Queer Futures Now
COMING SPRING 2024
Written by Allison Kenny and Danielle Simone
When four queer campers and their loved ones visit the Rio Chama in Northern New Mexico, they soon discover there is more to the great outdoors than peace and quiet. One by one, the campers go missing, leaving the others afraid and in need of answers. What they discover is more wild and unpredictable than they could have ever imagined.
A blend of sci-fi, thriller, adventure, and dance party, Queer Futures Now follows four queer youths on their journey to safety and shows the path to LGBTQIA+ paradise is closer than we think.
What We Know
All young people deserve communities that support them to be their whole selves.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, questioning, trans, nonbinary, intersex, asexual, and two-spirit young people of New Mexico are a treasure and deserve a voice like everyone else.
Parents, family members, and caring adults want, need, and are asking for support in understanding their young people’s sexuality and gender identities.
Parents, family members, and caring adults are leaders in their communities who shape the culture and influence attitudes that deeply affect young people at crucial times in their lives.
LGBTQ+ young people need adults around them to believe them, trust them, respect them, and advocate for their rights.
New Mexico values family. Queer and trans youth are our family.
Having a caring adult in their lives will save young people from suicide, substance use, and diseases of despair.
Queer and trans youth are in the crosshairs of political violence.
New Mexico has the most legal protections of any other state, but the lived experience of homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia is higher than the national average.
Art will save us.
What We’re Doing About It
In partnership with Health Equity Alliance for LGBTQ+ New Mexicans (HEAL+NM), has developed SQUINCH for Families, an open source curriculum for parents and families of LGBTQ+ youth. SQUINCH stands for “Sharing Queer Understanding, Inclusion, Nonviolent Communication, and Health.”
This multimedia curriculum is designed to equip parents, family members, and caregivers with the skills and tools to listen, understand, support, and advocate for the LGBTQ+ youth they love.
SQUINCH for Families will launch in the Spring 2025 with a statewide tour of Queer Futures Now, a brand new play, written by our very own Allison Kenny and Danielle Simone from the real-life stories of LGBTQ+ youth from across New Mexico.
In the Spring, we traveled to rural and urban areas of the state, hosting interactive story circles where we used playback theatre to collect stories from LGBTQ+ youth ages 16-24. From there, we conducted more in-depth interviews with a diverse range of youth where they asked them questions like…
What has your gender and sexuality journey been like?
Can you tell us about a time someone (a friend or adult ally) really showed up for you?
What do you wish your parents and caregivers knew?
What resources do they need to better understand your identity and make more safe spaces for you?
Then Allison and Danielle compiled all of the stories and responses and synthesized the overall themes according to the young people:
Queer + Trans humans have a right to a peaceful existence and joy beyond imagination
It is 100% normal to be queer + trans. We are not aliens.
We are design thinkers. LGBTQ+ youth are building a world where ALL humans can thrive safely in all our intersectional identities.
What resulted is Queer Futures Now—a blend of sci-fi, thriller, adventure, and dance party. Set on the banks of the Rio Chama in Northern New Mexico, the play follows four queer and trans youths on their journey to safety and shows the path to paradise is closer than we think.
Based on the interview data and the themes of the play, HEAL Plus NM is working in collaboration with parents, therapists, and our youth advisory board, to complete the curriculum that will live online and be available for free for New Mexico families and beyond.
Get Involved
Support us in bringing queer and trans joy to communities around our state of New Mexico. Your donation will help gather crucial support for LGBTQ+ people, inspire bold action in allies, and connect families to resources.
Make a Donation
We need $35,000 to bring Queer Futures Now on the road. The play will gather community allies, young people, and their families to uplift the voices of LGBTQ+ young people and the adults who love them.
This budget includes paying actors, the director, stage crew, travel costs, promotion, and film crew to create digital content for our curriculum. We believe artists are our visionary changemakers, and we believe in paying artists a living wage. At the same time, we want to make these performances free and accessible to all community members.
We have raised $22,500 so far, so we need your help to raise the remaining $12,500.
Any amount will make a big impact.
Volunteer
Would you like to be some of the first people to try out SQUINCH For Families curriculum with your family members? Share your interest and HEAL Plus NM will reach out when it’s ready for feedback.
Host
Interested in having a performance of Queer Futures Now come to your community? Leave us a message here and we’ll reach out to discuss the details and possibilities.