AQUA Foundation for Women’s Upcoming Events in North Miami, Fort Lauderdale and at Sea!

from HOTspots! August 3, 2023 (Issue 3816)

Unyielding Pride: The Strength and Resilience of LGBTQ+

By Maria Espinal

On February 7th this year, the Aqua Foundation for Women (Florida's only nonprofit organization dedicated to serving & supporting LGBTQ+ women) announced its new Executive Director on social media. Except for one negative, all other comments to the announcement were very welcoming and full of best wishes to the organizations' first transgender Executive Director, whic h only shows how much our community is changing and it is on the way to unite regardless of backgrounds, views or identity.

Mateo is originally from California, “but I've lived all over the country. My husband and I just celebrated our 8year wedding anniversary by going to Key West Pride, and we have one daughter who starts kindergarten in just a few short weeks! We love our cats, the beach, and camping,” said

Mateo in a recent interview about the organization's upcoming events, his biggest challenges and of course, about the latest and greatest on AFW's signature event, Aqua Girl.

How did the opportunity for the position come about for you, was it something you looked for or did it find you?

It was fate! I had recently started a new position with Pulso, a nonprofit digital media organization, and was not looking for new employment. Karen (Aqua's Board Chair) asked me to join the Aqua Board of Directors, which I did, and I volunteered to be part of the Executive Director Search Committee. As I started working on finding an ED, I realized that what we were looking for was me! My experience, my passion, and my vision really aligned with what Karen and the rest of the Board wanted for Aqua, so I resigned from the Board to throw my hat in the ring. Was it hard for you to make the decision to take the position, considering you are the first transgender Executive Director?

I think it was an easy decision in a way...I already knew what I was getting into, what some of our biggest challenges were, what things I wanted to focus on first, etc. I have experience working for women's organizations as a transman, and I think me being hired demonstrates that you don't have to BE part of a particular group in order to advocate for that group.

What are your biggest challenges for Aqua Foundation for Women, especially after 2020?

LGBTQ+ serving and BIPOC serving organizations are facing enormous funding challenges across the state of Florida as many of our long-time funders. Many of them are scared to draw the Governor's ire and therefore are no longer providing support at the same level as before. Aqua Foundation for Women has lost several long-time funders just in the last couple of months. In light of this, allies who are willing to support us are more crucial than ever, and cultivating and celebrating those allies is important. There are two events coming up. The first one, Break the Stigma: An HIV/AIDS Conference for Women, on August 19th. My first thought was, why? followed by, why not? I decided to do some research and found some information that makes this event necessary, especially for LGBT youth. Why did AFW decide to touch upon this subject/s? That's exactly why! While men who have sex with men remain the demographic most impacted by HIV/AIDS, everyone is HIV-possible, and many people are woefully under-informed about what prevention methods are out there, especially heterosexual women. Women of all backgrounds and sexualities are welcome at Break the Stigma. Women have been historically left out of the HIV/AIDS conversation, marketing, research, and care, and we want to help change that. The next event will be Transcon on Sept. 9th in North Miami.

TransCon is very close to my heart as a transgender and nonbinary individual and one of the things that most excited me about taking on this role. The theme of TransCon this year is "Connecting Community to Resources," and our workshops and panels will focus on topics like health/wellbeing, selfgrowt/education, leadership and entrepreneurship. We hope to inspire trans adults and youth with the stories of people in our communities, create connections and community, and educate around the topics that are most urgently needed. How do you think women's needs within our community have changed?

Women continue to face marginalization across different sectors of society; when you add in other marginalized identities like being queer, being Black, being trans, being an immigrant, etc., that marginalization increases exponentially. Within the LGBTQ+ community, queer women have historically been left out when it comes to funding, programming, and media coverage. Aqua Foundation for Women was founded in 2004 as a means to addressing that, and unfortunately, there is still a long way to go almost 20 years later. Queer women still need places to gather, to develop community, to network, to learn, and to work to advance their rights. Aqua Foundation for Women is...proud to be inclusive of everyone who is passionate about our mission; cis, trans, queer, ally, female, male or any other gender. I must ask about Aqua Girl, which for many years has attracted thousands of women to South Florida. For obvious reasons, the last AG was in 2019. Are we having one this year? Tell us all about it!

We're thrilled to share that Aqua Girl will be back on April 27th, 2024, aboard MSC's Seascape! You heard that right, we are taking the party to the sea. Aqua Girl participants can book their trip starting as low as $495 for this 8-day, 7-night cruise with an open bar, free Wi-Fi, daily parties onboard, AND exclusive shore excursions just for Aqua Girl. Thanks to HappeningOut Travel for making it all possible!

Follow AFW: f c aquaforwomen

For more on AFW: aquafoundation.org

Aqua Girl Cruise: happeningout.travel/trip/aqua-girl-at-seacruise

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