Who is Rainbow Collective for Change?
RCC is a collective of LGBTQIA+ families and community members working together to build affirming spaces for LGBTQIA+ families and children ages 0-12.
RCC provides LGBTQIA+ families and children with meaningful opportunities to connect with each other and build positive self-identity and pride. RCC also supports LGBTQIA+ families in advocacy efforts in schools, school districts, and their communities. We have two chapters - our North Carolina chapter formed in early 2022 and our Minnesota chapter formed in late 2024!
RCC also provides workshops, resources, and consulting for schools, families, and organizations to be LGBTQIA+ and Gender Inclusive. These offerings are available across the United States.
Our Values
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JUSTICE FOR ALL
All families and children deserve systems and communities that support their well-being and allow them to thrive. We work with our communities to dismantle unjust systems of care that are intended to oppress BIPOC, immigrant and LGBTQIA+ communities and rebuild better systems so that LGBTQIA+ children and families- especially those that are Black, Indigenous, Latine, or other people of color - can thrive.
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INCLUSION
RCC’s essential programs are spaces that welcome anyone who believes it is a space for them - LGBTQIA+ families are defined broadly as any family with a person who is LGBTQIA+. This includes bisexual caregivers, polyamorous caregivers, and straight caregivers with LGBTQIA+ youth. RCC is committed to supporting affinity connection for groups seeking more specific connection, such as BIPOC queer families, families with young transgender children, and more.
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COMMUNITY IS RESISTANCE
Colonialism and Patriarchy intentionally oppress, separate and exploit people according to constructed racial, sexual orientation, gender, ability and class divides.
Recreating and maintaining nurturing communities for LGBTQIA+ families is one of the most important ways that we resist oppressive systems. Through community, we develop possibilities to live and thrive in ways beyond systems that are currently oppressing (and have historically oppressed) us.
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AUTHENTICITY AND EMPATHY
RCC works to create spaces that prioritize human connection, truth telling, and learning from each other. RCC leadership does this by bringing our whole selves to RCC programs and advocacy and leading with our values, integrity, and vulnerability. We make decisions based on our values and mission and take responsibility for our actions.
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CREATIVITY AND RESPONSIVENESS
The way things have always been done has not worked for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ individuals and families. RCC works to be innovative and unconventional while we lean into what is possible for our communities. We value partnership with funders and organizations who share our value of responsiveness and prioritizing the needs of LGBTQIA+ families in our community at critical moments.
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EDUCATION AND EMPOWERING ALLIES
We believe most families, educators, and employers are well-intentioned but lack the knowledge, skills, practice, and tools to be actively LGBTQIA+ and Gender Inclusive and anti-racist. RCC provides accessible education and resources to schools and organizations to ensure LGBTQIA+ families have affirming spaces throughout their communities. RCC educates and empowers all families to embrace everyone’s many identities and expressions; have (sometimes uncomfortable) conversations about race, gender, diversity, unfairness; and seek opportunities to advocate for LGBTQIA+ children and families.
Founder and Director
Anne Sutkowi-Hemstreet (she/they)
Anne is married to their wife, Allyson, and they have two young kids. Their family has moved from Napa, California to Durham, North Carolina and most recently to Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Anne is the Founder and Director of Rainbow Collective for Change (RCC) – a grassroots organization that uses human centered design to develop initiatives and programs aiming to build support, safety, and connection for LGBTQIA+ families. Anne believes in the power of community and stories! Many of RCC’s initiatives utilize diverse children’s books to help educators and parents/caregivers have conversations with their children about gender, diverse families, race, social and racial justice, and speaking up against unfairness.
Prior to moving to Durham, Anne co-founded and directed the Rainbow Action Network of Napa Valley (RAN). For RAN, they led human centered design community work to build support, safety, and connection for LGBTQ families and efforts to engage families in anti-racist education and advocacy. Anne saw a need for continuing and building on that work in North Carolina and is now establishing a Minnesota chapter, in part to support LGBTQIA+ families like hers that are moving to Minnesota to seek safety and refuge.
Anne has 20+ years of program and curriculum development, coordination and management, and research and evaluation experience. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and a Master of Public Health degree at UCLA. Her career has always focused on prevention of mental illness, substance abuse, and suicide. Anne’s passion for LGBTQ and Gender Inclusion work is fueled by her two children, the children of her close friends, and her personal experience as a queer parent navigating a culture and systems that are not LGBTQ and Gender Inclusive.
Director of Education Programs
Camilo Villa (he/they)
Camilo is a Queer Latinx Spanish language educator and artist who builds intersectional spaces for learning by incorporating culturally and queerly responsive pedagogical models in his teaching practice. They currently work as the Lower School Spanish Teacher at the San Francisco Friends School, where they teach gender-inclusive Spanish to K-4th grade students. Consistent with his values is his art practice, which draws attention to social justice issues among Latin American communities.
Camilo lives in the East Bay with their husband, Sanmit. He is passionate about teaching gender-inclusive Spanish and social justice education. During his free time, Camilo enjoys making art, practicing yoga, reading books, and, most importantly, dancing salsa.
