Discussions - Recent Threads

In Celebration of Black History Month

Tiffin Feltner — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 16:07:05 GMT

As we celebrate Black History Month, it's imperative to shine a spotlight on the often overlooked, yet invaluable contributions of Black queer individuals. From trailblazing activists to visionary artists, their resilience, creativity, and unwavering courage have shaped not only Black culture but the broader landscape of social justice and equality. As part of our Black History Month activities, we wanted to share this article from The Trevor Project, which pays homage to some of the remarkable Black queer pioneers who have fearlessly carved out spaces for themselves and paved the way for future generations to live authentically and proudly. Please take a moment to read and learn more about Black queer history!

LGBTQIA+ Affinity Group Planning Committee

Tiffin Feltner — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 15:25:13 GMT

Good morning, everyone!

Jordan, Clayton, and myself are looking for some helpers and would like to form a planning committee to help us with the following:

Plan celebration of Heritage Months
- work with each other to plan eblasts
- create posts in the group discussions board
Setting up a Slack channel to help stay connected
Keeping the group active
- posting relevant articles and media
- saying hello to newcomers
- developing a welcome message

If you are interested in joining the planning committee, please comment or send one of us a message so we can add your name to the list! We'll have an initial meeting in the coming weeks.

--Tiffin

RE: LGBTQIA+ Affinity Group Planning Committee

Tiffin Feltner — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 15:59:39 GMT

Thank you all so much for your interest! We'll reach out very soon with more information on how you can help.

RE: LGBTQIA+ Affinity Group Planning Committee

Leslie Wilson — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 14:17:20 GMT

I'd be happy to lend a hand with helping keep the group active and engaged. Please let me know how I can best assist. Leslie

RE: LGBTQIA+ Affinity Group Planning Committee

Joel Ambrose — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 22:54:37 GMT

Hi Tiffin,

I'd be happy to help out - please include me!

Joel

RE: LGBTQIA+ Affinity Group Planning Committee

Joseph Tracy — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 22:49:25 GMT

Hello! If you're still needing any additional help, I'd be happy to as well :)

RE: LGBTQIA+ Affinity Group Planning Committee

Clayton Dickson — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 22:17:21 GMT

HI Jacob. Thanks for raising your hand. We will be following up shortly with more specific details. Thanks again!!

RE: LGBTQIA+ Affinity Group Planning Committee

Jacob Wiley — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 16:38:44 GMT

Hello, I am interested! I can be reached at jwiley@grandtheatre.com :)

RE: Tessitura LGBTQIA+ Affinity Group: Take time for Self-Care During the Holidays

Shannen Whiteside — Thu, 14 Dec 2023 08:01:19 GMT

Thank you for sharing this, and sorry I wasn't able to join live. Wishing you all a happy and safe festive season 🙂

Tessitura LGBTQIA+ Affinity Group: Take time for Self-Care During the Holidays

Clayton Dickson — Wed, 13 Dec 2023 18:29:55 GMT

Earlier this month the Tessitura LGBTQIA+ Affinity group met for a panel discussion to talk about ways in which our community can survive the holiday season. Thank you to the panelists who presented: Jordan Edwards, Carlos Garcia Leon, and Ragan Rhodes. And to Tiffin Feltner who suggested the topic.

For those of you who could not attend the event, we wanted to share some Self-care tips to navigate the holidays and beyond:

Allow yourself to feel whatever it is you are feeling.
1. Suppressing your emotions only leads to more stress.
2. To heal, we should acknowledge our emotions and feelings.
Use social media to find a community but learn to shut it off when needed.
1. There are some wonderful ways in which to connect online or through social networks. Take advantage of them to find your community.
2. Learn to turn off social media when you find yourself “doomscrolling”.
Find help from a professional
1. Help is out there. Seek out therapists who understand and work with the LGBTQIA+ community.
Use community and affirmations as medicine.
1. Find a community or group that supports and lifts you up. It can be a gay-friendly church, a support group, affinity group or ERGs.
2. Practice self-compassion by telling yourself: “I am Beautiful”
Heal by helping others heal
1. Take time to share your experiences with others in the community. And take time to be a supportive listener.

During this holiday season, I hope you experience moments of lightness, a sense of community, and healing. Most of all, I wish you peace.

