Annual event will happen, despite last-minute changes
Due to what organizer Daniel Scott Mullens-Spencer described as “unforeseen circumstances, gentrification and construction,” QueerBomb 2018 had to make some last-minute changes.
Instead of being held June 16 at a Deep Ellum club as originally planned, the event has been moved to this Saturday, June 30, at the Main Street Garden Park, 1902 Main St., in downtown Dallas.
Mullens-Spencer said organizers were forced to scale things down a bit this year, but those who attend can still expect a rousing tribute to living authentically and with pride.
“QueerBomb is a remembrance of the Stonewall uprising [in 1969 in New York City],” he explained. “At its very root, that’s what Pride is about. That’s why we celebrate Pride. Dallas has its parade and festival in September each year, and that’s quirky and fun. But we think it’s important to remember why we have Pride.
“We want people to remember why it is revolutionary to celebrate yourself on Main Street, and QueerBomb provides that moment for our community every year,” Mullens-Spencer continued. “Despite all the progress we may have made, there are still so many ways in which we do not have equality and justice in our community. And these days, with everything that is happening, it is more important than ever to be out there, be visible and be ourselves.
“It is important for us to shine, now more than ever.”
One thing that sets QueerBomb apart each year is that organizers neither solicit nor accept corporate sponsorships.
“We raise funds throughout the year, and we do have some local individuals who have helped out a whole lot over the years,” Mullens-Spencer said. “But nothing there will be ‘brought to you by Bud Light,’ and no one will be trying to get you to change your electricity provider.”
But one thing there definitely will be at QueerBomb is the chance to educate yourself and get involved with the community and its organizations.
“There will be a lot of really important causes represented” at the rally, Mullens-Spencer said. “We have a really lovely line-up of local organizations that will have tables there, and at least a couple of groups will be there registering voters. That is extremely important this year, that our community be registered to vote and that we go and vote.”
While this year’s QueerBomb will be “a scaled-down event,” with no official after party, it will still include time for mingling, a Pride rally featuring popular local entertainers and a march through Deep Ellum, Mullens-Spencer said. “The march this year will be a little longer than it has been before. A lot of people asked for that.”
Rose Room entertainer Raquel Blake will be the emcee for the rally, and guest speakers include Jenny Nguyen from a newly-formed queer Muslim group, and LULAC representative and LGBT Dreamer Armando Martinez, both of whom “represent a lot of issues that are very timely, especially give the news of the last few days,” Mullens-Spencer said, referring to abusive immigration policies implemented at the country’s southern border and a Supreme Court ruling upholding Trump’s ban on immigrants from certain majority Muslim countries.
Entertainer and trans activist Nicole O’hara Munro and trans activist and internet personality Krista de la Rosa will also speak at the rally.
Singers Jada Pinkett Fox and Chris Chism will perform, and DJ Wylie will spin the music.
“Even with all the setbacks this year, we are expecting to have a whole lot of fun,” Mullens-Spencer said. “QueerBomb is an expression of our Pride and our love for ourselves and our community, and QueerBomb will happen, no matter what. That’s a truly beautiful thing, especially this year.”
