I know that we all have a lot of feelings related to the passage of proposition 8 in California. Personally, I’m incredibly disappointed and enraged. I know that many of you contributed many hours and funds to the “No on 8” campaign. As disappointed as we all are, we must move forward and continue the work of enriching our communities for ourselves, while continuing the struggle for basic human rights. The passage of Prop 8 sends a us a clear message that we can’t depend on many of our neighbors for support. But we still have each other and our allies and that’s why I’m writing to you today.
I’m calling on you because you’ve personally witnessed the positive impact of Homo A Go Go . You’ve witnessed it either by being at one of the festivals, all of festivals, through stories of friends or because you are a personal friend of mine. I feel extremely passionate about the importance of the work we do with Homo A Go Go and that’s why I’m reaching out to you personally for support.
Since 2002, Homo A Go Go has presented the work of thousands of musicians, filmmakers, performers, artists, designers and activists. Homo A Go Go represents more that just another show or gay festival, it’s your festival. It’s a gathering that represents our lives and it’s an amazing community experience. Life-changing, family reunion, the ultimate gaycation, are just some of the ways people like you have summed up the experience.
I think you'll agree that Homo A Go Go enriches all of our lives by offering an alternative to mainstream LGBTQ arts and culture. The staff strives to make programming choices that represent queer DIY/independent culture and that bridge generational, class, ethnic and gender gaps in our communities. Homo A Go Go exists because you and I are starved for culture that represents our lives in ways that The Advocate, Curve or the L Word are incapable of doing.
But Homo A Go Go is only as strong as each one of our supporters, like you. Our ticket and pass prices are kept low so that as many people as possible are able to afford to attend. In fact, in 2009, we are planning to cut the basic access pass price in half, to give more people, more access to the festival. Ticket sales will cover just one-third of our projected operating costs for 2009's festival. The remainder must come from the generosity of our friends in our community.
It’s an important year and difficult for all of us. We are all hoping for change. If Barack Obama can raise money by ten or twenty dollar donations and become one of the best funded candidates in campaign history, why can’t we build a strong queer cultural community the same way? More than ever, queer arts programming, like the independent/DIY artists presented at Homo A Go Go, represents that kind of change through, “positively impacting queer lives and building community through art,” which is our mission statement. Homo A Go Go is important because it reflects our lives, it gives us a sense of community and a home outside of commercial, mainstream gay culture, and I believe, it makes this world a better place to be queer in. More than ever, your five, ten or twenty dollar (or more!) donations can make a huge difference in the future of Homo A Go Go and queer independent/DIY arts.
In the past you’ve bought a ticket, a t-shirt or a festival pass and you’ve traveled across the country to be a part of Homo A Go Go. Take another step and become a member, invest in your festival, your queer arts community. So please, right now while your mouse is hovering over the links, take a minute to make your donation to Homo A Go Go. Because it's on-line it's so easy to pay by credit/debit card or your PayPal account. It only takes a few clicks and a few minutes.
Right now is a crucial time for our fundraising efforts. We are looking for 100 people who can pledge $100 by the end of 2008. Hitting that goal will ensure that we can keep moving forward with our plans for the 2009 festival. So ask yourself today, “can I afford $100,” or, “can I afford $25 per month for four months,” to invest in queer DIY arts, to invest in MY festival, to invest in Homo A Go Go? If you say yes, you are a “gem.” If you can’t we still love you, want you to be involved and to make sure that you know that any contribution of five, ten or twenty dollars is greatly appreciated.
Your contribution will go a long way to making sure we all see each other in San Francisco in 2009. Plus, there are many other benefits to being a member/donor, such as T-shirts, CD’s, stickers, buttons, access to advance ticket sales and even candy. Plus, each month we will have a drawing of that month’s pledgers/donors to win a free pass to the 2009 festival! The more you donate, the more chances you have to win. Donate now and for every $10, we’ll throw a virtual raffle ticket into the hat with your name on it. Commit to donate $100 with one donation or over the next four months and we’ll throw in 10 raffle tickets for our drawing this month.
Check it out now and be an important part of your own queer cultural revolution today. If you prefer mail instead of email, just fill in the request by mail form on the donation page, and I'll mail you a copy of this letter, donation reply card, stamped return envelope and a DVD copy of the documentary.
Visit
With many thanks.
Warm regards,
Ed Varga
Homo A Go Go/Queer Arts in Action
Head Homo
aka Executive Director
ed@homoagogo.com
http://www.homoagogo.com
P.S. As always, please feel free to contact me at ed@homoagogo.com . I love to hear from old and new friends. xo
