Stephen Funk

Stephen Funk (founding member) moved to the Bay Area in 2001 shortly before 9/11, and enlisted in the Marine Corps in early 2002. His father had been a cryptographer in the navy during the Vietnam War, and Stephen is named after an uncle who had died stationed overseas. Stephen also is and was an activist. During training he had difficulty conforming to military service and sought discharge as a conscientious objector. In April 2003, he became the first person in the military to publicly oppose the Iraq War and was eventually sent to military prison. Upon his release, Funk continued activism with Iraq Veterans Against the War and formed a group called Veteran Artists as an outlet for veterans to engage with others and express themselves. VA has produced several workshops and productions including "Make Drag Not War!" at Dance Mission Theater and "Another World!" at the deYoung Museum. Stephen participated in crucial project development during the CounterPulse ARC residency as a performer/ collaborator, and performed in ETS @ C.I.I.S.