We like to imagine that club culture is exempt from racism, completely free from discrimination, and a space for escapism and solidarity for everyone. Assuming that the club is a space where all participants can feel liberated and safe is ignorant. Many elements that are cherished in club culture today — music, dance, fashion — originated from Black, PoC and queer communities. The fact that these origins are mostly overlooked shows that discussions around discriminatory structures and possibilities to overcome them are often avoided. We invite people from different QTI*BIPoC-led collectives to come together, discuss what is needed to organise dancefloors centering queer, Black, and Brown bodies. What works well, where are the blind spots, what can safe(r) spaces for QTI*BIPoCs in club culture look like in the future?

co-curated by Rey Joichl

English Culture / Community Diversity / Safer Spaces

Moderation

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  Melissa Erhardt she/her

  ORF/FM4 Austria

  Melissa Erhardt is a Journalist & Radio Host based in Vienna, Austria. She studied Political Science and Digital Media, before starting to work at Radio FM4 and Radio Ö1, working mostly on topics related to pop culture, music and …

Speakers

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  DJ PAULETTE she/her

  DJ / Presenter / Author United Kingdom

  Winner of the DJ Mag Top 100 Lifetime Achievement Award (November 2022) the Keychange (PRS) Inspiration Award (Sound City April 2023), the NTIA Ambassadors of The Night Award (March 2024) and voted DJ of the Year (Nordoff and Robbins) …

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  Henrie Dennis she/her

  Afro Rainbow Austria Austria

  Henrie Dennis, a Nigerian lesbian activist, art curator, and cultural mediator, is the founder of Afro Rainbow Austria. Henrie wears multiple hats, contributing as a social worker at the street newspaper Augustin while pursuing a Ph.D. in …

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  Leandro Barros da Silva / Madame Léa she/her in drag/out of drag he/him

  Madame Léa (Drag queen/Performance artist) Brazil

  Leandro Barros, also known as Madame Léa, was born in Santo André, São Paulo, Brasil. Studied fashion in college, and came to Austria in 2021 to study at the Vienna Fine Arts Academy. Doing drag since 2018, having performed in events such …

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  Meha Jhajharia they/he

  Spice Mixers India

  Meha is a mathematician, interdisciplinary & multimedia visual artist, stage lights technician+designer, and community organizer, who is currently living in Vienna. They are a queer, trans person coming from multiple ethnic backgrounds …

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  Michael Schäfer he/him

  B00sterclub Austria

  Shepperd is a Vienna-based DJ and an active member of B00sterclub, a community and DJ collective that centers queer, trans, and BIPOC people. Through regular open sessions where everyone, regardless of experience level, is welcome to join …

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  Sierra Durgaram she/they

  Bar Bario Netherlands

  As a Queer woman of Colour growing up in Amsterdam, Sierra felt a lack of representation in Amsterdam’s hospitality and social scene, as it is largely dominated by white Dutch culture. Realising there were very few venues embracing …

Location