To my House of Hues community,

It is with bittersweet optimism that I am telling you, I will no longer be your board President of House of Hues.

It's been a wild ride, and I am forever grateful for it. Please know, it was my pleasure to serve this community as President. Even though things in my personal life ended up taking precedence for me lately, I have no regrets for any of the love and energy I put into our time together. I am not the ideal President for the organization right now, and it's is with love that I say I know you deserve better. It is with joy that I offer you better, by shifting into a supportive role as Past President on the board. It has been a painful and emotional journey, but not a difficult decision.

I'd love to take the time to thank everyone who made my time as President so fulfilling, rewarding, and even possible in the first place:

Prism Network. I learned so much about how a queer non-profit can fit into the landscape of Yavapai County when I was a board member. I am so grateful for all the current Prism Network team who are working to create safety for this entire community. Wishing for even more positive future collaborations and growth!

Whitney Williams. My founding Vice President. In a sense, only you and I know the truth of just how far the two of us have gone to build this little House. But I wouldn't change a thing about it. There is something so special and symbolic about you offering your home to us when we needed it most. We developed an entire murder mystery in your living room! Our best and worst board meetings in our founding years happened on the safety of your couch. And resources ebb and flow but that gesture is only one representation of the selfless compassion that you always offer with a smile. I look forward to seeing you take care of that compassionate heart, and let others follow in the footsteps you have so lovingly left behind you as your roles with House of Hues shift just like mine. You were exactly the VP that I needed to make this happen.

Audre GB Ledvorowski, Clinton Slay, and Lexi Mae Watson. The founding board members of House of Hues. I really never sought out to run a drag troupe, I just so badly wanted one to exist! I never would have felt safe to take this leap and create an entire organization if you hadn't all been so willing to step up and join me for it. From the bottom of my heart, I wish happiness and joy for you and your families. Thank you for all you have given.

Klay Wandelear. Our first technical director. I would not have had the confidence to have ever believed I could pull this off if you had not been the passionate and driven creative collaborator that you were to me when this all began. I can't explain just how thrilling it was for me when you very first lit up our stage, literally and figuratively, and matched a vision I had in my head since I was a lonely, isolated kid growing up so lost and confused in Prescott. Thank you for being so willing to teach me and play with me, and for all the art we crafted together.

Alice Mae Watson. I am eternally sorry for any way I ever failed you, and am so grateful for any way that the lessons you taught helped me show up better for others in need. Thank you for sharing your light on our stage. Rest in Peace.

The cast and crew of RED, and to the hosts of that show, Lucretia Flection and Tay4Pay, the first to let us proudly put their faces and voices out there for queer art in this town. RED was the very first House of Hues show we ever put on in 2022, and it would not have happened without every single one of you. Thanks for making my cherry.mx debut so special. House of Hues was not even an official non-profit at the time.

We were just a bunch of disenfranchised queer artists who were SO ready to express ourselves and be seen and baby we fucking did it. The spirit of that is what House of Hues truly is. It existed before any government entity decided to grace us with their official recognition, and the truth of what House of Hues is shall always surpass that. I am excited to watch House of Hues continue to transform, to make room for art like that again and again in our ever changing world.

The deepest of gratitude to Atlas DeBorde. Your new House of Hues President. I recognize in you that inimitable spark of passion and enthusiasm that brings life to what was once just an idea. I wish for that love for this community in your heart to be dearly tended to and fed by them in return. Thank you for sharing all of yourself with me that you have, as a collaborator and as a friend. Everything you've ever shown me gives me confidence that House of Hues is in good hands.

To all touched by House of Hues in any way: I am sorry for any pain or harm I caused while being a person doing this for the first time, and doing it imperfectly the entire way. Thank you to anyone who has ever sat in our audience, worked a show, performed on our stage, gave us a space to exist or shared in our joy. Thank you to everyone reading this, whether you do so with love or disdain. Thank you for being part of the story of House of Hues.

Change is fucking hard. And change is inevitable. I am grateful for the opportunity for things to change for the better. Yavapai County can be a place where queer art thrives, and this community deserves that. Thank you, everyone, who is making that happen. I am so excited to see where we go from here.

With eternal gratitude,

Sylvia Itzel Ximi