The Southern Fried Queer Pride festival comes to Durham for the first time Thursday, putting on a three-day event filled with art workshops, performances, skill shares and dance parties to celebrate Southern queer culture.
Southern Fried Queer Pride (SFQP) is an Atlanta-based queer and trans arts and advocacy organization and festival that launched in 2014. Co-founder Taylor Alxndr wanted to create a space for local LGBTQ people to perform, entertain and educate within their Southern communities.
This is the first time the SFQP festival will come from Atlanta to Durham, hoping to inspire queer and trans pride in North Carolina.
“Every year we have a whole bunch of people come from North Carolina to Atlanta,” Alxndr said. “Durham is a really special place because there is so much political action already happening.”
The festival will open with Heart Party, a self-love, trauma-free art workshop for creative queers at The Mothership workspace in Durham. The event will begin at 6 p.m. with a DIY zine and internet art workshop led by artists Shady K. and Darcy V., followed by an open art jam where dancing, snacking and free expression are encouraged.
“My hope is that this event will allow people space to reflect on their own self-worth and own self-possibility and be with other people who are enjoying the same thoughts,” Shady K. said.
The creative jam session will groove to Raleigh’s kindest DJ, Glen Koko, and include a visual art display from local Greensboro artist, Arbmat. Local clothing brand WitchBae will be at the event selling apparel and print designs.
Founder of WitchBae, Imani Inami, said she is hopeful for the future of queer and trans pride.
“A lot of pride events were run by people who are kind of older now,” Inami said. “This is the newer generation’s chance to show what pride means to us and what it looks like in a different context.”