Formally established in May 2025, the ACM SIGGRAPH Rainbow Affinity Group seeks to connect, empower, and support LGBTQ+ individuals in the fields of computer graphics and interactive techniques. Through skill-development opportunities, mentorship, showcases, and dedicated venues for socializing, collaboration, and networking, both at the annual conference and year-round, the group fosters an inclusive and vibrant professional community.
The group’s vision is to support all individuals who identify as LGBTQ+ through inclusive mentorship and community connection. In particular, it aims to uplift emerging professionals and students as they find their voice within the broader SIGGRAPH community, while also continuing to provide more established members with a welcoming space to reconnect, celebrate, and sustain long-standing relationships.
Modeled in part after the successful model of Women in SIGGRAPH, the Rainbow Affinity Group traces its roots to 2002, when a small coalition of students and early-career professionals began organizing informal gatherings in response to the absence of visible LGBTQ+ spaces within the SIGGRAPH ecosystem. What began as a grassroots, do-it-yourself effort has since evolved into a thriving annual Birds of a Feather (BoF) meeting, drawing hundreds of attendees from across SIGGRAPH’s diverse disciplines and professional backgrounds.
Over time, the scope and inclusivity of the group have expanded significantly. Once focused primarily on gay men, the modern Rainbow Affinity Group affirms a broader spectrum of LGBTQ+ identities, reflecting the richness and complexity of queer experience today. A pivotal moment came during the 2024 Rainbow Meetup BoF, when participants, particularly students, expressed a strong desire for more sustained engagement, community-building, and formal recognition within ACM SIGGRAPH. That feedback galvanized longtime organizers to take the next step: establishing a standing affinity group dedicated to fostering a lasting and visible LGBTQ+ presence within the organization.
At a time when diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts face mounting challenges in many sectors, the Rainbow Affinity Group stands as a clear commitment to building a safe and affirming space for intersectional queer identities. Its members represent the full range of SIGGRAPH’s creative and technical community: artists, designers, engineers, storytellers, directors, and scientists. And they reflect the full spectrum of LGBTQ+ identities, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, asexual, intersex, non-binary, Two-Spirit, pansexual, questioning, and others.
By establishing a sustained structure for visibility, connection, and professional development, the Rainbow Affinity Group ensures that LGBTQ+ members are not only included, but celebrated.
The Rainbow Affinity Group Chair is Jeffrey Weekley. Other committee members include AJ Christensen and Victor Zordan.