Clove: All right, we can get started. Can you tell us your name and what you do for the task force?
Cathy Renna: Sure. My name is Kathy Renna and I am the Communications Director for the National LGBTQ Task Force.
Clove: What is the mission of the LGBTQ+ Task Force?
Cathy Renna: So the Task Force is really a legacy queer rights organization. We’re celebrating our 50th anniversary this year. We work on a variety of levels. We work both on the ground and on the policy level on Capitol Hill. We partner with other progressive organizations and work in an intersectional way. We work on issues like immigration, racial equity, economic justice, faith issues, and democracy voting rights, as they impact the LGBTQ community, because we are part of all issues.
Clove: Can you tell us a little bit about the events that you have for LGBTQ youth? You have the AfterGlow Ball coming up in October, can you elaborate on what that is a little bit?
Cathy Renna: Sure. The Task Force has always been a very youth-inclusive and age-diverse organization as someone who is now almost 60, but who has worked with the Task Force since my 20s, in one capacity or another. So, one of the things we really wanted to do was with our annual gala, which is one of our largest fundraisers in Miami, which is not a low-cost event, right? Is find a way to include diverse folks, including young people. The after-party is an all-inclusive dance event. And this year is very, very special. It’s on October 14, at the Miami Beach Convention Center, it follows the gala dinner and starts at 10 o’clock. This year is special, because at midnight, we will technically turn 50. Our date of incorporation was October 15 1973.
Clove: Wow, that’s really exciting. I actually had no idea that it was going to be the 50th at midnight. That’s really cool.
Cathy Renna: I know. We didn’t either, until fairly recently when we found our corporation papers, which built the excitement even more. I’m really excited about it. I’ve considered jumping out of a cake, we’re trying to figure that out, doing some very special things at the after-party. In addition, of course, having just a phenomenal, joyous queer dance party with phenomenal talent.
Clove: So can you tell us what the AfterGlow Ball hopes to achieve?
Cathy Renna: Well it’s an expansion of the gala itself. It’s really an opportunity after having a chance to add a sit-down dinner, acknowledge leaders in the community, hear from our executive director, and celebrate in that way. This is an opportunity for us to roll up our sleeves and get on the dance floor, which is in the times that we’re living in right now. It’s really, really important that we can create safe and joyous spaces for the queer community. I’ve been to the gala several times now and I love a dinner as much as anybody else. But the after party is really where I take off my jacket, I often kick off my shoes, and I get on the dance floor with folks and it’s everybody from our executive director to the volunteers to our honorees. Everybody’s equal on the dance floor. And so it’s really an opportunity to experience some queer joy at a time when we know things are very tough, particularly in Florida.
Clove: Being in the South, in Savannah, a lot of us are really excited for the upcoming pride events of October and we’re including this interview as a part of our pride series for SCAD Radio. It’s all wrapping together very nicely. So you have a lot of entertainment coming to the AfterGlow, can you tell us what kind of entertainment will be there and how that will be to the benefit of the queer audience?
Cathy Renna: Sure, I mean, it wouldn’t be a queer dance party without amazing DJs and phenomenally talented drag queens. So of the two DJs we have are Hector Fonesca and Aural.Fixationz. I don’t pretend to be an expert on these things. We have actually amazing local volunteers and staff and supporters down in Miami who have found this great talent for us. There are several drag artists that will be performing at a time when there are legislatures across the country and in Florida, that are trying to ban drag performance, which has been such an integral part of our history. I think it’s really important that we have a diverse set of drag performers. So we have both drag queens and drag kings coming to the after-party, including folks like Lucky Starzz, Gadfrie Arbulu, Phoenix Lenore, Yeisa Jovovich, and Tayanna Love. We made the choice to showcase local queer talent. So each of these performers has a very unique and vibrant style to reflect the diverse culture of South Florida. We have fashion queens, dancing divas, a range of entertainment that speaks to our 50th anniversary celebration. We’re an organization that has been in the trenches since the early 70s. Participating in the very first prides, in some of the early successes of the movement, and dealing with the many challenges of the movement. We really leveled up this year to have some world-renowned DJs, like Hector, and then other local performers who are going to bring what we need. Like I said before, upbeat, joyous party atmosphere that can give us an opportunity to let down our hair and have some fun.
Clove: Yeah, speaking of your DJs, I heard you have two, one for the main event, and then one for the lounge. What are some of the advantages of selecting your DJs? And what factored into your decision for them?
