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Connections
A smiling man with short dark hair wearing a blue button-down shirt and a grey blazer. He is holding a pair of eyeglasses. The word "Connections" appears on the left side of the photo in vertical letters.
Connections

Rochester Queer Arts Festival regroups after larger companies withdraw funding support for LGBTQ events

By Evan Dawson,
Elissa Orlando, Julie Williams
Published October 2, 2025 at 2:35 PM EDT
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Gary Pudup
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WXXI News
Tim Evanicki and Ed Popil(aka Mrs. Kasha Davis) with host Evan Dawson on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Thursday, October 2, 2025
A smiling man with short dark hair wearing a blue button-down shirt and a grey blazer. He is holding a pair of eyeglasses. The word "Connections" appears on the left side of the photo in vertical letters.
WXXI News

Earlier this year, the organizers of the Rochester Queer Arts Festival realized that larger companies were withdrawing their sponsorship of LGBTQ-themed events. But the Rochester event was able attract enough small local business support to continue, and to grow.

We'll discuss why the larger companies have pulled back, and what the festival is aiming to become.

In studio:

Connections
Evan Dawson
Evan Dawson is the host of "Connections with Evan Dawson." He joined WXXI in January 2014 after working at 13WHAM-TV, where he served as morning news anchor. He was hired as a reporter for 13WHAM-TV in 2003 before being promoted to anchor in 2007.
See stories by Evan Dawson
Elissa Orlando
Elissa Orlando is a producer for “Connections with Evan Dawson.” She returns part-time to WXXI News after stepping back from a long career in public media and in translational science.
See stories by Elissa Orlando
Julie Williams
Julie Williams is an associate producer for "Connections with Evan Dawson." She started at WXXI in 2019 and has been working on Connections since 2022.
See stories by Julie Williams