Our History
Founded in 2018, Diamond Wave has offered a myriad of programs centering diverse queer and trans creativity and building skills for historically underfunded communities.
We launched the first THEYFRIEND Salon in 2021 and have since built a thriving nonbinary festival and community hub. Along the way, we have showcased the work of more than 300 nonbinary artists, making Diamond Wave one of the boldest homes for nonbinary performance in the country.
MISSION
VISION
VALUES
Diamond Wave produces joyful, interactive events and community-based learning experiences that foster nonbinary empowerment and belonging, and invite all people to explore their unique gender expression.
We believe that art serves as a catalyst for radical positive change and connection, and our work is motivated by our vision for a world where empowered queers thrive, economic justice is a reality, and LGBTQIA2S+ artists have the freedom to create authentically and explore boundless artistic expression.
Diamond Wave’s core values include:
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We practice community care by centering accessibility and economic justice as tools of self-empowerment.
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We encourage bold artistic expression that inspires curiosity and connection across difference.
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We strive for equity, ensuring that LGBTQIA2S+ artists are compensated fairly for their creative labor.
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By centering the needs of our most marginalized community members, we seek to create space where all feel welcomed and valued.
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We act with honesty, transparency, and a deep commitment to right relationship.
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We see joy as an essential indicator of community health and a powerful force for change, making the journey as meaningful as the destination.
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We believe that the personal is political and that through our relationships we can amass and share queer power equitably.
We are committed to prioritizing racial equity
Racial Equity Statement
Diamond Wave is a queer arts organization built upon ideals of liberation (“no one is free until we are all free” (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.), “If you have come here to help me you are wasting your time, but if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together” (Murri artist and activist Lilla Watson)). We recognize that LGBTQIA+ people come from disparate and distinct cultural communities and that queer and trans Black people, Indigenous people, and People of Color (QTBIPOC) have been historically under-resourced and marginalized.
We actively champion anti-racism and incorporate racial equity learning into our internal structures and external communications. Diamond Wave is committed to ensuring that our organization consists of at least 50%+ QTBIPOC at all times, reflected in our advisory board, our staff and our artists.
Furthermore, when appropriate, we will convene community-centered advisory committees to inform programmatic decision-making and to ensure that broader QTBIPOC perspectives are embedded throughout our creative processes.
Who we are
Vin Seaman
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Vin Seaman (they/them) is an interdisciplinary artist, drag performer (LOL McFiercen) and the founder and director of Diamond Wave.
Since 2004, they have been an active player in the San Francisco Bay Area arts ecosystem as an artist, grantmaker, technical assistance provider, advocate and organizer. Their work exploring queer identity and drag culture has been presented at The Stud, Brava, Oasis, El Rio, CounterPulse, the de Young, Salesforce Tower, Frameline, the Tank NYC, the Austin International Drag Festival, SATELLITE ART SHOW Miami, the National Queer Arts Festival, Stockholm’s Stolt Scenkonst, Atlantic Center for the Arts, and Yale School of the Arts.
They have been featured on Shondaland and Vice.com, were an inaugural Association for Performing Arts Professionals Leadership Fellow, and received the 2017 Americans for the Arts Emerging Leader Award, the 2019 Theatre Bay Area Legacy Award, and a 2022 CALI Catalyst award.
Advisory Board
Alisson Gothz
Sister of Perpetual Indulgence and multidisciplinary artist
Jae Rouse Iñiguez
Interdisciplinary artist and Associate Director, UCSF Training & Health Equity Collaborative
Rawiyah Tariq
Witch, writer, performer and CEO, A Sovereign Embodiment
Roy Eikleberry
Individual artist, project manager, and Production Manager, Ray of Light Theatre
