After years of taking place in off-campus venues, the sixteenth annual OUT/LOUD queer and trans women’s music festival will return on  campus to help kick off this Friday at 7 p.m at the University of Oregon’s memorial quad.
The all-ages event, hosted by the ASUO Women’s Center, offers performance art, comedy, and music. This festival will showcase music and performances by and for queer and trans women. This will include performances from big names like Puerto Rican singer Taina Asili and her backing group la Banda Rebelde and Evan Greer, a trans/genderqueer activist and singer-songwriter. (Both acts are traveling from Albany, NY and Boston for the festival, respectively.)
Local acts in the lineup include Mischief Mistress Jane – a 23-year-old Eugene-based queer and trans feminist producer – as well as Eugene’s Saffron, a grunge outfit composed of guitarist/singer Alex Jackson, Graham Thirkil on bass and Matt Kaplowitz on drums.
Poetry, dance, community musicians and a few skits put on by the campus Sexual Wellness Advocacy Team (S.W.A.T.) surrounding the topic of healthy sexuality for queer and trans people are also part of this year’s OUT/Loud package.
“A lot of the other women’s center events are bringing up a cause or addressing an issue, but what’s wonderful about OUTloud is that it’s a celebration,” said Brynn Powell, LGBTQA Coordinator for Women’s Center. “We further an agenda that includes the voices of trans and queer women artists, but it’s mostly a celebration of what we do.”
The ASUO Women’s Center is hosting the event, which it claims to be “the Pacific Northwest’s largest queer and trans women’s music festival,
But while it’s a celebration, it’s a celebration with a purpose to encourage community and activism.
The event description points out that, “In the wake of political unrest around Mississippi’s and North Carolina’s homophobic and transphobic policies, and concerning the reality of female queer and trans women artists being paid historically less than their cisgender and/or male/masculine counterparts, supporting events like OUT/LOUD is fundamental to helping queer and trans women safely express their personhood.”
OUT/LOUD is meant to be a safe and fun place for people to come and enjoy music, and form a stronger bond in the community.
In order to keep a peaceful and safe environment for people to express themselves, Powell says there will also be response teams and LGBT Education Support there due to the nature of the event. It is also open to any and all people.
“I want there to be rad music first of all,” said Powell, “but we want to make it accessible. We want allies or potential allies to feel a sense of kinship and togetherness with trans women and people in queer and trans spectrum in general.”
While the event serves as an important platform for positive dialogue around queer and trans women and the stories they have to tell, it is first and foremost a lively way for people in the community to enjoy themselves and feel recognized.
“Everyone’s gonna walk away with something different,” said Powell. “But I hope they come away feeling supported and see that people on campus and community have your interests at heart.”
Tickets are $8 for general admission; $6 for UO students; $3 for those under 18 (although no one will be turned away). Tickets can be purchased here, as well as on the day of the event.
Listen to “Freedom (ft. Michael Reyes)” by Taína Asili below.