VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: Queer Co-working Day with Come Out CNY
Mason Verdicchio: On the westside of Syracuse, what seems like a normal office is actually a collaborative space where the queer community and queer allies can work, collaborate and network in a safe environment. Come Out Central New York is an organization dedicated to promoting LGBTQIA+ businesses and events, and this is one of their Queer Co-working Days. I spoke to the founder of Come Out CNY, Kevin Bailey, about what Queer Co-working Day is all about.
Kevin Bailey: You know, we felt we wanted an opportunity for queer professionals and creatives to have a space to get together to work.
Verdicchio: Bailey says that Queer Co-working Day is an opportunity for those with hybrid or flexible work schedules to be in the presence of other people in their community.
Bailey: In general, it’s just anybody who, like you said, works from home, has a flexible work arrangement, and wants to work for a day in the presence of other folks.
Verdicchio: Gereblock is a shared office and studio space where businesses and organizations like Come Out CNY have offices, teach classes and host events. This event takes place in the Gereblock Lounge. Tim Bryant, the community manager at Gereblock, says that organizations like Come Out CNY align perfectly with the type of environment Gereblock wants to foster.
Tim Bryant: Come out Central New York is a perfect fit for Gereblock. It fits our values and our goals perfectly, and so we’re very happy that we have the opportunity to work closely with them.
Verdicchio: So Gereblock provides the space for open working and collaboration with the queer community. But what do members of Come Out CNY get out of it, and why do they keep coming back? Jackie Wood is a freelance project management consultant who has been to nearly every Queer Co-working Day so far. I asked her why it’s important to her to keep coming back rather than working from home.
Jackie Wood: These spaces are absolutely necessary. Representation does matter, and being around people that share live experiences matters.
Verdicchio: Jackie says it’s one of the many different things she does to be an ally to the queer community.
Wood: Any way that I can participate and empower in spaces like this, I choose to. And I’m better for it.
Verdicchio: Queer Co-working Day with Come Out CNY is not only a safe space to work, but also a place for new relationships, connections and ideas. In Syracuse, Mason Verdicchio. NCC News.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — Come Out Central New York held their monthly Queer Co-working Day in Syracuse this week.
Come Out CNY is an organization dedicated to promoting LGBTQIA+ businesses and events, and their Queer Co-working Day is one of many events the organization holds to achieve that mission.
“We felt we wanted an opportunity for queer professionals and creatives to have a space to get together and work,” said Kevin Bailey, the founder of Come Out CNY. “It’s for anybody who works from home, has a flexible work arrangement, and wants to work for a day in the presence of other folks.”
Come Out CNY holds their Queer Co-working Day at Gereblock, a shared building where organizations like Come Out CNY hold events, have offices and teach classes. They aim to host organizations that foster safe and comfortable work environments for all who use the building.
“Come Out Central New York is a perfect fit for Gereblock,” said Tim Bryant, the Gereblock community manager. “We’re very happy to have the opportunity to work closely with them.”
Jackie Wood has been a familiar face at Come Out CNY’s Queer Co-working Days. Wood is a freelance project management consultant who often finds herself working from home as she moves from project to project.
While she did not describe herself as a member of the queer community, she still identified as a staunch ally who believes spaces like the one provided by Come Out CNY are important.
“These spaces are absolutely necessary,” said Wood. “Representation does matter, and being around people that share lived experiences matters.”
Wood believes participating in events like this are among the most impactful things you can do as an ally to the queer community.
“Any way that I can participate in and empower in spaces like this, I choose to,” said Wood. “And I’m better for it.”
You can find more information about Come Out CNY and their upcoming events here.