Pride Month will have ended, but we're still queer, and here. My small family invites our shared queer family to a party to embrace your local and regional community, help you build friendships, have some respite, and know that you're viscerally understood and loved. Let's welcome July, the month of Queer Wrath!
We invite queer artists, vendors, non-profits, musicians, and more to showcase their materials and abilities. There will be food and potluck. There will be games and music. There will be spellcraft and tarot readings. There will be spectacularly gay arts & crafts. And there will be a fire, including a ceremonial burning of transphobic artifacts*.
You'll ALSO have access to a queer librarian to help you get resources and answers to almost any question or idea you have. Meet collaborators and planners in your community!
Featured activities:
*Painting Pride: small paintable crafts and all the buckets of rainbow paint you can imagine (and glitter!)
*Tarot reading and other spells: Sata will read tarot cards and lead other forms of spellcraft. Others are invited to create magic as well!
*So much food! Either bring a dish to share or a shelf-stable, in-date item to donate for local food pantry (which one TBD, taking suggestions!)
*Friendship and Mutual Aid Networking
*Free Table: Bring your unwanted items to trade or give away for free to other members of the community; anything left over will be donated to regional mutual aid and thrift charities. This is a great chance also to promote yourself through samples and coupons! This can also be a place to add your mutual aid requests!
*Transphobia bonfire: anything you want to bring that has been a thorn in your side we'll burn and relieve you of the stress. Old books about boy wizards? FIRE. Transmedicalist screeds? SMOKE. Nasty letters from crap relatives? EXPLODE. Got creative and made an effigy of any particular tyrants? Into the pit it goes!
*Sparklers: It's after the 4th of July. I'm sure we'll somehow end up with some shiny flammables.
*MUCH MORE to come!
About your hosts: Cat (they/he) and Sata Prescott (he/they) have lived in DeKalb for about six years. They hail originally from North Carolina and Virginia, and while they love and miss their mountains, they are devoted to their new home in DeKalb, IL. They are both transmasc, and are parents to two cat children.
About the location: The party will be in the backyard of 420 Franklin St, a 100+-year-old Victorian farmhouse with an obscenely large back yard. The yard is mostly grass, with some concrete. A bathroom inside is available for public use. There are three steps into the house, but a ramp can be arranged if needed. Parking is widely available on the surrounding streets, and at a squish, four smaller cars can fit in our driveway. Do not park in the places labeled "no parking" in the alley. We are close to two bus stops.
What should I bring?
Answer: a chair suitable for outside use, a dish to share (with a list of ingredients), hand crafts, fun games you've wanted to try with gay folks, and anything else that sounds fun.
But I'm not gay?
Answer: allies from outside the community are welcome, but this is FOR the girlies. We love our cisstraight allies. So long as you're here for your queer siblings, please be welcome. This is *not* the best place for newer allies who aren't completely comfortable with very diverse populations. This party is specifically going to be a safe space for the broad queer community.
Can I invite someone?
Answer: Absolutely everyone can invite folks who are in the community or otherwise committed to the uplift of LGBTQ+ folks. Spread this invite far and wide!
What about kids/dogs/horses?
Answer: While relatively well-behaved children are welcome, it might be a little more boring than they might enjoy, and I'm certain there will be swearing. The yard is fenced and will be safe for most dogs, the gate might be open or closed. Pets should be kept leased, but are generally welcome as long as they're relatively social. If you want to bring large or many animals, please check with us first! NOTE: The fee for bringing a pet is that Sata gets to cuddle them.
A note about alcohol:
The Prescotts will not specifically be serving alcohol. Sata doesn't drink, and some members of the party may be in recovery for alcoholism. Therefore, if you would like to partake of alcohol, bring enough for yourself and a small quantity to share if desired. We would prefer to not have this available on the food tables, so perhaps a small cooler is in order.
More details to come!!
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*You might be feeling some kind of way about "book burning" in this case. There are a few specific things to think about: 1) This event does not constitute a governmental action or censorship. 2) This is a ceremonial act to help alleviate emotional pain. And 3) The aesthetics of book burning should not overtake the explicit philosophical action. I'm happy to discuss with you one on one if you want to talk about it, but the emotional release of flame will continue regardless.
Also check out other Entertainment events in Dekalb, Parties in Dekalb.
