From the Board

Photo: Some of the Options team at a release party.

From the Board of Directors

Greetings Faithful Reader,

We are pleased to present our latest print edition of Options after a two-issue hiatus due to COVID-19. Please join us in thanking our editor, designer, editorial staff, production staff, and loyal advertisers for making this issue possible. And we especially thank you for reading. Without you we would not be here.

This issue comes at pivotal, crucial moments for our community and our country. Two of these, of course, are the upcoming election and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Add to this the work of dismantling white supremacy, finding a way toward achieving racial and health equity, and the need for bold reform of the prison-industrial complex. We are in crisis, but this is our opportunity to make some real, immediate changes for the better. That does not come by doing what we’ve always done, or refusing to see other ways forward. As our community knows, change comes with action, protest, and creativity. Please make sure you are registered to vote by October 4, and cast your vote by or on November 3. Find info at vote.sos.ri.gov.

This is also a pivotal moment for Options. We have an exciting announcement and a bold request to make. A longtime Options supporter pledged to donate up to $5,000 as a matching gift! We are thrilled with this individual’s commitment and generosity.

Our request? Help us reach our match goal of $5,000 by Dec. 31! No contribution is too small, and every donation that moves us closer to that goal is appreciated. In accordance with the donor’s wishes, these funds will be used to rebuild our website (optionsri.org). We are excited about the opportunities that this gift opens to us in moving Options forward and enhancing the information and news we provide the community.

Donations can be made through our website or by mailing a check to: Options, P.O. Box 6406, Providence, RI 02940. Thank you in advance!

We need a few key volunteers to keep things moving! Check out these positions.

Director – This is a board-level position to help steer Options into the future. Meetings are held monthly (over Zoom these days) with some commitment of time between meetings to participate in the business of the organization.

Accounting Support – Help is needed with QuickBooks. This position would involve working with the board treasurer as needed with a monthly time commitment of 1-2 hours.

Website Management – Having a dedicated volunteer to periodically update our website will allow us to more expediently disseminate information. Help is needed for up to a half hour a few times per week.

Thank you for being part of the Options family, and for your ongoing support of the premier LGBTQ+ news and information resource for Rhode Island and Southern New England.

And a final reminder to wear your masks in public, wash those hands, and vote by or on November 3!

In solidarity and with optimism for the future,

Options Board of Directors - Mike, Ashley, and Mikel