The LIAM Foundation to host movie screenings and open mic nights welcoming BIPOC LGBTQIA+ community members
The LIAM Foundation, an LGBTQIA+ community center in Rockford, Illinois, will use their Healing Illinois funds to host movie screenings of Tangerine and Moonlight to explore BIPOC experiences within the LGBTQIA+ community. This will be followed by an open mic series. The foundation is a previous grant recipient from 2022 that is expanding their programming to be more inclusive and educational.
- HOW THE LIAM FOUNDATION SERVES LGBTQIA+ RESIDENTS IN NORTHERN ILLINOIS
- LGBTQIA+ PROGRAMS OFFERED AT THE LIAM FOUNDATION
- WHY BIPOC LGBTQIA+ REPRESENTATION IS NEEDED IN ROCKFORD
- JULY MOVIE SCREENINGS OF TANGERINE AND MOONLIGHT
- AUGUST BIPOC-THEMED OPEN MIC NIGHTS
- THE IMPORTANCE OF SOBER SPACES FOR MEANINGFUL HEALING CONVERSATIONS
- THE FUTURE OF RACIAL HEALING IN ROCKFORD
- LEARN MORE ABOUT THE LIAM FOUNDATION AND HEALING ILLINOIS
Those interested in learning more about the LIAM Foundation can visit:
HOW THE LIAM FOUNDATION SERVES LGBTQIA+ RESIDENTS IN NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Executive Director Phyllis Gallisath founded the LIAM Foundation back in 2015 when her son, Liam, came out as transgender. The center provides a wide variety of services for LGBTQIA+ community and their family and friends. Their new center recently opened and accommodates up to 30 individuals, although they frequently go off-site to accommodate larger events with more guests.
Importantly, the LIAM Foundation is the only LGBTQIA+ center of its kind in northern Illinois, with the next closest centers located in Chicago and Milwaukee. This means they wear multiple hats as an organization and work hard to bring healthcare and meaningful discussions to their local community. It also uniquely positions them as the sole in-person resource for some of these deeper conversations about racial healing and intersectionality between queerness and other identities.
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LGBTQIA+ PROGRAMS OFFERED AT THE LIAM FOUNDATION
Given the small size of the LIAM Foundation's team and the range of services they provide, the Healing Illinois grant makes it possible for them to introduce new programming to the foundation.
Recurring LIAM Foundation programs includes PFLAG meetings, teen groups, elder brunches, movie screenings, open mic nights, and meetings for family members of LGBTQIA+ individuals. The foundation also provides a wide variety of important health, legal, and financial services, including name change sessions, access to hormone replacement therapy (HRT), microgrants for bills, hygiene products, and gender-affirming clothes, wigs, and makeup.
Phyllis shares, "Having a grant that does allow us to be stipend[ed] and for people to be involved and get paid for it is really, really helpful because we can focus on these topics, and then we can make time for it because we're being compensated."
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WHY BIPOC LGBTQIA+ REPRESENTATION IS NEEDED IN ROCKFORD
Phyllis mentions the Healing Illinois grant is especially necessary in this community, as the LIAM Foundation is primarily white. Rockford also has a history of racial segregation. This grant is a meaningful step toward bridging that racial gap and welcoming BIPOC voices into what is typically a white space.
"I would hope that our community - meaning outside of the foundation and the area that we serve, like Winnebago, Boone Counties - can find more opportunities to connect. That there's more visibility for BIPOC people, that there's more inclusion and representation. I'd really love to see our board, our volunteers, our participants be representative of the community that we serve," she says.
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JULY MOVIE SCREENINGS OF TANGERINE AND MOONLIGHT
The LIAM Foundation's movie nights are a favorite event among those 40 and up. The grant allows the foundation to enhance an already-popular event, with the hope of attracting more regulars as well as newcomers from the surrounding community to engage in meaningful discussions around race.
The foundation selected two popular movies, Tangerine and Moonlight, which both feature Black queer characters, to screen and then discuss as a group. The LIAM Foundation will select a panelist to lead the discussion around the movies so conversation is engaging and productive. Showings will be happening July 13, 2024, for Tangerine and July 20, 2024, for Moonlight.
These films explore complex themes of race and class in addition to LGBTQ+ topics. Tangerine features a transgender sex worker as the main character and centers on relationship struggles and life in Los Angeles. Moonlight follows three life phases of a boy in Miami, highlighting themes like drug use, abuse, and masculinity. It is also notable for its all-Black cast.
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AUGUST BIPOC-THEMED OPEN MIC NIGHTS
Open mic nights are a hit at the foundation, especially among the 20-to-30-something crowd. They have also seen a recent resurgence in popularity nationwide.
The upcoming open mic nights on August 2, 2024, and August 16, 2024, are specifically "centered in uplifting BIPOC voices" - an important distinction to make in a majority-white area to intentionally create a space where other stories can emerge.
The foundation is still seeking a host for both open mic nights.
THE IMPORTANCE OF SOBER SPACES FOR MEANINGFUL HEALING CONVERSATIONS
The LIAM Foundation fills a need for an all-ages, sober space in the area. Program Support Eden Brown notes that, "Outside of resources, the only other LGBT-affirming spaces are bars in the area."
Open mic nights and movie screenings can reach those under the age of 21 - or those who do not frequent bars for personal reasons - who want to have in-depth conversations and reflect on DEI topics within the LGBTQIA+ community.
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THE FUTURE OF RACIAL HEALING IN ROCKFORD
While Phyllis acknowledges that the movie screenings and open mic nights are one small step toward equity in Rockford, she is hopeful that these types of events will begin a meaningful dialogue around race and its intersection with LGBTQIA+ identities.
"It takes several choices a day. It takes ongoing efforts. It takes far more than what we're talking about here. But this is a piece, and this is a way that we can be visible about it too."
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE LIAM FOUNDATION AND HEALING ILLINOIS
Those interested in learning more about the LIAM Foundation can visit:
The LIAM Foundation is one of 184 grantees who received Healing Illinois funds for 2023-2024. You can view more sub-grantee stories on the Healing Illinois website and Healing Illinois Instagram page, as well as view past and upcoming Healing Illinois events.
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