Clayton Dickson - Co-Chair LGBTQIA+ Affinity Group

Source:

https://includedhealth.com/blog/lgbtq/5-ways-lgbtq-people-can-practice-self-care/

Happy HoliGays! Join us now for a panel discussion about self-care around the holidays for members of our community!

Jordan Edwards — Thu, 07 Dec 2023 20:10:03 GMT

Hi everyone! Please join us over on Zoom right now to join a discussion about self-care in our community during the holidays!

https://tessituranetwork.zoom.us/j/83592810002?pwd=8gMD6dU3yNAgM9hp0C4YB0JsRHztQr.1

RE: Happy HoliGays! Join us now for a panel discussion about self-care around the holidays for members of our community!

Ragan Rhodes — Thu, 07 Dec 2023 21:05:12 GMT

Great to see all who could make it!

TLCC Melbourne - LGBTQIA+ affinity group lunch

Meredith Woolard (she/her) — Wed, 25 Oct 2023 00:39:03 GMT

TLCC Melbourne is right around the corner! Attendees are invited to participate in the LGBTQIA+ lunch meetup on Friday 3 November from 1:30-2:30pm. Join our affinity group lunch to connect and share ideas with other individuals who identify as LGBTQIA+, allies, as well as those who are questioning.

All affinity groups will be meeting at this time. We recognise intersectionality among affinity groups and invite participants to mingle across tables.

We look forward to welcoming you at TLCC Melbourne!

Welcome to Hispanic Heritage Month

Clayton Dickson — Tue, 19 Sep 2023 18:32:45 GMT

[View:https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-jose-sarrias-activism-paved-the-way-for-gay-candidates-in-the-u-s#:~:text=This%20Hispanic%20Heritage%20Month%2C%20we,the%20way%20for%20gay%20candidates.:320:50]

“United We Stand, Divided They Catch Us One by One” – Jose’ Julio Sarria (Veteran, Singer, Political Activist, and Empress)

Welcome to Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept 15^th to October 15^th). Being the diverse community that our LGBTQ+ family is, it is important that we celebrate our Hispanic LGBTA+ trailblazers.

Did you know that the first known openly gay candidate for public office in the U.S. was a Latinx political activist and legendary drag queen?

In 1961, Jose’ Sarria became the first openly gay candidate to run for public office when he ran for the San Francisco City Board of Supervisors. While Mr. Sarria did not win, his candidacy created awareness within the community and paved the way for candidates such as Harvey Milk who was elected 15 years later.

Jose’ Sarria was an army veteran, a singer, a political activist, and founder of the Imperial Court System which is a charitable organization that raised money for various queer causes. Mr. Sarria passed away in 2013 at the age of 90. He is an inspiration to the thousands of LGBTQ+ political candidates who follow in his footsteps.

https://josesarria.org/

https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/jose-sarria-legendary-drag-queen-and-queer-activist/18304/

Conference attendees - come visit the lounge for a chance to win a Yeti Tumbler and/or Starbucks Giftcard - winner selected in 30ish minutes

Jordan Edwards — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 17:16:40 GMT

Hi everyone-

If you are at conference today, visit Osceola 3 for a chance to win a Tessitura branded Yeti Tumbler and/or Starbucks gift card.

I'll be picking a winner in around 30 minutes.

Also, we have stickers and pins!

RE: Conference attendees - come visit the lounge for a chance to win a Yeti Tumbler and/or Starbucks Giftcard - winner selected in 30ish minutes

Jordan Edwards — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 17:19:39 GMT

If you are not at conference, let me know if you'd like a pride, Trans, and/or nonbinary flag pin/button. I'm happy to send some to folks while supplies last

RE: Join us in 10 minutes for an educational Pride celebration!

Jordan Edwards — Tue, 20 Jun 2023 20:06:00 GMT

Whoops. forgot the link: teams.microsoft.com/.../0

Join us in 10 minutes for an educational Pride celebration!

Jordan Edwards — Tue, 20 Jun 2023 19:49:08 GMT

Hello friends, and happy Pride month!!

Please join us in 10 minutes as we celebrate Pride in an educational way. See event details below! Hope to see you there!

Happy Pride Month!

Please join us for the next meeting of the LGBTQIA+ Tessitura Community.

Where: Microsoft Teams (Link below)

When: June 20, 2023

1 pm Pacific Daylight Time

3 pm Central Daylight Time

4 pm Eastern Daylight Time

9 pm British Summer Time

Why: To Celebrate Pride Month and Learn More about our community.

