Mission
OUTWORDS collects, archives and shares the experience and wisdom of LGBTQ+ pioneers, to serve as a model for enduring social change in the United States and beyond.
Further ResourcesVision
OUTWORDS envisions a world where the history of the LGBTQ+ civil rights struggle is preserved, and the unique identities of LGBTQ+ people are celebrated; where profiles of brave, brilliant LGBTQ+ pioneers are taught in every school in America; where the knowledge and wisdom accumulated over a half-century’s worth of queer activism empowers other marginalized communities in their quest for visibility, self-expression, and legal protections; where labels fade, categories expand, and authenticity abounds.
Board of Directors

Richard Tate
Board Chair

Emma Colquitt
Board Member

Craig Hartzman
Board Member

Andrea Pino-Silva
Board Member

Lynne Tsuda
Board Treasurer
Staff

Mason Funk
Founder / Executive Director

Tom Bliss
Director of Operations

Betsy Kalin
Senior Producer

Andrew Lush
Editor / Technical Director

Rhea K. Mac
Grantwriter

Florencia P. Marano
Editor

Jack MacCarthy
Communications Manager / Archival Assistant

Lucy Mukerjee
Producer

Oladele “Sogo” Oluwasogo
Transcription Assistant
Production Team

Amy Bench
Director of Photography

Isabel Bethencourt
Director of Photography

Roberto Campos
Editor

Scott Drucker
Director of Photography

Connie M. Florez
Director of Photography

Kate Kunath
Producer / Director of Photography

Michelle McCabe
Director of Photography

Howard Shack
Director of Photography

Janine Sides
Director of Photography

Goro Toshima
Director of Photography

Natalie Tsui
Director of Photography

Keith Wilson
Director of Photography
Language & Terminology
OUTWORDS uses the designation "queer" interchangeably with the acronyms LGBT, LGBTQ, LGBTQ+, and all their variations. We like “queer” as a catch-all term that bows to the fluidity and complexity of sexual and gender identity. We also recognize the term’s history of derogatory usage, and witness the lasting pain it has caused for some LGBTQ folks.
For resources on LGBTQ terminology, see these helpful glossaries: PFLAG, GLAAD, Trans Student Educational Resources. We also are big fans of the Conscious Style Guide.
Non-Discrimination & Diversity Policy
OUTWORDS actively seeks candidates from diverse backgrounds and traditions, who vary by their race and ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, nationality, culture, religion, and physical and mental abilities. In our workplace as well as in our interactions with outside individuals and groups, we seek to foster an environment where new, unpopular and/or controversial ideas are safely expressed; and we encourage the exchange of such views in a spirit of mutual respect.