Explore LGBTQ+ Programming at SXSW 2022
SXSW has always been a positive force to uplift and bring attention to the LGBTQ+ community, and SXSW 2022 is no different. Our 2022 lineup features an abundance of LGBTQ+ programming spanning across the Conference, as well as the Film and Music Festivals. Queer leaders, advocates, and creators will be taking the stage throughout the week to offer a unique experience, where themes range from tackling hot-button issues to celebrating self-expression and representation.
Celebrate the start of SXSW 2022 at the Big Gay Kickoff Party on March 11 at Rain for the biggest, gayest party in town.
Explore LGBTQ+ programming highlights below and add events to your SXSW Schedule.
Beck Solo Acoustic Show at SXSW 2022
Announcing a special SXSW Showcase with 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominee and eight-time Grammy-winner Beck on Saturday, March 19. A portion of the proceeds from this show will benefit Equality Texas and Transgender Education Network of Texas (TENT).
This exclusive solo acoustic performance at ACL Live at the Moody Theater is open to SXSW Badges and Music Festival Wristbands and available on a first-come, first-serve basis depending on venue capacity.
Limited single tickets will also be available to purchase starting on Wednesday, March 9 at 12pm CT.
Sessions
We’ve highlighted a few sessions you won’t want to miss. They offer LGBTQ+ creatives a chance to discuss relevant issues, build and strengthen the bonds within their community, and celebrate the inspiring group of individuals they have found connection with.
TRANSforming Comedy
TRANSforming Comedy is a conversation centered around transgender comedy creatives in the world of film and television. In the face of disproportionate and divisive debate, comedic writers and filmmakers with the lived experience being transgender challenge the reflexive overrepresentation of dramatic treatment of trans stories through the radical genre of comedy. Audiences will hear and learn how comedy can change culture, inviting connection through shared humor and catharsis through laughter.
Addressing Our Transgender Health Crisis
Few groups face more daunting health challenges than transgender and gender non-binary Americans, more than 52 percent of whom, according to one recent survey, have seriously contemplated suicide. Making matters even worse, physicians and health care providers too often lack the sensitivity and education required to offer their transgender patients the best care. This panel of experts and advocates will survey the landscape and propose concrete ways in which health systems, policy makers, and other interested parties can work together to make sure at-risk transgender patients receive the care they need and deserve.
LGBTQ+ Rights and Politics
From 2015 to 2022, we've seen LGBTQ rights take center stage in Texas politics with an onslaught of anti-LGBTQ measures. After suffering a devastating loss with the repeal of the Houston Equal Rights ordinance, LGBTQ political organizations and advocates have mounted a strong defense against insurmountable odds. This panel will break down our response to defeat and how we’ve built our model of advocacy to push back on those efforts.
Tech and the New Fluidity of Male Sexuality
Queer is cool, and the rigidity around male sexuality is crumbling. Now more than ever attitudes around sexuality are more liberated, mercurial, and permeable. 1 in 6 Zoomers identify as something besides “heterosexual,” and expressions of gender and sexuality are becoming more accepted into the mainstream every day. Queer stories are more visible than ever in media, social media stars are capitalizing on queer trends to garner clout, and A-Listers are publicly celebrating their queerness — everywhere you look the restrictive tradition of heteronormative masculinity is quickly becoming outmoded. Our panel of sexual educators and experts will discuss the wide acceptance of a new kind of amorphous sexual expression, the simultaneous importance and triviality of labels, and the way technology
Unlocking Inclusive Media with Intersectionality
Do you ever wake up in the morning and pick up your phone to tune into a YouTube series, TV show, or even the morning news? What do you see? Does it make you think differently or provide a new perspective? For years, socioeconomic, racial/ethnic & gender inequalities have run rampant in the media. Today’s media & entertainment landscape play an integral role in setting the tone for the future of inclusion. Creators & businesses globally are elevating underrepresented voices through an intersectional framework from the beginning of their production process through their premieres. In this session, you'll hear from members of the Black, Queer, Lesbian, Gay, Latino & Transgender communities on how to connect with your audience & avoid blindspots using the concept of intersectionality.
Films
Queer people are telling their own stories and taking control from behind the scenes as their visibility continues to grow on-screen. The SXSW Film Festival features LGBTQ+ films across a wide range of genres, formats, and screening sections. Diverse filmmakers and actors come together to present compelling work that draws inspiration from its creators’ personal experiences.
Artists
The SXSW Music Festival features a number of LGBTQ+ Showcasing Artists that are not only diverse in identity, but in their individual approach to production as well. Finding self-expression through music, these artists each have something unique to offer and share with the SXSW audience.
Meetup
Join SXSW and the Austin LGBT Chamber of Commerce at Body Collective for an inclusive evening of networking on March 2 at 7pm!
Get insider tips about SXSW, discover LGBTQ+ programming at SXSW, and find out how to join the Austin LGBT Chamber to register at a discount for SXSW.
Register here before space fills up!
Explore the Schedule
Dive into additional LGBTQ+ programming at SXSW 2022 by browsing the LGBTQ+ tag in the SXSW Schedule, or searching the schedule for relevant events.
03/1/2022