Dear Supporters & Friends,
We want to take a moment to acknowledge the heightened fear and uncertainty that currently plague our LGBTQ+ community – particularly our transgender, non-binary, intersex, gender non-conforming and gender expansive siblings – and remind you that everyone has a place at ImageOut.
ImageOut firmly believes that everyone is equally deserving of kindness, dignity, respect, equitable treatment, and equal rights and protections. Diversity is a strength, not a hindrance, which is why it’s long been one of our organization’s core values. We have and will continue to recognize and celebrate diversity by programming events reflective of the richness within the LGBTQ+ community. We remain firmly committed to providing welcoming, affirming, inclusive spaces to come together as a community, and will do everything within our power to ensure everyone’s safety at all times.
Here are some actions we have taken in recent years:
- Public proclamation of our organization’s Anti-racism Commitment (2020)
- Anti-racism commitment published on website (2022) and included in slide shows before all film festival screenings (2023)
- Introduction of free pronoun pins during our film festival and at major programs and events (2023)
- Land Acknowledgement published on website (2022) and included in slide shows before all film festival screenings (2023)
- Ensuring that we were booking more diverse performers across our programs and special events (2023)
- Expansion of pronoun pin offerings to include neopronouns, “use my name” and “ask me for my pronouns options (2024)
- Though we have always screened diverse films, as available, we officially/formally added BIPOC (Black, Indigenous & People of Color) and TGNCNBI+ (Transgender, Non-binary, Intersex, Gender non-conforming & Gender expansive) film series at our film festivals (2024)
- Recommitment to holding regular Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Anti-racism & Accessibility (DEIAA) trainings for our Board, staff and leadership (2024)
- Reestablishment of ImageOut College Day to engage with area and regional college and university students
- Expanding our Board size to include younger and more diverse voices (2025)
Here are some actions we will take in the coming months:
- Continued support of TGNC+ and BIPOC community organizations – specifically supporting Trans Day of Visibility (TDoV), Trans Day of Remembrance (TDoR), and Rochester Black Pride
- Using new grant funding and working with local GSAs to establish an ImageOut Teen Advisory Board to further engage young adults in our community
- Continued ImageOut College Day programming and events to better engage our local and regional collegiate communities
- Continued DEIAA trainings for our Board, staff and leadership
- Convening a DEIAA Taskforce with diverse stakeholders and perspectives to better understand the best path forward with our continued efforts
Historically, art has had the power to amplify marginalized voices, unify political messaging, organize collective action, and create positive change in the world, including for our LGBTQ+ community, and we firmly believe this remains true today. To this end, ImageOut will continue our mission to present and support LGBTQ+ arts and cultural experiences showcasing films, creative works and artists to promote awareness, foster dialogue and build community. We do this both with and for our community, and we hope you’ll continue to share in and support this effort, for we are always stronger together. If you’re interested in getting more involved with our work, please email us at office@imageout.org to get the conversation started.
If you need additional support right now, please check out the new LGBTQ+ Resource Page on our website. Know that we stand with you during these difficult times and send each of you our love.
In Pride and Solidarity,
Braden C. Reese (he/him)
ImageOut Managing Director
Elliotte Bowerman (they/them)
Amber Brooms (she/her), Secretary
Brian Henderson (he/him)
Efren Holguin (he/him)
Rosamaria Martinez (she/her)
Joe McCrank (he/him), Treasurer
Lyn Morrill (they/them)
Deb Oppenheimer (she/her)
Rick Porlier (he/him), Vice Chair
Chloe Roach (she/her)
Shannon Rosato (she/they)
Adrian Safar (he/him)
Michele Thornton (she/her), Chair
Stephen Weisenreder (he/him)
ImageOut Board of Directors
