out and held us accountable. The CFP will be revised to remove the controversial language so that all persons who wish to contribute to this year’s conference may feel comfortable and positive about doing so. We sincerely apologize for any harm that our words may have caused. The Focus Group takes responsibility for the original CFP just as we take seriously our responsibility to be a safe and brave environment for the exchange of ideas connected to issues related to LGBTQ+ scholarly and creative inquiry.We officially retract the original cfp and are reissuing it with more appropriate language. In the meantime, the posts on Facebook that involve criticism from the community will remain, with the exception of the harmful language, as a form of accountability. The LGBTQ+ Focus Group is committed to growing through this difficult process. In order to hold ourselves accountable, we will be conducting a virtual reading group in the coming months and planning programming for the conference that specifically speaks to the divergent viewpoints this communication elicited. We welcome and encourage proposals addressing these issues and concerns. We invite all suggestions and participation from our fellow queer theatre academics. Please reach out to Focus Group Representative Laurelann Porter to contribute ideas: laurelannporter@gmail.com Please accept our sincerest apologies. Signed, Laurelann Porter, LGBTQ Focus Group Representative Steve Satta, LGBTQ+ Conference Planner Kelly Aliano, LGBTQ+ Focus Group representative-elect Krista Miranda, LGBTQ+ Focus Group Member at Large Joy Brooke Fairfield, former LGBTQ+ Conference Planner and current FG member Maria Tania Becerra Weingarden, LGBTQ+ Secretary and current FG member