Shane Lukas

The power and promise of queerness informs my communications approach: the recognition of multi-dimensional and intersectional identities within every individual. In addition, as a speaker and presenter, I have facilitated discussions about "Speaking Queer Here" because even for that that identify in the vast and vital LGBTQ+ communities, recognition that queer goes beyond affirmation and demands we always be in a state of opening doors to our own limits and expectations. It's a beautiful idea, and like ourselves, is forever evolving to ask "What and why is the norm?" and "Does it reflect our limits or our possibilities?" You can see that also represented in A Great Idea's values (https://agreatidea.com/values) as well as in our commitment to civic engagement through our own initiatives like Freedom For Every Body (https://freedomforeverybody.com and https://prideisforeverybody.com), our voter initiative Out.Vote (https://out.vote), and our Power Beyond Pride initiative to elevate queer activism (https://powerbeyondpride.com).

That is impossible, no? And it changes at every age and throughout the history we can even identify (from ancient to the current). The work inspiring me in the current moment is "Power Full Because We're Different". It comes from the incredible work of interdisciplinary artist Jeffrey Gibson, a Queer|Art collaborator (a program we launched the brand for early in our nearly 10 years at AGI), whose wide-ranging creations from 2-D artwork to experiential installations brings forward his own lens as a a member of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and of Cherokee descent. Unabashedly queer. Unabashedly exploring the intersections of multi-generational insight, trauma, and joy.

I think there are so many queer voices that are sharing ideas, vision, and urgency that it is hard to pick a few. For example, our holiday card this year gave us the opportunity to collaborate with Nikita Yogaraj, a self-described "tamil-american queer + neurodiverse printmaker/social scientist" for an original piece called "Great Joy Grows With Community" which she printed on seed paper that our partners could then plant for the spring. It felt resonate for the challenging year ahead in 2025. She is one of thousands (and thousands!) of creators whose voices and talents show how great queer people can be!