What can we do when conversations get shut down by legal machinations and polarization? The murder of Lawrence King by a classmate in a local junior high class for being gay created a toxic atmosphere in which many people, especially administrators, shut down. On the heels of this tragedy were a rash of suicides by young people around the country being bullied for being gay. My coalition-building inclinations leapt into high gear. I require students in my Intro to LGBT Studies class to do research projects every semester. So I organized an all-day summit of education, community, and faith leaders (it’s the language of religion that often is employed in these cases) at which my students presented their research on bullying and then sat at tables with leaders to engage in facilitated discussions that built on student research to imagine community actions leaders might engage in to change the culture of bullying and hatred. This workshop will review the key elements to my process for turning student research projects into productive community conversations on difficult topics that produce real action. Participants will brainstorm together problems in their communities and imagine ways to engage student research to creatively intervene.