We are excited to have a Special Guest speaker joining us, Christopher Wagley, Chief Operating Officer at KERA (Dallas, TX). Chris will share with us a little of our LGBTQIA+ story as we learn more about the evolution of the Rainbow Flag.

Christopher Wagley has spent 20+ years in broadcast media, including eight years at MTV Networks, working at several stations including Nickelodeon and launching the groundbreaking LGBTQ cable channel, Logo.

Currently, Christopher is Chief Operating Officer for KERA, the public broadcasting organization in Dallas/Fort Worth. He leads the daily operations for PBS and NPR stations KERA TV, KERA NEWS, and Triple-A and Classical stations KXT and WRR. Throughout his career, he has been proud to work at organizations that support the LGBTQ community and serve in leadership positions to tell our stories and uplift our community.

Carlos García León, from Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, will share with us why pronouns are important.

Clayton Dickson, from KERA, will share their experiences as a gay Native American and will introduce you to the term Two-Spirits. Don’t know what that is? Join us on June 20^thto find out!

We Hope to See you There!

Introducing our new co-chair!

Jordan Edwards — Fri, 14 Apr 2023 02:33:07 GMT

Hello friends!

I'm happy to share that we have a new co-chair joining us! Please welcome [mention:c66d46d6c7604be0a25bfbbbb29e4075:e9ed411860ed4f2ba0265705b8793d05] of KERA in Dallas, Texas.

Clayton is a queer, Native American, and Senior Accountant at KERA, a Public Media organization in Dallas. He has a passion for the arts and is grateful for the teachers who fostered his love of music. Having spent time both on stage and within arts administration, he is an advocate for inclusion and increased representation in the arts. Clayton and his husband Todd recently celebrated 30 years together. They enjoy going to concerts, the theatre, trying new restaurants, and spending time with their three dogs.

Clayton, Tiffin, and I met last week, and we are excited about the upcoming year, and hope that you will join us for the activities we put together.

As a reminder, scholarship applications for TLCC 2023 are open through April 21st. Please visit the scholarship page on the Network for full details: https://www.tessituranetwork.com/Community-and-Events/tlcc/Scholarships

I also wanted to make sure everyone was able to explore the Safety, Accessibility, and Inclusivity Plan for conference that our community helped shape! We had a meeting with Bobbi Kay and Tessitura in March going over things, and I'm curious how you are all feeling about it? Please let me know if you have any questions, comments, concerns, etc.

Scholarship and Call for Submissions for TLCC Orlando

Jordan Edwards — Fri, 07 Apr 2023 21:49:30 GMT

Hello everyone -

I hope you are all doing well!

We wanted to share a couple of important dates for TLCC Orlando, and encourage you to apply! Please let us know if you have any questions.

TLCC Orlando; Call for Presenters

Encourage your colleagues to submit a session proposal for TLCC Orlando. Our call for presenters is open now through April 11. If you know anyone doing great work in the community, encourage them to submit.

Did you miss the Webinar: Info Session: TLCC Orlando Call for Proposals?

The recording from this session can be found here:

https://www.tessituranetwork.com/Items/Videos/Webinars/2023/Info-Session-Call-for-Proposals?utm_source=zoom&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=view_recording_att

Scholarships: Applications are due April 21, 2023

Please visit the scholarship page on the Network for full details: https://www.tessituranetwork.com/Community-and-Events/tlcc/Scholarships

Diversity Scholarship (seven opportunities) To be eligible for the TLCC Diversity Scholarship, you must:
- - Be a full-time employee at a Tessitura member organization (full-time status designated by employer)
  - Be a member of an underrepresented group in the nonprofit arts & culture sector*
  - Be able to attend the full conference (August 7–9, 2023)
  - Not be a previous recipient of an in-person TLCC scholarship
  *Underrepresented groups may include, but are not limited to: Black, Indigenous, Latinx, or a person of color; as well as LGBTQIA+, trans, nonbinary, or gender-nonconforming; having a disability; neurodivergent; religious minority; and other historically excluded identities.
Emerging Leaders Scholarship (three opportunities)
- To be eligible for the Lasting Legacy Scholarship for Emerging Leaders, you must meet the following criteria:
  - Have 5+ years of experience in the arts & culture industry
  - Currently serve in a supervisor or managerial role
  - Demonstrate leadership skills and potential for leadership success
  - Be a first-time in-person TLCC attendee
  - Be a full-time employee at a Tessitura member organization (full-time status designated by employer)
  - Be able to attend the full conference (August 7–9, 2023)

Tiffin, Clayton (a new chair who will be introduced formally next week), and I met today, and we have some exciting plans in store for us.

