QT Studios is driven by a vision of justice, equity, and creativity that informs everything we do. Partnering with the TurkxTaylor Coalition is a natural extension of our mission to foster meaningful change in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood.
Tackling Systemic Barriers Through Collaboration
QT Studios recognizes the challenges faced by queer, trans, and/or BIPOC artists in accessing community-driven spaces within the arts. Joining this coalition reflects our commitment to addressing these systemic barriers. The TurkxTaylor Coalition works to reclaim the historic building at 101-121 Taylor Street—a site of immense significance as the location of the 1966 Compton's Cafeteria Riot. Currently owned by the private prison company GEO Group, this building represents an intersection of queer history and ongoing systemic injustice.
The coalition's mission aligns with the community's desire for spaces that challenge capitalist exploitation and support the Tenderloin's vibrant yet vulnerable communities. By collaborating on this project, QT Studios contributes to envisioning a future where the arts thrive free from gentrification and exploitation.
TurkxTaylor Initiative: A Studio Partner
What makes this partnership even more meaningful is that the TurkxTaylor Initiative is one of QT Studios' own studiomates. Using QT Studios as their home base, the Initiative spearheads their groundbreaking work in the Tenderloin, organizing grassroots campaigns, political education, and participatory workshops that center the voices of queer and trans individuals. Their presence at QT Studios exemplifies our shared values of collaboration, mutual aid, and radical creativity.
About the TurkxTaylor Initiative and Coalition
The TurkxTaylor Initiative aims to liberate the 101-121 Taylor Street building from its current carceral use and reimagine it as a collectively owned, trans-centered space honoring its queer anticarceral legacy. The coalition's work includes gathering oral histories from Tenderloin residents, organizing participatory design workshops, and showcasing these efforts through public programs and art exhibitions.
As part of the coalition, QT Studios supports the Initiative's goals of dismantling systems of oppression and fostering a community-driven vision for the site. This work reflects our studio's dedication to providing a platform for marginalized voices and resisting the forces of gentrification and erasure.
Moving Forward Together
By joining the TurkxTaylor Coalition, QT Studios is taking an active role in building a just and inclusive future. This partnership not only strengthens our commitment to centering queer and trans experiences in our work but also addresses the systemic barriers that queer, trans, and/or BIPOC artists face. We are proud to stand with the TurkxTaylor Initiative and other coalition partners as we fight for a Tenderloin that uplifts its history, its people, and its future.
Stay tuned for updates on our involvement with the coalition, upcoming workshops, and ways you can support this vital work. Together, we can create the transformative change our communities deserve.