My life, particularly the last 12 years, has been greatly shaped by the influence of the Tom of Finland FOUNDATION. When I say this, I mean the HOUSE, SHARP AND DURK, THE OTHER VOLUNTEERS/STAFF, PATRONS, and the many ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE. The foundation is not something that can be duplicated, and it is cherished as life-saving, life-giving, and inspiring new modalities of being queer by the many who have experienced it. I have regularly volunteered and participated in many ways with the foundation, including the annual art fair. I have tended the garden, cleaned the bathrooms, cooked and cleaned. I have received the most amazing community there, been afforded intergenerational opportunities to discover my culture, and had the increasingly rare chance to hear from my queer brethren who made it out of the AIDS crisis alive. I can't list all the ways the foundation/house/community have shaped me; I can only say I might not be here without them. This is my family.
It's recently come to my attention that a small group designated as the "board" has made changes and choices that in no way reflect a.) the desires of the household, community, nor artists in residence, b.) the mission statement of the foundation, nor c.)a desire to equitably address concerns and the future of TOM house, the foundation, and in particular the AIR and current inhabitants of the house.
When you unilaterally make changes and choices with little/no communication or any meaningful transparency, you threaten the core of my family, our home, OUR foundation. This is a home of mutual aid and creativity, compassion and gratitude, perversion and kink, with people who make mistakes - a community that holds us all accountable. Who is holding you ("the board") accountable? I don't know if you have the means to attack this place and its stakeholders more than you already have. I don't think I've met a single one of you. But know that whatever it is you think you're getting out of this will evaporate. The magic, the joy, the VALUE of the foundation does not exist without the decades of queer love and continuously forming family that lives and breathes within the lath and plaster walls at our 1421 Laveta Terrace.
Los Angeles
United States