Astraea Grantee Partner Premieres at Sundance

Astraea grantee partner PARIAH premieres today as a Sundance Film Festival official selection in the U.S. Dramatic Competition.  The film is a powerful example of the power of arts and culture to move hearts and make change by telling the untold story. It is a coming of age feature-length film that asks the critical question, “Who do you become when you can’t be yourself?” It chronicles the struggles of a young Black lesbian as she juggles ill-fitting identities in attempts to please family and friends.

PARIAH is one of few LGBTI projects that have garnered support and accolades from the film industry including the Tribeca Institute, IFP and Film Independent. The short version of the film toured festivals widely, winning 25 best short awards.

The struggles of LGBTI youth of color to juggle community and sexual/gender identity are largely unexamined in the mainstream. PARIAH brings these issues to light in its compelling story. The filmmakers write “We aspire to the idea of change, one popcorn bucket at a time.”

Astraea Believes Arts and Culture are Powerful Tools that Change Hearts and Minds.

Organizations the world over are using media for social change. Astraea funds film, theater and dance projects as well as organizations who have integrated arts and culture in their social change work.

  • Now in its fifth year, Queer Black Cinema in New York holds an annual film festival showcasing films about the Black LGBTQ experience from around the world.
  • Mujeres al Borde in Bogotá, Colombia presented their play To Be Different: a Right at 30 public high schools, reaching more than 5,000 students.
  • In China, China Queer Independent Film has reached more than 2,000 people across the country by showcasing some of the first Chinese-language LGBTI films.

To read more about Astraea grantee partners, visit our interactive grants map.

Katherine Acey Named One of Women’s eNews 21 Leaders for the 21st Century

Women’s eNews released the names of their 21 Leaders for the 21st Century 2011, honoring former Astraea Executive Director Katherine Acey and twenty others as “outstanding examples of the creativity, dedication and innovation of the leadership working to improve women’s lives.”  The 2011 cohort of 21 was chosen in a painstaking process from 200 remarkable nominees.

Women’s eNews writes, “Katherine Acey was the first full-time employee 23 years ago of Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice. She built the organization into a powerhouse that provides financial support to lesbian-led, transgender and progressive groups. Under her leadership, the group has provided grants to secure human rights at home and abroad.”

Read Women’s eNews Profile of Katherine and six others who “dismantle bias.”

Read about each of the 21 Leaders for the 21st Century 2011.

If you would like to honor Katherine Acey’s tenure at Astraea, click here to write a Tribute.

Astraea Presents Justice in the Making

Astraea presents Justice in the Making, our 2010 Annual Report. The report chronicles a busy year in which Astraea granted more than $1.7 million to 146 organizations and individuals in 40 countries around the world.

This report contains the inspiring work of our grantee partners, whose tireless efforts have secured rights, fearlessly told LGBTI stories, and stood up to violence. It reflects the commitment of Astraea donor partners, who support a worldwide movement for justice and human rights.

Open our 2010 Annual Report to read more.

This year, as responsible stewards of our resources, both monetary and material, and to make the report available to as wide an audience as possible, we are presenting our full annual report in electronic format.

Feministing Features Katherine Acey

The popular feminist blog, Feministing, features Katherine Acey in their “Feministing Five” series. Katherine discusses what got her into activism, and what feminism needs today.

The Feministing Five: Katherine Acey

Chloe writes:

“Acey has been involved with Astraea for the better part of three decades, as well as with a mind-boggling number of other organizations including Women in the Arts, New York Women Against Rape, Human Rights Watch and Women Make Movies. After twenty-three years as executive director she is moving on (the interim executive director is Aimee Thorne-Thomsen, who I interviewed not long ago). Acey’’s plans for the near future, she says, involve resting and reflecting, then spending quality time with friends and family around the world. But she’’ll be staying on as a senior advisor at Astraea, and she predicts that she’’ll back in political work soon–. After a lifetime devoted to social justice, it’’s a difficult habit to break.”

For the whole interview, visit: The Feministing Five: Katherine Acey

Consider writing a tribute to celebrate Katherine, or make a gift to the Acey Fund to support her legacy.

Astraea 2010 Holiday Party

Join us on December 14th for a fun and festive evening with Astraea board, staff, supporters and grantee partners. Catch up with old friends and connect with new ones!

Tuesday, December 14, 2010
6:00pm — 8:00pm

RSVP

Wine and hors d’oeuvres served.
Festive attire.

Astraea Foundation [map]
116 East 16th Street, 7th Floor
(between Union Square East and Irving Place)

Astraea Welcomes Interim Executive Director

We are pleased to announce that Aimée Thorne-Thomsen has joined Astraea as Interim Executive Director. Aimée is a seasoned social justice leader who brings extensive experience running community-based agencies, managing philanthropy programs, and assisting individuals in their charitable objectives. Most recently, Aimée was the Executive Director of Pro-Choice Public Education Project (PEP), a reproductive rights organization focused on developing the leadership of young women, especially young women of color. Her political analysis and vision is in direct alignment with Astraea’s and her experience will provide critical support to our Leadership Team during the transition process as we hire our next Executive Director.

We are delighted that Aimée is assuming this interim role to ensure that Astraea’s direction and momentum continues as a leading advocate for LGBTI people around the world.

If you are in New York on December 14th, join us as to meet Aimée and raise a glass to Katherine at our fun and festive holiday party. RSVP here.

Executive Director Search Underway

Astraea’s search committee, under the leadership of Transition Committee Chair and Board Member, Surina Khan, continues its work with Gumbs + Partners in Astraea’s Executive Director search. The process is on track and we hope to make an announcement of the hire of a new permanent Executive Director in the early part of the New Year. Thank you to those that have spoken with our search firm and nominated potential candidates. For questions about the search please contact Lauren Gumbs at Gumbs + Partners. You may view the job announcement here.