Cathy Renna: Well, I was not part of their decisions. As I said, I’m not an expert, but our Miami-based folks really wanted to create an atmosphere for the gala. We’re not going to be able to dance much at dinner, but we hope people will get up and move around, people will have a good time. We want to create an atmosphere where people really feel celebratory, right, we’re honoring, Dominique Jackson. We are going to have Latrice Royale as one of our hosts and Dyllon Burnside as our co-hosts. These are individuals who bring a sense of joy and pride and diversity to the queer community. The music will reflect that and then, of course, at the after party, it’s going to be the kind of music that is going to make it impossible for you to stay seated. You’re gonna want to get up and you’re gonna want to get on the dance floor with us.
Clove: We work a lot with local artists, I have some of my fellow staff members who have worked closely with local artists and drag queens. Specifically with drag performers, you have a really nice lineup of them. How do you work with them in the past? And like, why did you select them for this event?
Cathy Renna: Well, I think that the main decision was to really showcase local talent because, while we are thrilled, Latrice Royale is a Floridian as well. We have to have local talent in every aspect of the event, both the gala and the after-party. Also the diversity, right, the diversity of the talent–the drag queens and kings that we have. It’s one of the key things and one of the major reasons we have such a wonderful lineup is that this is not just presented by the Task Force, we partnered with House of Trouble. They’ve been super helpful in choosing the DJs and the drag talent that we’ll have.
Clove: So what makes working with queer artists such a unique experience? Clearly, the LGBTQ Task Force wants to spotlight queer artists, specifically, it’s local artists are even more special and unique to the event. Queer art and queer music are kind of its own art-form in a way. So what makes it a unique experience? What elements do queer artists bring to the table that we wouldn’t have been able to have in the past?
Cathy Renna: Well, I think it’s something we’ve seen historically–in all areas of art and cultures–queer artists, we push the envelope around gender, we push the envelope around sexuality, and we celebrate our full selves. One of the phrases we use a lot–it’s kind of our tagline at the taskforce–is “be you”. And we mean that in every way. As we kind of like to joke, sometimes that can be a little messy, but when we’re talking about art and artists, I think when we say “be you” it means be your full self and show us your full talents and your full expression. And boy that really comes out when working with queer artists of any kind. Whether it’s some of the amazing queer artists who’ve donated art to our silent auction, or the folks who are going to be on stage at the gala and the after-party.
Clove: Going to an art school there is obviously going to be a large queer student body. I’ve been talking about this event and kind of what it’s for, and the significance of it, and everyone that I’ve spoken to seems really interested. I think that these types of events are really great opportunities to strengthen the local queer community. A lot of the time, when people move to major city hubs like Savannah or Miami, they may be a little bit out of their depth for finding their people. Events like this are like really important. What kind of things can we expect at the after-party? Aside from the entertainment, can you give us kind of an overview of the event itself?
Cathy Renna: You know, as part of the sort of ambiance will be in the main ballroom, which is fantastic. And Bacardi, it was one of our sponsors will, you know, have an open bar for guests that are old enough to drink. We also have one of our other co-sponsors, which is Snipes. So Snipes is going to add some flair and fashion to the event. And we’re also going to have some fun surprises, which I can’t talk about. And again, it’s really to honor our anniversary countdown. Maybe someone will jump out of the cake. We are definitely gonna have a level of extra special after-party this year. And so I think that’s why we’ve gone the extra mile in every way. In terms of reaching out, you know, I’m married to an artist, who’s an artist and an art teacher. And so a lover of the arts, I live in New York City, and I’ve been going to theater and dance and music since I was six or seven years old. I’ve been very, very blessed that way. And I think not everybody gets to experience that. And so if we can bring a little bit of that to the gala this year, we’ll be very, very happy.
Clove: I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of great opportunities not only to make friends but those types of connections that extend beyond just Miami. And we were talking a lot about the local scene. But these kinds of relationships that you can build at these types of events are so important. Especially for those of us who, like I mentioned before, go to SCAD and are artists and want to meet other artists and grow in their profession and their career. Also to evolve alongside those who are like-minded individuals, or, as a lot of my friends like to say, are kindred spirits. So if you personally had to pick what would be your biggest draw to the event?
