MIEL FRANCO PÉREZ (THEY/THEM/ELLE)
DJ and founder of ¡DYKED! (sapphic, queer pop-up dance, music and art events)
Salt Lake City, Utah
The first event was at Mobile Moon (a queer and femme-led gardening co-op) on a Sunday. It started at 2 p.m. and ended at 10 p.m., so it was very accessible; people could show up without any pressure to stay up all night, and they could look around in the daylight and see each other and meet each other. Seeing the entire dance floor filled with queer, sapphic, trans joy was such a powerful experience: We’re all here together, and we’ve always wanted to be here together. We’ve always craved this connection. Just because spaces for us don’t exist doesn’t mean we don’t deserve them. I feel like it is crucial, especially in a place like Utah, to allow people with experiences like mine to have a space where we can safely exist and express ourselves without being pushed around or judged or ashamed or fetishized — without really worrying about men questioning us or groping us or looking down on us.
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This article appeared in the December 2024 print edition of the magazine with the headline “#IAMTHEWEST.”
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