Write a Tribute to Katherine or Contribute to The Acey Fund

Katherine Acey is a beloved, exceptional leader. A key visionary in both fundraising and grantmaking, she is regarded as an expert in the social-justice-feminist funding movement. During her 23 years as Executive Director of the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice, Katherine has left an indelible mark on philanthropy and the LGBTI movement in the U.S. and around the world. On December 15th, Katherine will be stepping down as Executive Director.

Visit the Tribute page for two special opportunities to honor her work, wisdom and leadership:

  • Make a gift to The Acey Fund, a vehicle to honor and continue Katherine’s legacy at Astraea with a focus on social-justice-feminist movement building, intersectional analysis, and gender, racial and economic justice.
  • Visit the Tribute page to recognize Katherine’’s more than two decades of service, whether a personal remembrance or professional recollection. Tribute messages will be shared with Katherine and displayed online as well as at a gala celebration next year.

Stonewall Honors Director of Programs Mai Kiang

Astraea Director of Programs, Mai Kiang, is being honored by the Stonewall Community Foundation for her contributions to the LGBTI community.  A visionary leader and cultural activist, Mai joins 19 other extraordinary women, including Pooja Gehi of Astraea grantee partner Sylvia Rivera Law Project, who will accept their awards on Thursday, December 2, 2010.

For more about the Stonewall Honorees and the December 2nd event, click here.

Mai Kiang

Mai Kiang is a cultural activist, born and raised under martial-law in Taiwan. Prior to serving as Director of Programs, Mai joined Astraea’s staff as the Associate Director of Grantmaking and is a past member of Astraea’s U.S. Community Funding Panel, a two-term board member and a former board chair. Throughout her career, Mai has worked extensively with grassroots queer, feminist of color, and progressive media groups. She most enjoys bringing communities together to provide a space for sharing and dialogue across disciplines, focuses and strategies. Mai arrived in New York in 1991 to join the staff of Women Make Movies, an independent feminist film distributor, and helped bring about feminist film exhibitions and productions locally and internationally. Later she joined Impact Visuals, a leftist photo cooperative where she was elected to multiple terms as the chief steward to the Oil, Chemical & Atomic Workers’ Union. Mai was also a part of the management team that administered an archive of a million social-issue photographs by over nine hundred photojournalists worldwide. Before joining Astraea’s staff in late 2007, she was the Special Events Manager at New York University. Mai is the co-founder and co-chair of the Institute for Tongzhi Studies, a New York-based group that supports queer artists and scholars in Chinese communities worldwide. She is also the co-convener of the 2007 Lala Institute, the first multi-region Mandarin-speaking LBT leadership camp held in mainland China.

Pooja Gehi

As a staff attorney at the Sylvia Rivera Law Project, Pooja Gehi is among the leading legal advocates for social justice for transgender people in NYC. She represents low-income, transgender and intersex people of color in the areas of discrimination, immigration, access to government benefits, proper identification and healthcare. Pooja recently co-authored an article, Unraveling Injustice: Race and Class Impact of Medicaid Exclusions of Transition-Related Health Care for Transgender People with her fabulous co-worker, Gabriel Arkles. http://srlp.org/

Astraea Grantee Partner Success in Arkansas: School Board VP Resigns

In an open letter, Astraea grantee partner Center for Artistic Revolution of Arkansas describes the successful campaign to pressure a bigoted school board vice president to resign after posting comments on Facebook that called for more LGBT teens to commit suicide.

From Center for Artistic Revolution (Little Rock, Arkansas)

Dear Friends:

This past week has been a firestorm of controversy, a fire ignited by the horrible statements made on Facebook by Midland School Board Vice-President Clint McCance that called for gay kids to commit suicide.

After a few days of intense organizing working to secure Mr. McCance’s resignation, CAR went to Pleasant Plain, Arkansas. Our purpose was to put more pressure on the school board and Mr. McCance to ensure that he resigned. We conducted a vigil at the Midland High School commemorating the lives of the 11 teenagers who took their lives in September as well as all those who have killed themselves because of being tormented by remarks much the same as those of Mr. McCance.

Thirty-five LGBTQ and ally community members stood together in the cold morning wind, most without jackets holding their memorial signs as well as signs that called for Mr. McCance’s resignation. In our meeting with the school superintendent and the school board president we promised to continue to return to Pleasant Plain until Mr. McCance resigned. And late last night, on the Anderson Cooper show, he did just that; he resigned.

We won! By working together – standing fast, standing brave, and standing publicly, we won! We were determined; already the plans had been made to return to Pleasant Plain and we were committed to returning day after day until he resigned. Thank you so much to all who participated in this campaign. We know that so many of you were calling and writing. And we’d like to especially thank those who were able to make the trip to Pleasant Plain. We must be seen, we must be heard, we must continue to have dialog.

Still, there is so much more to be done. Here in Arkansas LGBTQ students or those who “appear” to be LGBTQ have experienced verbal harassment, been tripped, pushed, slapped, robbed, chased, sexually assaulted and in some cases beaten terribly. There have been suicide attempts. LGBTQ youth who are bullied are at a greater risk for quitting school, substance abuse, risky sexual behavior and homelessness. Every student deserves the right to be protected in school!

We hope that you will join with CAR and other concerned community members and help us not only make our schools safer for ALL students, but to continue the important mission of securing Fairness and Equality for ALL Arkansans.

More about CAR.

Press:

Channel 7 News

The Arkansas Times
McCance has resigned

Protesters seek Midland School Board resignation