OUTWORDS Approaches 10th Anniversary, Welcomes New Executive Director Beth Shipp

As OUTWORDS approaches its 10th anniversary this June, the nonprofit is experiencing a change of hands with the recent retirement of founding Executive Director Mason Funk.

After starting the nonprofit from scratch, interviewing nearly 400 queer elders and preserving their stories to create an archive that hadn’t previously existed, Funk is stepping down from his role after 10 years to make space for new leadership.

According to their website, the organization’s mission is to record, preserve and share the stories of LGBTQIA2S+ elders, to build community and catalyze social change.

OUTWORDS’ board of directors conducted a national search for the organization’s next executive director to continue carrying out this mission. The search brought them to Beth Shipp, a political strategist who possesses the desire to both build on Funk’s work and offer a slightly new perspective. She assumed her new position on April 15.

Shipp’s background spans two primary areas, beginning with nearly 20 years in electoral politics. She managed U.S. Senate and gubernatorial campaigns across the country and later served as political director for NARAL Pro-Choice America, now known as Reproductive Freedom for All.

In 2015, Shipp transitioned into leadership roles within social justice organizations, taking on positions such as executive director and managing director. Her first role in that space was with LPAC, a political action committee focused on lesbian and queer women.

As the organization’s first executive director, Shipp became deeply engaged in LGBTQ+-focused work, supporting candidates who were strong allies on issues including LGBTQ+ rights, racial equity and broader social justice causes.

Shipp credits her experience at LPAC for setting her on a long-term path in social justice leadership. Over the past decade, she has worked across a range of causes, including a role at MoveOn, where she led two regions of its down-ballot program aimed at electing young, queer candidates and candidates of color to offices at the gubernatorial level.

Most recently, she served as interim executive director of Recovery Café Longmont, which provides community support and resources for individuals in active recovery, helping them maintain sobriety and build a sense of belonging.

Now at OUTWORDS, she said the role feels like a return to her roots.

“It almost feels like coming home,” Shipp says. “I’m back in LGBTQ spaces, helping tell the stories of elder queer people and offering hope for the generations that follow.”

She said she sees an opportunity to expand OUTWORDS’ impact by deepening both its storytelling and its role in advocacy.

“I think we have an opportunity to move beyond where OUTWORDS is right now and broaden the storytelling and the activism we’re doing,” she says.

“We’re building a living record that future generations can turn to for understanding, connection and a sense of possibility,” she continues. “I want to make sure these stories don’t just exist, but that they continue to move people and shape culture for a long time.”

Bridging the Gap

Shipp emphasized the importance of intergenerational connection within the LGBTQ+ community.

“One thing I’d really like to see more of is intentional, intergenerational conversations,” she says. “Bringing elders together with younger LGBTQ people to learn from each other. There’s so much growth that can happen on both sides.”

While some of that work has already begun at OUTWORDS, she said there is room to expand and build new partnerships.

She pointed to organizations like GenderCool Project, which shares the experiences of transgender and nonbinary youth, as an example of potential collaboration.

“Bringing younger people into conversation with our elders is what will help build the future for all of us,” she says.

For younger audiences encountering these stories for the first time, Shipp said the message is clear.

“I want them to know they are loved, valued, seen and that they belong,” she says. “Even when it feels like the system or society is against them, we’ve been there before. We’ve fought through it, and we will again.”

She added that community remains a powerful force.

“There are people behind them, alongside them and ahead of them who are willing to stand in this fight,” Shipp shares. “Nobody is going to erase us. Their future is hopeful, and it’s on all of us to come together and make sure that future is realized.”

A key focus for the organization moving forward is expanding the reach of OUTWORDS’ growing archive of stories.

“Over the past decade, we’ve recorded around 400 interviews with LGBTQ people,” she explains. “Our job now is to get those stories out into the world in a bigger way.”

She said increasing visibility can serve multiple audiences, including younger LGBTQ+ people, allies and even those who may not yet understand the community.

“For younger LGBTQ people, these elders can serve as beacons, people they can look to and learn from,” she shares. “For allies, these stories can reinforce that they have a role to play in pushing back against the erasure and authoritarianism we’re seeing.”

She also emphasized the potential impact on those outside the LGBTQ+ community.

“There’s also a role for people who may not currently be supportive,” she says. “If they’re willing to engage with these stories from a place of learning, there’s an opportunity for real understanding.”

She said many anti-LGBTQ+ attitudes stem from a lack of exposure and misinformation.

“A lot of people hold anti-trans or anti-queer views because of what they’ve been taught or because they don’t personally know anyone who identifies that way,” she explains. “These stories can help bridge that gap.”

While she acknowledged not everyone would be persuaded, she said even small shifts matter.

“We’re not going to reach everyone,” Shipp says. “But if we can help even a few people better understand others’ lived experiences, then we’re doing meaningful work.”