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SpeakOUT's Board Readying for New Directions

Are you looking for a way to give back to the LGBTQ community? There is something very exciting about reaching a crossroads and figuring out what your next direction will be. Exciting and challenging. SpeakOUT is at such a crossroads and we are currently looking for board members who are interested in volunteering their time to plan the future of one of Boston's oldest LGBTQ organizations! Please pass this information along to others who you think would be interested in making a difference for LGBTQ lives.SpeakOUT is the oldest LGBTQ speakers bureau in the nation, established in 1972. We are a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization. We train members of the LGBTQ and allies community to tell their personal stories as a form of activism to audiences in schools, colleges, churches, synagogues, service organizations, businesses, and government. Our mission is to work to create a world free of homo-bi-trans-phobia and other forms of discrimination.Responsibilities of board members:

  • Attend board and committee meetings and functions, such as SpeakOUTings.
  • Serve on committees or task forces and offers to take on special projects.
  • Understand the organization’s mission, services, policies, and programs, and inform others about the organization.
  • Actively recruit, orient, and train new members.
  • Follow conflict of interest and confidentiality policies.
  • Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local regulations and fulfillment of contractual obligations.
  • Maintain knowledge of the organization and personal commitment to its goals and objectives.

Ways you can contribute to the board:

  • Fundraising and development knowledge
  • Networking within the LGBTQ community
  • Organizational development
  • Event planning
  • Volunteer coordination
  • Public speaking and/or training ability

How to Apply:If you are interested in learning more about board service, please contact Ellyn Ruthstrom, Executive Director at Ellyn@speakoutboston.org or call 877-223-9390. Please supply a resume and references.


Happy Pride!

SpeakOUT logoThis year I will be celebrating my twentieth Pride in Boston. It’s remarkable to think how this yearly ritual for our community has evolved and changed since I first joined the throngs along Boylston Street. What used to be considered a political march is now much more a celebration of the diverse ways LGBTQ people are represented within the greater community at large. There are varied opinions about whether this is a positive development or not, but whatever your politics it’s hard to deny the impressiveness of seeing thousands of people from all walks of life making their way through the streets of Boston together.The bikers leading the way and revving their engines to signal the start; church and school groups proudly marching with their banners; dancing boys shaking their booties to the pulsing music on the club floats; political figures shaking hands and looking for votes; the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence spreading joy wherever they go; parents pushing their children in strollers; the PFLAG contingent that always gets heartfelt applause as they pass by; the Hat Sisters in their new ensembles; corporate groups in their matching t-shirts; and the eager crowd cheering and jockeying for their favorite colored pride beads and other cool swag.Those are just a few of the many snapshots of Pride I look forward to every year. We are such a vibrant and multi-faceted community and on our high holiday we DO know how to celebrate! SNAP!speakouttableatcityhallplazaSpeakOUT will be staffing a table at the Pride Festival again this year. As one of the older LGBTQ organizations in Boston, SpeakOUT has the distinct pleasure of having decades of volunteers who’ve spoken for us and who love the work we continue to do and we often get to reconnect at Pride. We’ll be spreading the word of our mission to tell our stories and to fight homo-bi-transphobia in the world. Come by and say hello to me and to the other volunteers at the table and pick up our flashy new pens and get tattooed by our volunteers…much less painful than the real thing.Happy Pride, everyone!Ellyn Ruthstrom, Executive Director