Holly Richardson

I am a 46 year old, white, queer, anti-racist, butch, community organizer from a working-class poor farming family in western MA.  I have been working with Out Now for 15 of the organization’s 16-year existence, and was a part of taking Out Now through the process of becoming a 501 C (3) non-profit organization.  I am currently a Co-Director within the organization.

I am committed to building a movement for social justice that is not just inclusive of, but that is driven and led by queer youth.  Queer youth in the city of Springfield have very little political power.  Through Out Now, queer youth get the chance to learn about themselves, learn about each other, collectivize the problems/issues and then take action.  I, along with the Out Now youth staff have learned about the school-to-jail pipeline, the criminalization of queer youth, and for years, worked on the frontlines of the campaign to stop the construction of the Chicopee women’s jail.

I have been community organizing for nearly 20 years and have been a part of the anti-violence, prison abolition, anti-war, harm reduction and poor people’s rights movements.  I have worked for the decriminalization of prostitution, to bring and end to the drug war, and within the queer liberation movement.

As Co-Director I am responsible for grant writing, and other administrative duties, as well as assisting with the political education, and supervision of the youth staff, who carry out the peer leadership roles in the organization.

Out Now is my love and my family and I hope to be around for another 20 years!