Moving together

[Image description:] A picture from HB's sabbatical. Celebratory sign reading "YAY" alongside a metal level and blue ribbon. Our logo overlays the image- a teal circle with a black flag in the middle with "Out in the Open" in white.

June 10, 2021
Dearest Out in the Open community, 
 
It has been a minute since you all have heard directly from me! Very happy to be back sharing and working in this space.

Internally, May and the start of June has been a time of recalibration and reconnection for us. I’ve returned from sabbatical; widespread vaccinations have descended; and three of our board members are cycling out of their roles.
 
When we were descending into this pandemic, none of us had time to consider how we wanted to relate to it. With COVID shifting (and still on-going), we now have an ability to thoughtfully consider how we want to show up in both the physical and virtual worlds.
 
OITO is going to continue moving at the speed we need to in order to be able to move together. This may be more slowly than is ideal for some and may be more quickly than ideal for others! My primary goal in all these shifts is to move together as much as possible.
 
We feel acutely aware that in-person gatherings will make community more available for some people and it will make connection less accessible for others. For us, these choices are about disability justice, about connection, about living into the values we hold close, and about creating the kind of community and world we want to be thriving in.

And while we’re doing this internal work, there is a lot else happening, too!
 
For instance, this weekend we’re launching a new collaborative project with our long-time friends at Country Queers! Throughout the rest of this year, we'll be working with a cohort of people from West Virginia to Hawai’i to: build relationships, grow interviewing and audio production skills, learn alongside guests like William Isom, and produce Season Two of the Country Queers Podcast (which will also air as OITO Radio Hour episodes). I am so thrilled to be working deeply with Rae from CQ and this group of people in what I hope will be the first of many of these types of collaborations.

And oh, hay, it's Pride! We've got some wonderful things going on this month, including a way to connect with folks in place of our usual Pride Family Cookout (which I very much hope will return in 2022!). See below for more details on what we've got cooking (ha) this month to celebrate community with community. 
 
As for sabbatical reflections, I’m continuing to let the thoughts and inspirations flow in, to let the shifts (both big and small) wash over me, and will be more ready to share insights, perspective shifts, and practices coming out of that time with you all over the coming months.

For now, I’m so pleased to be back with you all! And a huge huge thank you to our incredible team who made it possible for me to be so fully away.

In community, 
HB

--
HB Lozito

Executive Director
hb@WeAreOutintheOpen.org