Cathy Renna: That’s a great question. I’ll be working all night. So it’s going to be really nice to not have to work and to get on the dance floor with my wife who is coming to the party, to the gala for the first time. Well, the fun thing is you’ll see our executive director and the rest of the staff because, you know, we’re done. The volunteers are wonderful people and our event staff will run the after-party. We’ll get to relax and be a community. The day-to-day work of being at the task force, fighting the good fight, is hard. This is hard work. We’re battling anti-trans legislation in almost every state in the country. We’re dealing with hate crimes on a regular basis, we’re fighting for anti-discrimination laws and a Congress that doesn’t even want to work. They’re shutting down this week, right? For us, it is an opportunity to be with our supporters or colleagues or friends or family. The Task Force has deep roots in Florida and particularly in Miami, and we do a tremendous amount of on-the-ground work with our field team. I think that that’s gonna be what’s most special for me is the chance to stop thinking about the work and how difficult things are right now and just be in a queer space and experience joy.
Clove: I completely agree. I think that, for me, being a young queer person, being in the south, and having to face a lot of the issues of today, it’s one of those times where we get the opportunity to relax a little bit. To attend the AfterGlow Ball, having those spaces where people can not only feel happy, but also safe knowing that there are others like them, and that enjoy the same things as them. It’s strengthening not just the movement itself, but also the individual. I think that going to an event like this, having those sources of entertainment, where you get to see all these successful queer people in the same space and enjoying their lives, it’s important. Getting to see that sort of positivity sheds a lot of light on what is really at the core of queer people. And it’s just that joy that deserves to be there and does have a place. I want to wrap this up by talking a little bit more about the entertainment, obviously, because we are SCAD’s radio station and just bringing up the music artists one more time that are going to be in attendance or rather the entertainment, period. Can you just give us an overview of the type of entertainment flow? What does it mean to set it up? How does that sort of thing work? Because a lot of the time, when people attend local functions, they don’t really think of all the effort that goes into it. So can you just kind of unpack that a little bit? I know, you said you’re not really an expert. But, what goes into setting up an event like this, especially working with entertainers, and having to get in contact with them?
Cathy Renna: Yeah, I mean, I’m not an expert on those things. But I am an expert on doing events so I can talk about it for sure. The thought that went into choosing these folks, clearly, the local volunteers and staff had so much expertise, but any of the events we do–whether it’s the gala, our Creating Change Conference, or our winter party festival–there are some real, keys and principles, I think, when you’re putting these things together. First of all, artists value their time, talents, and energy–it’s what they put into this. We make sure that they’re compensated. Unfortunately, there’s a long history of artists not being compensated for the work they do. And, if I’m talking to art students, you know what I’m talking about, right? First and foremost, it’s about really valuing them. And I mean that in every way, not just financially, but also in terms of respect, and having everything they need to be able to do their best and perform at their best at these events. We have an army of volunteers, who will make sure that they’re set up in every way, whether it’s technically with sound or a space where they can get ready to be onstage. As someone who does a lot of public speaking, not performing, you want to be in the right headspace, you want to be in the right heart space. And I think we’re very respectful of that. As an organization, we bring our full selves in supporting them and making sure that they have a great experience as much as we enjoy their performances. It’s really important. It’s a collaboration, it’s always seen as that. There’s just so much behind-the-scenes stuff that has to happen and we always are very, very cognizant of being grateful, but also making sure we are thanking in every way we possibly can. The folks who make these events happen seamlessly, who are setting them up, I may be all dressed up at the dinner, but earlier that day we’re in jeans and hoodies. In the convention center ballroom, make sure that everything is set up and that everybody has what they need to really fully participate.
Clove: To conclude, could you recap where and when is the event and how much is it?
Cathy Renna: So the gala and the after-party are both being held at the Miami Convention Center. The event itself, the gala is earlier it starts at about 6:30PM. We should be done approximately at 10 o’clock. Hopefully, if the show goes as intended and doesn’t run over. That always happens a little bit. The AfterGlow Ball starts from 10PM to 2AM. We’re going from Saturday into Sunday. You can go to taskforce.org. Tickets to the after-party are $50. Which, between the talent and the open bar and the crowds, is kind of a steep hill. And so we hope that this will make it more accessible for folks who want to come and enjoy and support the organization. In these times, these events are important. Definitely one of them is that you’re supporting an organization that’s rolling up its sleeves and doing the work for the community every day of the year.
Clove: Thank you so much. I’m really looking forward to the event and I’m hoping to see some of my fellow SCAD students here.
