Right now, this feels like such a wretched world that is currently dominated by a disgusting, self-aggrandizing despot who spends most of his days avoiding the job he was elected to do and focusing on finding anything and everything he can stick his own name on.  So the news that landed in Queerguru’s inbox felt like a breath of fresh air, honoring someone who played a significant role in making our own community a better place. 

Urvashi Vaid was an Indian-born American LGBT rights activist, lawyer, and writer. An expert in gender and sexuality law, she consulted on achieving specific social justice goals. She held a series of roles at the National LGBTQ Task Force, serving as executive director from 1989 to 1992; she was the first woman of color to lead a national gay-and-lesbian organization. She was the author of Virtual Equality: The Mainstreaming of Gay and Lesbian Liberation (1995) and Irresistible Revolution: Confronting Race, Class and the Assumptions of LGBT Politics (2012).

She was married to the political comedian Kate Clinton, and together they lived a large part of their year in Provincetown, and although I could not claim a close relationship to either of them, I was very aware of their presence in a town and community they loved so much. I have this picture in my head of the very talkative Clinton cycling through town, sitting very upright on her bike like Margaret Hamilton (BUT smiling), and doing her regal Queen Elizabeth wave. Whilst I always assumed the quieter Vaid was probably the power behind the throne in their household.

Queerguru had the joy of doing a couple of formal interviews with Clinton over the years  so our knowledge of this ‘power couple’  all came through her.  To me, they represented the best of our town, especially because they were both so committed to keeping this place a welcoming home and not just for our community.

I feel so proud that the people who run The Commons Art Center have named their Changemakers Fund in honor of Urvashi Vaid. It’s a grant that funds programs or projects that activate communities on Outer Cape Cod (Provincetown–Orleans) around shared challenges and creatively build relationships across differences. The Changemakers Fund supports programs and projects grounded in intersectionality; projects that initiate community conversation, collaboration, or change are welcome. Individuals, nonprofits, and small businesses are encouraged to apply.

Projects or programs can range in area and scope and can include raising awareness in and across a variety of social issues, including but not limited to HIV advocacy, racial justice, immigration justice, environmental justice, prison reform, women’s rights, and LGBTQ+ rights. Individuals and groups may apply for grants once a year. Projects can be funded up to three times.