QUEER was a multi-venue event presented at the following venues in Glendale:

ace/121 Gallery

“A word becomes a slur becomes a culture. For some ‘Queer’ remains too painful to embrace.  For others, it’s a culture that extends beyond the LGBT community, allowing for broader inclusiveness. In LGBT normative Century 21, what is ‘Queer’ anymore? “

 This was an open call invitation to submit one piece, one paragraph:  What makes you QUEER?

On June 28th, ace/121 and Homo-Centric presented an evening of readings revolving around the paragraphs that examined the evolution of a word and how LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ alike identify with it today.

 Abril Books/Roslin Art Gallery

GALAS (Gay and Lesbian Armenian Society), Abril Books, and Roslin Art Gallery presented QUEER in both gallery work and a month of programming. 

 “Experiences of queernes and otherness have been shared by the Armenian and LGBTQIA+ community.  Both have been targeted and oppressed throughout history in different contexts.  In a diverse city such as Los Angeles, the experience of being queer or other is constantly evolving.  This is a call to all artists of Armenian backgrounds, whether or not you identify as LGBTQIA+, to submit artwork that expresses your experience of queerness or otherness.”

Gauchos Village

​Gauchos Village is a Brazilian steak house and bar that is a gay-owned and gay-friendly venue for all LGBTQ events.  They hosted the after party for the opening of QUEER.

—

Glendale has a broad but mostly invisible and therefore unacknowledged LGBTQ community.  QUEER was an endeavor to not only look at the evolution of a word and a culture, but to do so in what was Glendale’s first-ever LGBTQ-based art exhibit and Gay Pride Event.