Eli Rigatuso is an Omaha, Nebraska Native who identifies as a queer trans masculine Two Spirit of the Menominee Nation. An artist, photographer, and video producer/director, Rigatuso has more than 30 years of experience in his field. He has owned and operated Catch Creative a video production company since 1995 and has work experience in television, radio, and digital media as well as sales and management. Eli is a social media expert and has experience as on-air talent using his voice to help move the needle toward more inclusive spaces for LGBTQIA2S+ people!
An outspoken Equal Rights Activist who has served his community in a variety of ways since the mid 90’s Rigatuso was instrumental in raising funds for the Campaign against 416 in early 2000 and help found as well as served on the board of Heartland Pride. Heartland Pride is a local 501c3 nonprofit which hosts The Pride Festival in Omaha and since it’s inception has operated with a positive budget and has grown year over year. In 2019 Rigatuso was honored with Heartland Youth Pride Marsha P. Johnson Change Maker Award for his contributions to the Omaha LGBTQIA2S+ Community for his activism over many years as well as his visibility as a transgender person. Rigatuso was also the given the Change Maker Award through the Omaha Chamber of Commerce YP group and gave a speech at the 2019 YP Summit.
He is currently working full-time at Bellevue University and spends most of his free time on Speaking of Happy which is a website he created to share the stories of people living in the Midwest who identify as LGBTQIA2S+.
Eli is the host of Speaking of Happy LIVE! and did a series of interviews he called Pride on the Patio where he sat down with local activists and performers to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Stonewall. He also writes a blog sharing his personal journey as a transgender man navigating his transition both personally and professionally. Rigatuso is also in the process of writing his memoir. To gain early access to chapters from the book as well as to support his efforts you can become a patron by going to his patreon page!
Rigatuso is a public speaker and facilitator and loves to help organizations and local businesses create open and affirming spaces for LGBTQIA2S+ people. You can watch some of his Livestream events on the Speaking of Happy Facebook page.
His current artistic venture is working on a project he hopes will challenge our perception of the gender binary. The project consists of a series of self-portraits with only subtle differences that will challenge the viewer’s personal concept of what is male and what is female. He hopes by challenging the concept of the gender binary he will pave a pathway to greater acceptance of the gender spectrum. Eli is determined to make a difference in his community.
Mr. Rigatuso is a highly trained public speaker and facilitator and has done a variety of presentations and workshops with local businesses and organizations interested in creating open and affirming spaces for transgender, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming folks living in the Omaha area. He has presented at College Possible, College of St. Mary’s, Cox Communications, Bank of the West, Union Pacific, and Oath (formerly known as Yahoo).