DJReZ Cyberstar (2017 – Archived)
Candidate for Chair
Having been in Second Life and a supporting member of Second Pride for many years, I believe that I can bring a unique perspective to the Board. I am an entertainer and clothing creator for Second Life. I have very strong ties to the LGBTQ community, as well as the greater community that is Second Life.
I am independent, strong willed, fair minded and believer in the greater good should always come first, kind of person. I used to think that wanting to be Chairman of Second Pride was an ego thing. After meeting and talking with many past Board members, this is simply not the case. It is a deep rooted desire to do something positive for the community, as a whole. Something that I am entirely in complete agreement with.
I believe we, as a community, need to be even more inclusive. Reaching out to the straight community for their inclusion into this incredible organization and community. We need to fight back against the homophobic notions taken by so many and educate then through our vast resources. Our members!
Resisting the current political climate in the U.S. and around the globe should be of the utmost importance. We need to ensure we are doing all we can for our brothers and sisters around the globe, so that at the very least, they know they are not alone. We also need to increase the awareness of our young LGBTQ family that they too have a voice, and are certainly loved and not alone.
My hope to be able to push forward an agenda of security for our community and for those that support us. To ensure that HOPE remains a constant in very trouble times.
Thank you for your consideration.
DJReZ Cyberstar
4 thoughts on “DJReZ Cyberstar (2017 – Archived)”
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Let me start by asking how you prefer to be addressed, is it DJRez or Rez or something completely different?
I was immensely happy and relieved to read your statement, it’s so filled with passion, compassion and hopes for the future.Like you I believe there is and should be a LGBT+ community in place in SecondLife that is working for our issues and supporting our causes and needs.
However, there are those among us who state that there is no real community and they don’t have a need for one. How would you respond to them?
Hi Bock. Thank you for your questions. I will endeavor to answer them as simply as possible. First off, you can just call me Rez. 🙂
Second and most importantly, how do I respond to those that don’t believe or think there is a LGBT+ community in SL? Well I look around at all the LGBT+ venues in Second Life. I look at the huge success of the Pride Festival. I look to the designers, artists and entertainers on the grid. There is a huge gay presence. But, we are fractured. We are prone to infighting and bickering among ourselves. We have the Leather group, the Twink group, the Drag Queens, the T-Boys & Girls, I could go on and on. You have those that think their club or land mass is better than anyone else. Perhaps community is the wrong word, as we stand now? There are those out there that may actually feel that they don’t need the LGBT+ community in Second Life. And for them that’s fine.
For those of us that enjoy being a part of a community, Second Pride is a great place to start. We need the affirmation and safe place to be ourselves. I think it is up to the Chairman and the entire Board to make that a reality. We need to reach out to those that feel disaffected with current state of things. In-World and out! By learning to support each other in the pixelated world of SL I think we can refine our skills to support each other in the real world. Reaching out to all of the sim and club owners, getting them to “buy in” to the concept of all for one. At least all for the many. So many of us don;t have that community in RL and I really hate seeing the fractured community in SL. It’s not Us vs. Them. Because we are all someones’ “Them”.
I feel that my role as Chairman would be to get the politics, as much as possible, out of Second Pride. Second Pride should be the unifying factor. Second Pride NEEDS to be the unifying factor to say, “Hey, you know what you DO matter. And so do you, and you. We are here to support you, we are here to help you in whatever way you may need.” In the end, it is up to each individual to make the choice if they want to be a part of the LGBT+ community. It is my hope, and goal to make them want to be and feel that they need to be.
Rez, thank you for running for Chairman. I am excited to see continued interest in Second Pride. That being said, often not all board position are filled or board positions become vacation. Besides the standard bylaw processes, how would you go about filling vacant board positions in order to have a successful year? What do you feel are your opportunities as you approach this position and what will you do to keep yourself and your team motivated through-out the year?
Lledge, Thank you for your questions. I will try to keep my answers succinct, but I do tend to ramble. Bare with me.
How would I go about trying to fill open board positions? This is a difficult question. We have the open election process and as we can see 4 positions have been filled. While this is a disappointment to me and I think largely the outgoing board, we can use this as an opportunity to bring in the younger, fresher perspectives of our grid wide membership. Reaching out to those disaffected in the past for whatever reasons, by tapping into the potential and mentoring those that are on the fence about should they put themselves forward or not. Much like I was. Admittedly, I still am. This is a huge responsibility. However, I know that I am not alone in this and bringing that to the forefront for any other members that would like to participate on the board. Additionally, I would reach out to past boards members. Perhaps they know of someone or they themselves are willing to take a different position on the board.
What do I feel my opportunities are for the coming year and how do I keep the rest of the team motivated? I think the motivation aspect is fairly easy to look at. We all ran for the board for our various reasons. I think the motivation comes from the desire to do what we can to promote positive change within the SL community, as well as our RL communities.
Looking back on my past years as an SP Member, the opportunities to engage the greater community is tremendous. I want to bring in those that have felt marginalized and not taken seriously in the past. I want to reach out to the heterosexual communities and educate and bring them into the fold with us as advocates and supporters. Perhaps PFLAG style! Reaching out to all the LGBT+ sim owners and club owners, artists, designers and entertainers. To remind everyone we are all the same! We have all the same wants, needs and desires. That only together can we achieve something incredible! We CAN, We WILL and We MUST.
As Board members we must all be available to the general membership. We need to be visible and out in the community that we love and show the positive aspects of what Second Pride can be and do for everyone. So much comes to mind and I am sure as outgoing Chair, you too had these same thoughts Lledge. I for one am grateful for your leadership and want to say a huge Thank You for all that you have done for Second Pride and the community at large.
I said succinct, huh, guess I wasn’t really. I just hope I answered your questions, and gave you some idea of who I am and what I hope to accomplish in this position of trust.
Rez