Membership Survey By IATSE’s United Scenic Artists Local Finds “Strikingly” Low Percentage Of People Of Color

deadline.com:

United Scenic Artists, IATSE Local 829, has released its first-ever demographic survey of its more than 5,000 members nationwide.

According to the local, the survey revealed a “strikingly” small “inclusion of members who identify as part of the Black Community (1.9%), Asian Community (2.7%), Latin/X Community (3.6%), Indigenous Community (0.4%), and the Middle Eastern/North African Community (0.6%).”Those figures, however, are based on the 44.7% of the local’s members who took part in the survey.

As the survey notes, “Data presented here, notably percentages, was calculated against the entire union’s membership and includes all members who did not participate.” Slightly more women than men took part in the survey, though a source observed that it would appear that a majority of the local’s members are men.With respect to sexual orientation, the survey found that 6.8% of members self-identified as “gay and lesbian,” 0.6% identified as “queer” and 2.3% as “bisexual.”See the full report here.“Our union is committed to building a collaborative community that welcomes all,” said Local USA 829 President Edward Pierce. “That work starts here at home through education, engagement, listening, and, of course, collective action.

All of us in the entertainment industry should heed the call to do better for our artists, for our audiences, and on behalf of our colleagues and kin.”Headquartered in New York City, Local 829 represents scenic artists; scenic, costume, lighting, sound and projection designers; computer artists; art and costume department coordinators; and scenic shop workers employed in live performance, film, TV and commercials throughout the country.“It is the start of a new entertainment season and attention is being