Outfest union effort by employees, layoffs not related, board says
qvoicenews.comFollowing a staff attempt to unionize, LGBTQ+ nonprofit Outfest laid off five employees, while its executive director, Damien Navarro, has taken an unanticipated leave of absence.
The organization’s board said the layoffs were pre-planned. Photo: Outfest Following a staff attempt to unionize, LGBTQ+ nonprofit Outfest laid off five employees, while its executive director, Damien Navarro, has taken an unanticipated leave of absence.
The organization’s board said the layoffs were pre-planned. The layoffs came shortly after the formation of Queer Filmmakers United (QFU) by the Outfest staff, who informed the board about their intention to unionize, as per a report by IndieWire.
The employees laid off include Martine McDonald, director of artist development and the organization’s only Black employee, and Gabi Grossman, senior programming coordinator and Outfest’s only transgender woman employee.
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