What would happen if LGBTQIA2S+ young people had everything they needed to thrive?
Queer Futures Now tickets available now!
At the heart of the SQUINCH for Families Project is the real life stories of LGBTQIA2S+ youth themselves. HEAL Plus NM partnered with High Desert Playback, a queer-centered, multi-racial company of artists that makes theater for social change. High Desert Playback collected real life stories of LGBTQIA2s+ youth through individual interviews and story circle workshops and wrote a play based on the themes and stories of those queer and trans young New Mexicans.
What resulted was Queer Futures Now, an original play based on the real-life stories of queer and trans+ youth in New Mexico and combines elements of sci-fi, thriller, adventure, and dance party.
Fall Tour Dates Coming soon!
April 5th — Farmington, NM
Four Corners LGBTQIA & Two-Spirit Convening
Hosted by: HEAL Plus NM, GLSEN NM, & High Desert Playback
Sponsored by: Sashas Rainbow of Hope, Alphabet Mafia, Recovery Queers, Ignacio Out and Equal Alliance, Rainbow Youth Center
Free event for LGBTQIA2S+ youth, allies, families, educators, and community members of all ages to learn about queer and trans lives and show support for young people.
Event Overview:
Join us on Saturday, April 5th, for an afternoon of fun and connection as we honor and convene with the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, two-spirit, intersex, asexual, gender non-conforming, and pansexual (LGBTQ+) young people and community members in the Four Corners area (Farmington, Durango, Navajo Nation, Southern Ute Reservation, Ute Mountain, Ute Reservation, Window Rock).
We will have free refreshments, activities for folks of all ages, community resources, and more! Plus, don’t miss the world premiere of the Queer Futures Now play.
Queer Futures Now, is an original play based on the real-life stories of LGBTQ+ youth in New Mexico and combines elements of sci-fi, thriller, adventure, and dance party. Learn more about the Queer Futures Now play and SQUINCH4Families scroll down.
Where: Farmington NM (register to learn the event location)
When: Saturday, April 5th 2025 from 2pm to 6pm
Agenda
2 pm – Educators Unite
Space for youth, educators and adult allies to talk about supports needed in school environments.
3 pm – World Premiere of Queer Futures Now: An Alien Play (presented by SQUINCH4Families)
A blend of sci-fi, thriller, adventure, and dance party, Queer Futures Now follows four queer youth on their journey to safety and shows the path to LGBTQIA+ paradise is closer than we think.
4:15 pm – Conversations + Connection
Post-play reflections with two Opt-in discussion groups: 1) Parents, family members, and community members discuss how to support queer and trans youth. 2) Youth only conversation and reflection from the play, facilitated by Rainbow Youth Center.
5:15 pm – Community Carnival
After party community connection. Grab some snacks and drinks, meet new friends, and explore tables with local community organizations and resources.
What is SQUINCH curriculum?
SQUINCH stands for “Sharing Queer Understanding, Inclusion, Nonviolent Communication, and Health.” Previously, Health Equity Alliance for LGBTQIA2S+ New Mexicans (HEAL Plus NM) collaborated with the NM Genders and Sexuality Alliance (NMGSA) Network and youth volunteers to create a digital curriculum for GSA clubs to develop healthy relationship skills and understanding about queer and trans identities. The curriculum includes videos, activities, games, and discussion prompts for student leaders to use to facilitate learning and connection in their groups. www.healplusnm.org/squinch
Families want tools, skills, and community to support their LGBTQIA2s+ children. SQUINCH for Families is the next iteration of this work. This multimedia, arts-centered, community engagement project culminates in a new open source curriculum for parents and families. The overall objective is for parents, family members, and caregivers to learn and practice how to better listen, understand, support, and advocate for the LGBTQ+ youth they love.
At the heart of the SQUINCH for Families Project is the real life stories of LGBTQ+ youth themselves. HEAL Plus NM partnered with High Desert Playback, a queer-centered, multi-racial company of artists that makes theater for social change. High Desert Playback collected real life stories of LGBTQ+ youth through individual interviews and story circle workshops and wrote a play based on the themes and stories of those queer and trans young New Mexicans.
Now we are taking this live, theatrical production on the road to four cities in New Mexico. The play will gather community allies, young people, and their families to uplift the voices of LGBTQIA+ young people and the adults who love them. At each stop, HEAL Plus NM will facilitate a community convening of local supportive groups and resources and release new modules of the SQUINCH4Families Curriculum. Each of the modules of the curriculum will build on the themes of the Queer Futures Now play using audio stories, discussion prompts, games, and quizzes. Families can listen to them while driving or making dinner. We will share information and stories to spark discussion and strengthen relationships between adults and youth.
SQUINCH will pass the baton to family members to uplift the culture that cherishes queer and trans people. SQUINCH4Families will be that learning hub, facilitating connection and understanding between queer and trans young people and the families that love them.
How to get involved:
WHAT WE KNOW
All young people deserve communities that support them to be their whole selves.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, questioning, trans, nonbinary, intersex, asexual, and two-spirit young people of New Mexico (LGBTQ+)are a treasure and deserve a life free from violence like everyone else.
Parents, family members, and caring adults want, need, and are asking for support in understanding their young people’s sexuality and gender identities.
Parents, family members, and caring adults are leaders in their communities who shape the culture and influence attitudes that deeply affect young people at crucial times in their lives.
LGBTQ+ young people need adults around them to believe them, trust them, respect them, and advocate for their rights.
New Mexico values family. Queer and trans youth are our family.
Having a caring adult in their lives will save young people from suicide, substance use, and diseases of despair.
Queer and trans youth are at the crosshairs of political violence.
New Mexico has the most legal protections of any other state, but the lived experience of homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia is higher than the national average.
We treasure young people.
Art is how we thrive
Support
Support us in bringing a beacon of queer and trans joy to communities around our state of New Mexico. Your donation will help gather crucial support for LGBTQ+ people, inspire bold action in allies, and connect families to resources.
Support with time.
Support with outreach.
Support a queer or trans young person by asking what they need.
Join a SQUINCH4families virtual meetup
Would you like to meet other family members with LGBTQIA2s+ young people? Do you want encouragement, ideas, and community with people also creating a buffer of love around their queer and trans+ young people?
Join our monthly virtual meet up. (sign up in section 2. SQUINCH4Families Meet up or curriculum team)
