5 questions with Q Ragsdale Q Ragsdale is an African-American lesbian activist who co-founded The Senators, an organization that provides social events and educational forums to empower, educate and entertain the lesbian community.
1 What do you do for a living? 2 What prompted you to become active in the LGBT community?
Q Ragsdale
I am a filmmaker and I own a multi-media production company, Orange Moon Media. It is the sister company of my business partners, DC COle of FlavaTV and Skip Cheatham of K104 FM. I primarily work with music artists, record labels and small businesses, producing commercials, digital press kits, DVDs and music videos. My client roster includes k104 FM, KRNB 105.7 and driversselect.
I attended the National Black Lesbian Conference when it was held in Dallas in 2005. I made many connections, and that led me to direct a local lesbian play. And I realized how much I loved being involved. From attending workshops at Dallas Southern Pride, performing with the Dallas Drag King Troupe and taking classes at the Gay and Lesbian Community Center, I realized I should take advantage of all the gay activities in Dallas. I have traveled all over, and many cities aren’t as fortunate as we are.
3 Why is it important for you to stay involved? 4 How did the Senators get started? 5 How often do the Senators hold events, and what is the next one?
When I attended Federal Club and GEAR mixers, Gay Bingo and even an HRC fundraiser, I realized I was one of maybe five black people there, if not the only one. I think it is important for blacks to have a presence in the community because many of the organizations aren’t reaching out to us or don’t know how. If I am involved, I can help get others involved. We are all in the same boat and we need to work together for change.
We wanted to create a diverse organization focusing on bringing culture, diverse events and community service opportunities to Dallas lesbians. As members of a strictly social group before, we wanted to offer more than just parties and the club scene.
We hold an event each month. On March 28 and 29, we will host "Love Conjure/Blues," a multimedia production by lesbian author and playwright Sharon Brigforth at the South Dallas Cultural Center. Next month, we are supporting Senator K. Spain and myself when we play in the Dallas Diamonds football team’s season opener on April 12, and we will be holding voter registration on April 27. Our last event was a Black History Month celebration called "Comfort Woman: A Tribute to Black Lesbians."
Soundout is a weekly column featuring people whose jobs and interests have an impact on the daily lives of members of the LGBT community. It features those who often go unnoticed by the press and community. If you’d like to recommend someone to cover in this column, editor@dallasvoice.com.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition March 7, 2008