OUT Arts & Culture (OUT) aims to enhance awareness and understanding of the contributions and needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people through the humanities. In this blog we speak with Paul Raker, board president of OUT Arts and Culture. Paul is passionate about his community and growing OUT to be a staple for Pinellas County and far beyond. We hope you enjoy this interview!

HM:You recently became board president of OUT Arts & Culture. Can you tell us a little about yourself and your background?

PR: I am native North Carolinian and a career non-profit professional who moved to St Pete, Florida from Washington, DC during COVID in order to continue working for the YMCA (I started with the Y when I was 17, and it was the only job I had ever had). In June of last year, I left my career with the Y to join The OUT Foundation, (a national nonprofit that also works to strengthen the LGBTQ+ Community.) I currently serve as Vice President of Operations and Communications there. With that role change, I also felt the pull to become more involved in my local community, and met the Past President of OUT Arts & Culture (Susan Gore) at an event which sort of began my relationship with the organization. I shared with her my desire to be more involved in the LOCAL LGBTQ+ Community, and when the opening for Board President happened, I decided to move forward with applying. The rest is history, as they say. I feel so privileged to be able to strengthen MY community, the LGBTQ+ community on the national level with my job, and locally as a volunteer with OUT Arts & Culture (it's both serendipitous and confusing that both are branded as OUT) but, it really is a dream come true for me.

HM: This year, the LGBTQ Resource Center at Gulfport rebranded as OUT Arts & Culture. How has the organization developed since its inception, and what prompted the rebrand?

PR: The rebrand was a critical step in not only our growth but also offers a better outward facing picture to the community of what we do as an organization. We are the only non-profit in Pinellas County that does work for the LGBTQ+ community around the arts and humanities. OUT Arts & Culture better positions us as a programmatic organization that Educates, Celebrates and Inspires through LGBTQ+ Arts, Literature and Dialogue. The Gulfport Library, where we were founded as a book collection, will always be an integral part of our history and will continue to be strong partners in our work, but this positions us best for the future. 

HM: As president, what are your aspirations for the future of OUT?

PR: My aspirations center around visibility, increased impact and growth. The rebrand is going to help tremendously and we are working on the roll out of a completely revamped website featuring our new brand that will completely revitalize how our audience experiences our organization digitally. While we honor our roots as an organization founded in Gulfport, Florida, our program's reach and impact is much larger, and I would love to see awareness of our organization and what we do reach further into St Pete, Pinellas County, and across Florida. We are currently an all-volunteer organization, so I would love to be able to look back on my time as Board President and be able to say that we hired an Executive Director and are functioning at a higher level with both volunteer and paid support. Perhaps one day, we are talking about a brick and mortar location for OUT Arts & Culture that can be a hub of the Arts and Humanities for the entire Pinellas County Community. 

HM: How do you see the importance of the humanities in driving OUT’s initiative?

PR: Humanities are key in helping people not only to understand themselves but how they see the world. I believe we are global citizens--we are a part of something larger than ourselves. Arts, literature and dialogue are not just a reflection of that though, they are also a tool for change. They have the power to challenge our assumptions, spark our imagination and bring us closer together. I am hopeful that we as an organization will be able to celebrate that power and continue to harness it to drive our mission of educating, celebrating and inspiring our community around LGBTQ+ arts and culture. Through the power of storytelling, we see the human experience of the LGBTQ+ community come alive on page and stage--struggles, triumphs and resilience; those are the things we want to celebrate, and learn from as an LGBTQ+ organization.

HM: Besides the annual events your organization hosts, what other resources and services does OUT offer?

PR: We are consistently looking for community partners where there is synergy in our work. One recent example is a collaboration with American Stage where we were able to partner on the creation of LGBTQ+ awareness training for their staff. In addition to our events, we want to be this kind of resource for any organization that seeks to fight alongside us in the battle for full equality for the LGBTQ+ community. We are also always excited to be a part of local Pride events and activations that align with our mission and vision--this past June, 

HM: Can you share an experience from one of your programs that stands out to you?

PR: I'm the newbie, so I have only been Board President since February, but one that certainly stands out is from just this past Friday (May 31st) we hosted our Inaugural OUTies Awards Gayla. It was a night to celebrate our history as an organization, honor those who founded our organizations as the LGBTQ Resource Center and the partners and allies who have been integral to our growth. To have those supporters in the room, be able to honor their work and thank them was such a highlight. Everything we do is on their shoulders, and I am so very grateful.