On November 3, Curtis L. Lahaie ’15 and Kyle J. McFadden ’18 launched “In the Making”: an online photo gallery, a social media campaign and a 60-day fundraiser to raise $10,000 for three nonprofit organizations working on LGBTQ-related concerns to increase awareness about issues still existent within the queer community despite progress made towards marriage equality.
HCH recently had the pleasure of speaking with Curtis and Kyle about their project.
1) How did you think of the idea for “In the Making”?
Curtis: I’m taking a course called WGS 1211: Queer Practice, which has an “activism project” as a major component of the course. I’ve had internships at a number of LGBTQ nonprofits–namely, Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund, the LGBT & AIDS Project of the ACLU, and Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders–and through these internships, it has become clear to me that some segments of the LGBTQ community–and more clearly, the larger population–mistakenly believe that marriage equality means full equality for the LGBTQ community. Especially given the flurry of recent court rulings on same-sex marriage, I wanted to find a way to communicate–in an accessible and powerful way–that marriage equality is not the end of the movement.
Kyle: I met Curtis at the beginning of the semester, and we quickly became friends. He was familiar with my background as a professional freelance photographer and reached out to me about collaborating on the project. I thought it was a perfect fit for me, as it combined my photography with social activism, and I quickly agreed to partner with him. Over the course of the next month we refined and expanded the original idea. It’s no longer just a project for a class.
2) When did you begin the project?
C: I conceptualized the basic idea in the middle of September and reached out to Kyle soon after.
3) Has the movement spread to other college campuses?
C & K: Besides the main gallery of 45 official photos of Harvard students and alumni–a number that we are soon expanding–we are challenging the larger public, whether LGBTQ or ally, to share their own photos on social media to highlight other issues or declare their support. Carnegie Mellon University accepted our challenge last week, and we’re in contact with other schools who are following suit.
4) What is the message you are hoping to send to the LGTBQ community and beyond?
C: “We’re not done here” — it’s the line I wrote on the chalkboard in my photograph. I chose it because I thought it reflected the overall message of the project: that marriage equality is not the end of the movement. There’s still so much left to do.
5) What marketing techniques are you using to gain traction?
C & K: We created the social-media challenge to engage people outside the Harvard community. We’ve also reached out to other campus organizations, LGBTQ community centers across the country, and members of the Harvard Gender and Sexuality Caucus, the organization for LGBTQ Harvard alumni.
However, we think a lot of the traction is organic. For example, a prominent LGBTQ blogger found the project online and created her own post on Tumblr, which now has almost 60,000 notes.
6) How do you recruit people for your photo sessions?
C & K: We recruited people through LGBTQ list-servs, by reaching out to members of LGBTQ organizations on campus, and by word of mouth.
7) How can those interested in helping “In the Making” get involved?
C& K: Share our project with friends and family, and accept our challenge. Also, In the Making is supporting a number of LGBTQ nonprofits that are actively addressing some of the issues highlighted in the project. The organizations are Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network, National LGBTQ Task Force, and Sylvia Rivera Law Project. People interested in helping can make a contribution to our fundraising webpage, found here. Supporters at different donation levels can receive an exclusive In the Making T-shirt, a signed photograph, a shout-out on social media, among other cool perks.
8) What are your goals for “In the Making” moving forward?
C & K: We hope to add a physical component of the gallery in the near future. But who knows how else this project could evolve!