Emerging queer talent discussed the importance of safe community spaces to their art in a major London festival during pride month.
South by Southwest (SXSW) was a week-long festival held in Shoreditch from 1st-6th June, celebrating those in the music, film, tech, and creative industries.
For Pride Month 2026, the North East Londoner spotlighted the 5 June show by Sounds Queer, a grassroots musical collective that aims to platform voices from the LGBTQIA+ community while providing safe spaces for the audience within it.
One of the performers, Dyan Thai, the self-proclaimed ‘gaysian empress of Sydney’, is grateful for spaces like these.
They said: “I feel like, growing up in Malaysia and then moving to Sydney, we’re so far from everyone else.
“So it’s good to be here, and see more people like me who can be unapologetically the version of themselves they wanna be.”
Watch the full video below for more.
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