Happy Friday! Have great shows and weekends. [emoticon:6d505171faa4497c85c5ca27290c555d]

[emoticon:ffdd7b0ed07d454ba259894f328bbdc6] Jordan

Early Career Development program applications are now open!

Jordan Edwards — Mon, 12 Dec 2022 18:54:46 GMT

Hello all! applications are now open for the spring 2023 session of the Early Career Development program. I encourage those of you who qualify to apply - it is a fantastic opportunity!

***

Tessitura Network offers a ten-week Early Career Development program with the long-term goal of increasing racial and ethnic diversity in the business of arts and culture. In addition to hands-on experience using Tessitura’s CRM platform, participants will join a community of colleagues and mentors providing support and professional networking, and secure access to a library of training materials to expand their knowledge of Tessitura.

Our spring session, which is open by application only, will run from February 13 – April 21, 2023 and is offered free of charge. A selection committee of Tessitura staff will select up to 24 participants from among the submitted applications.

To be eligible for this program, applicants must:

Be interested in beginning or accelerating a career in the business of arts and culture
Be able to commit up to three hours per week during the program for self-paced online learning, group conversations, and small group mentoring sessions
Identify as a member of a racial or ethnic group that has been historically excluded from the arts and culture sector
Be at least 18 years of age
Be located in North America

We are accepting applications now through Sunday, January 15.

Complete information and the program application can be found here: https://www.tessituranetwork.com/Support/Training/Early-Career-Development

Mental Health Resources

Tiffin Feltner — Wed, 23 Nov 2022 15:52:48 GMT

Hello friends -

We hope that you are being kind to yourself and keeping self-care top of mind. We felt it was important to gather community where possible and offer an open space for those of us in the LGBTQIA+ community at Tessitura to come together after the shooting at Club Q on Saturday evening.

Though we are located all across the world, we share a collective trauma when things like this occur. We would like to encourage you to come together if you'd like community right now and take care of yourself as well as you can. If you have been personally affected by this assault, were affected by the Pulse shooting, or another similar event and need additional support, please let us know if there is anything we can do to help support you right now. We would be happy to help take some burden off of you if we can help you find the resources you need.

We recognize that a violent and purposeful attack on the queer community can be triggering and traumatic, even if you were not directly connected to the mass shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs. While our group is not able to provide mental health care, we do want you to know that this is a safe space. We have compiled some resources if you'd like to seek professional mental health care below. Our hope is that our community can be a source of comfort in these deeply uncomforting times.

The list of resources below is not comprehensive but is a good place to start.

NAMI - find a local NAMI support group to attend. With the number of online support groups NAMI offers, you can attend a support group from anywhere in the world if you'd like.

Better Help - Better Help is an online resource for those needing the support of a mental health professional.

Calm App - if meditation and mindfulness are helpful to you, the Calm app may have some resources to help you with these activities.

This Washington Post article offers some ways to help those affected by the shooting at Club Q.

This CPR.org article offers some resources available to those who have been affected by the shooting at Club Q.

This HRC.org article lists several LGTBQ-specific hotlines if you need to speak to someone immediately.

***If you are having a mental health crisis, or are having thoughts of harming yourself or others, please call or text 988 on any phone at any time to speak with someone at the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, or go to your local emergency department. You are not alone, and there is help available.***

-- Tiffin & Jordan

RE: Mental Health Resources

Dale Aucoin — Mon, 28 Nov 2022 15:14:05 GMT

This is really great, thank you Tiffin!

RE: Mental Health Resources

Ragan Rhodes — Mon, 28 Nov 2022 14:39:08 GMT

It can be hard to know where to turn in moments of tragedy and I appreciate y'all proactively reaching out and encouraging connection to help folks through. 💜

RE: Exciting Event Announcement!

Jordan Edwards — Wed, 16 Nov 2022 18:33:54 GMT

That is an excellent idea. We had planned on making sure she was aware of everything going on around TLCC 2023, so we will be sure to ask her to prepare to respond to this. Thanks Ragan!