The purpose of this study was to explore a possible relationship between involvement in student leadership activities and the development of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT; "queer") campus activists and leaders. This paper focuses on the experience of planning a regional LGBT conference; later papers will explore long-term influences on identify, campus and community involvement, and the development of leadership for social change. Participants were seven LGBT students involved in planning the LGBT conference in 2002 at Michigan State University. Data were collected through interviews and observations of the conference and its planning process. The analyses were primarily based on 6 processes of identity development suggested by A. D'Augelli (1994). The themes identified have implications for student affairs professionals. Data suggest that the D'Augelli model, with its emphasis on interactive processes rather than developmental stages, accurately captures the diverse experiences of student leaders who identify in a variety of ways as LGBT. The important identify influences experienced by the participants support arguments for the creation and maintenance of identity-based organizations and institutions on campus. (Contains 86 references.) (SLD)