Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement

At Moulin Noir Arts Collective, we are dedicated to the unapologetic celebration, protection, and elevation of Black femme and LGBTQ+ artists. Our work exists to correct historical erasure, dismantle exclusionary practices in the arts, and ensure that our communities are not just represented but prioritized. We do not believe in performative diversity—we believe in active investment, equity, and creating sustainable opportunities for Black femme and queer artists to thrive.

We resist any narrative, structure, or policy that fails to fully support Black LGBTQ+ and femme artists. Too often, these communities are asked to exist within frameworks that tokenize, silence, or undervalue their contributions. We reject models of inclusion that require assimilation, respectability, or proximity to whiteness, and we refuse to conform to industry standards that continue to deny Black queer and femme artists the resources, funding, and opportunities they deserve.

Our work is centered on:

  • Black Femme & LGBTQ+ Leadership – Our organization ensures that Black femmes, trans, and nonbinary people are the decision-makers, facilitators, and visionaries behind all programs, performances, and initiatives.

  • Cultural Preservation & Innovation – We honor and protect Black queer artistic traditions including ballroom, burlesque, jazz, spoken word, and radical performance arts, while also creating space for new and evolving expressions of creativity.

  • Economic Justice & Sustainability – Black queer and femme artists have been historically underpaid and undervalued. We provide fair wages, funding access, and financial support to ensure that their artistry is recognized as labor deserving of compensation and security.

  • Safer Spaces & Collective Care – Our work does not exist in isolation from systemic oppression. We cultivate spaces that are free from harm, exploitation, and the policing of identity. Through our Ballroom & Burlesque Safety Toolkit, we equip our community with resources for harm reduction, mutual aid, mental health support, and conflict resolution.

  • Resistance & Liberation Through Art – Art is not separate from activism. Moulin Noir is not interested in inclusion within systems that refuse to center Black LGBTQ+ voices. Instead, we are committed to building our own institutions, platforms, and movements where our existence, expression, and joy are non-negotiable.

We reject any diversity efforts that treat Black queer artists as an afterthought. We do not ask for space. We create it.We do not wait for opportunities. We build them. We do not accept partial inclusion. We demand full liberation.

Our work will continue until Black femme and LGBTQ+ artists are not only seen but fully resourced, fully valued, and fully free.