Jeovany Tzilin Gomez
Contributing Writer
The Associated Students (AS) Trans & Queer Commission (TQC) collaborated once again with the Isla Vista Recreation and Parks District to host their third annual Queer Fest.
The Queer Fest took place on April 12 at Little Acorn Park and was coordinated by TQC Vice Co-Chair Eleanor Khan (they/them). In an interview with The Bottom Line (TBL), they mentioned how the Queer Fest has improved over the years.
Khan explained that the first Queer Fest “was really cool, but we had less vendors. We didn’t have any live music, like no catering, definitely very small. And every year we’ve built it up.” Khan continued, “I feel like we’ve been able to get more resources because we’ve been more ambitious in a sense.”
While Khan and TQC successfully executed the event, they were met with challenges, such as dealing with instructional development. Khan believes that “[the university administration relies] on us to put on these events,” which makes it hard for organizers, like themself, to host events without funding from the university.
Khan emphasized that it’s within the power of student-led organizations to plan these events and inspire the drive to make their plans come to life. They revealed that they had to pay for some of the events like the Pride Week Drag Show out of pocket, but their thought process was “like, do we want the drag show to happen? Yes!” Khan also emphasized that their advisors have been a major help to get funding to cover the event’s costs, despite their bosses’ contrary decisions.
The Queer Fest featured free food from South Coast Deli, live music, vendors, tabling from campus organizations and off-campus services, and outdoor activities such as cornhole toss and vase painting.
The local bands and artists that performed at the event were Foxglove, Left On Read, and Joveth. A few of the band members of Left On Read talked about their intention of bringing positivity into Queer Fest and wanting more diversity in music.
Matthew McGill (he/him), the saxophonist of Left On Read, believes that the band is inclusive and that “everyone can enjoy [their] music.” He continued, “If you’re all watching us play, you can both have the same feeling towards our performance and you can bond over it.”
Jon Dewey (he/him), the frontman of Left On Read, added to the conversation. “I would love to see like more representation of the girls, the gays, and the allies [onstage],” Dewey said. He also stated that he would like to see more representation in the song choices that queer people could relate to.
A variety of small businesses were selling items like crochet stuffed animals, thrifted clothing, pottery, jewelry and stickers. These businesses share similar missions of being more ethical and compassionate contributors for the LGBTQ+ community compared to big brands.
Gaucho Graphics, a visual arts club at UCSB, sold stickers and zines. One of the officers explained how promoting her club helps the LGBTQ+ community.
“We’re open to everyone who has an interest in art or connecting with other artists,” she said. “A lot of our members are in the LGBTQ+ community as well. So, we’re just sort of a safe space for anybody who likes to express themselves through art.”
The Queer Fest also featured representatives of campus organizations such as La Familia De Colores, the Resource Center For Gender And Sexual Diversity, and Marginalized Genders in Gaming. These organizations share similar missions of creating safe spaces for students in the LGBTQ+ community on campus.
Many attendees were present to spend time with friends, buy from small businesses, and celebrate pride with their peers.
“Just seeing all the booths, tables, and all the people going around and at least looking, giving the time of day to look and support all these other independent creators and support their inspirations and aspirations — it’s nice to see,” A.J. Fiscal, an attendee, said.
Brett Espino, another attendee, also commented, “Not only does the gathering of queer-identifying people help to provide a sense of safety to be yourself but also [expresses] all their interests that even people who do not identify as queer can relate to and form a bond with.”
Khan expresses their gratitude for the people that made the event possible, especially the attendees.
They explained, “I just like [seeing] people painting on the lawn, buying stuff, and seeing vendors selling pins of the non-binary flag and stuff like that. And I feel like that’s what this is all about to me. Even if we get five people at an event, at least we made five people from a marginalized community happy.”