KEXP Celebrates Pride

Goldsuit Artist Statement

This year's Pride artwork comes to us from Goldsuit, the one-woman creative studio of PNW illustrator, painter, and digital artist Genevieve St. Charles. You can find her work at artofgoldsuit.com and on instagram @goldsuit

 

Artist Statement:

While my illustrations are nearly always lush, I wanted the Pride illustration to be extra lush. I wanted to convey blooming, flourishing, and thriving: a vibrant and juicy jungle with botanicals bursting in every direction in a dance of nectar and color. The unabashed saturation and uninhibited growth of the tropics has always been a source of inspiration, showing us the amazing creatures that we can become when we are nourished and celebrated within our jungle.

 

Interviews + Articles:

Check out some articles in the KEXP archives spotlighting LGBTQIA+ artists. 

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Resources

KEXP has compiled a list of LGBTQIA+ organizations that promote equality and help protect basic rights for the community.

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Northwest:

• Pride Foundation: this Seattle-based organization "inspires giving to expand opportunities and advance full equality for LGBTQ people across the Northwest."
• Lambert House: "a safe place for LGBTQ youth ages 11 to 22 to make friends and be in community. Lambert House empowers LGBTQ youth through the development of leadership, social, and life skills."
• Gay City: Gay City's mission is to "cultivate access and connections to promote self-determination, liberation, and joy in our communities."

Nationwide:

• The Trevor Project: a nationwide organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people under 25.
• PFLAG: the first and largest organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) people, their parents and families, and allies. 
• Human Rights Campaign Foundation: the HRC foundation "improves the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people by working to increase understanding and encourage the adoption of LGBTQ-inclusive policies and practices."

Midnight in a Perfect World

Midnight in a Perfect World, KEXP’s weekly hour-long guest DJ show, airs Fridays at midnight. This multi-genre program features eclectic sets by a rotating cast of international and local DJ’s, each building upon a party vibe to kick off your weekend. Show producer DJ Alex has compiled a selection of LGBTQIA+ and Black Trans artists who have hosted the show. Check out their exclusive sets in the archives below:

Black Trans Lives Matter

In light of the recent murders of Riah Milton, Dominique "Rem'mie" Fells, Tony McDade, and Nina Pop, we're listing ways you can learn more and support #BlackTransLivesMatter. Check out the resources below. 

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#BlackTransLivesMatter 

• The Okra Project: a collective that seeks to address the global crisis faced by Black Trans people by bringing home cooked, healthy, and culturally specific meals and resources to Black Trans People. 
• Emergency Release Fund: a grassroots movement that provides mutual aid in getting LGBTQ+ and medically vulnerable individuals out of Rikers Island and ICE detention. 
• Solutions Not Punishment Collaborative: a Black Trans and Queer led collaborative whose mission is grounded in their commitment toward ending the crisis of passive genocide, incarceration, and criminalization of Black Trans women, Trans/Queer people, and the larger Black community. 
• G.L.I.T.S.: Gays & Lesbians Living In a Transgender Society is a grassroots organization dedicated to supporting the LGBTQIA community internationally.
• For the Gworls: a collective that helps Black transgender people pay their rent and gender-affirming surgeries. 
• The Marsha P. Johnson Institute: named for a prominent figure in the Stonewall uprising of 1969, the MPJI protects and defends the human rights of Black transgender people. 
• Black Trans Travel Fund: a mutual-aid based organization committed to uplifting the narratives and supporting the livelihoods of Black trans women.
• TGI Justice Project: the Transgender Gender-Variant & Intersex Justice Project works to "forge a culture of resistance and resilience to strengthen us for the fight against human rights abuses, imprisonment, police violence, racism, poverty, and societal pressures."
• Black Trans Femmes in the Arts: a collective that organizes performances, galleries, workshops, and talks to connect Black trans femme artists with resources and opportunities.
• Sylvia Rivera Law Project: a collective organization that works to guarantee that all people are free to self-determine their gender identity and expression, regardless of income or race, and without facing harassment, discrimination, or violence.