OUTWATCH Fest celebrates LGBTQ culture in Phoenix

OUTWATCH will be making its public debut this weekend. Hosted by news outlet LOOKOUT Phx in collaboration with several other Arizona-based LGBTQ+ organizations, the festival is set to feature a variety of events in support of Phoenix’s queer community.

The theme for this year’s event is “LOUD(er): say it loud, queer is proud,” a callback to chants from the Stonewall riots.

“This year was the 55th anniversary of Stonewall,” LOOKOUT executive director Jake Hylton explains. “And during that very first Pride, the chant that they said was ‘Say it loud, gay is proud.’ And this we said, ‘Let’s take that, but let’s modernize it and make it more relevant.’”

While this is the second annual OUTWATCH event hosted by LOOKOUT, this is the first one in a festival format, and the first officially open to the public. 

Hylton explains that they wanted to veer away from the typical nonprofit charity gala theme. Instead, they aimed to model it after “spirit weeks,” an idea that Hylton credited in part to an organization in North Carolina.

“This year we said, ‘You know what, let’s make sure that we can highlight the community.’ So we found a lot of these more grassroots, smaller LGBTQ+-focused community organizations … so OUTWATCH came to be, and we turned it into OUTWATCH Fest, which is now 11 events in seven days, all ending with a big LGBTQ dance party.”

The LOUD(er) dance party will be hosted at The Duce in downtown Phoenix. The closing event is the only one requiring an advance $20 ticket purchase.

All the other events are free of charge and open to the public, although a donation is suggested to help sponsor the event and hosting organizations. It’s recommended to RSVP to events ahead of time, as space is limited at some of the venues. 

The week of events kick off on the Sunday with “Sunday Sips” presented by thems. at Skoden Coffee, located in Central Records. The craft event will allow people from the community to come together and create art while sipping on some specialty drinks from the cafe. There will be a variety of events throughout the week, including a screening and panel of the film “1946” at Gracie’s Tax Bar. 

While Hylton expresses concern about the possibility of election-driven stigma around the LGBTQ+ community to dampen the energy of the events, he also says that by celebrating who you are, you combat the hate.

“I think the playbook is to make organizations like LOOKOUT afraid, because if we’re afraid we have a better chance at closing our doors, drawing the curtains and calling it a night. And I think if you take a step back and recognize that that’s what they want, you take a step back and go … no, let’s open our doors and windows. Let’s turn the lanterns up and make sure people from a couple of towns over can see us.

“The reality is that queer people face violence every single day, and we shouldn't. But I know that the work that we are doing, and the work that a lot of other organizations across the state are doing, especially even these smaller ones that are part of OUTWATCH Fest, that they are doing the things that need to be done so that we can build that community and feel strong.”

OUTWATCH Fest highlights the idea of building these safe spaces in communities, and Hylton hopes that people come away from the events with new friends and a renewed sense of identity.

For more information about the event, visit the LOOKOUT Phoenix website.