The North American Coalition of Lighting Industry Queers (NACLIQ) will convene a panel of LGBTQ+ professionals June 21 at 2:00pm in the Designery on the Lightfair show floor. Terry Jewell, Robby Lindstrom, Sara Schonour, and Alana Shepherd will tell their stories, examine the state of inclusion in lighting, and discuss what queer people and allies can do against the wave of legislative action threatening the LGBTQ+ community. An ice cream social sponsored by Peerless Lighting and Mark Architectural Lighting will follow at 3:00pm in the Special Events Area.
The panel, all members of the NACLIQ Board of Directors, will bring their breadth of experiences and identities—transgender, lesbian, gay, design, sales, media, urban, and provincial—to a lively discussion covering topics such as personal lived experience, inclusion and discrimination in the workplace, ethical quandaries on projects, industry demographics and pipeline, and the profound implications of the attacks on LGBTQ+ rights on community, family, industry, and themselves. A 15- minute Q&A session will follow the 45-minute talk. Attendance at this presentation earns one hour CEU credit.
The Designery is open to all registered Lightfair attendees, and seating is limited. Plan accordingly.
Immediately following the panel discussion, NACLIQ will host an ice cream social in the Special Events area, generously sponsored by Peerless Lighting and Mark Architectural Lighting. Attendees will have an opportunity to talk to the panelists one-on-one, network with queer lighting professionals and allies, and enjoy ice cream and beer.
NACLIQ will also have a presence on the show floor. Attendees can visit booth #1300 to learn more about the organization, find out how to start a regional chapter, and more.
About NACLIQ: The North American Coalition of Lighting Industry Queers exists as a hub for advocacy, mutual support, networking, socializing, and sharing information about our industry. NACLIQ (pronounced NAY-click) welcomes all LGBTQIA+ people and their allies to join this safe space to discuss important LGBTQIA+ issues, and to look at lighting-centered topics from a queer perspective.
NACLIQ is dedicated to uniting all underrepresented gender identities and sexual orientations in the lighting industry to address important issues such as systemic erasure and persecution, workplace and hiring discrimination, income inequality, harassment, inclusion, representation, etc. NACLIQ and its affiliated organizations advocate to raise the profile of all queer lighting practitioners through direct interaction within the lighting community, academic outreach, cooperation with other industry organizations, and presence and active participation in lighting events. NACLIQ will always strive to advocate for, empower, and support those most in need, and work to achieve equity for all genders and sexual orientations.