Gaymers and Queer geeks, rejoice! The LGBTQIA+-centered dance party for the West Coast’s largest gaming convention, PAX West, is back, bringing the party to Neumos on September 4.
The evening’s festivities will feature a cosplay competition, in which winners will receive limited-edition merchandise from the event’s sponsors. The event will also showcase a plethora of local talent from Seattle’s LGBTQIA+ music scene, including DJ CryGuy, DJ EirFlux, GRAZ, Daemon Chadeau, and Adora Blue, with live performances by the bands AVGMNT and Dual Analog.
In preparation for this year’s celebration of geeky camaraderie, the SGN spoke with Pink Party Prime founder Charles Logan, cohost and headliner DJ Sophixi, and the cofounder/CEO of Xenomode, Lisa Weeks, about the origins and importance of this event.
Origins
Logan told the SGN he started the Pink Party in 2009 because he felt like PAX and gaming culture at large did not have enough LGBTQIA+ visibility and representation.
“The first event was a small Rock Band 2 party with about 30 people,” he said. “It grew over the years into a larger annual event with gaming, DJs, cocktails, cosplay, drag, and dancing. Pink Party Prime XI took place in 2019 before the pandemic put the event on hold.”
After a six-year hiatus, the Pink Party is now finally back to once again to give Queer and Trans PAX goers a space of their own.
For Logan, the Pink Party was created as an opportunity for LGBTQIA+ geeks and gamers to have a space to congregate and “come out of the basement.” He shared how he enjoyed the ways Queer geek culture creates space for the community to be creative and fully authentic.
“I especially like the overlap between drag and cosplay, such gender-defying crossplay,” he said. “Many people in my chosen family are gaymers, so I have seen firsthand how much it matters to share games and Queer pop-culture references with people who speak your language.”
Pink Party Prime: Xenomode
For the relaunch, Logan brought on Weeks and others to help organize the event. Weeks told the SGN she entered the gaming industry in 2004 (after a decade of being the marketing director at Nordstrom) and has since been involved in curating events for Seattle’s tech scene. Most notably, she has hosted "Enter the Grid", a Tron-themed, synthwave afterparty held every year during PAX.
“I am extremely honored to be a part of the team resurrecting this beloved community event,” she said. “With the current climate of layoffs and other challenges in the game industry, it has been a struggle for many folks to maintain a positive level of morale and dedication to our beloved digital art form.”
“To curate an opportunity to shine a spotlight on the positive impact the video game industry has had throughout the years, while simultaneously celebrating the tremendous impact that the LGBTQ+ community has brought to that industry, means the world to me.”
Sophixi is a music producer, DJ, general manager of the dark-electronic events venue OUTLAND Seattle, and “veteran” creative director in the video game industry. “Being part of this legendary event is extraordinary meaningful to me as a Queer person, cohost, DJ, and game developer,” she said. “I’m thrilled to help kick off this year’s PAX West weekend with a high-energy dancefloor, where our community can come together as their authentic selves, celebrate diversity, and lose themselves in the music.”
Sophixi explained that one of the things she loves most about Queer geek culture is “how effortlessly it bridges imagination, joy, technology, and self-expression... Whether we're diving into massive online virtual worlds, crafting intricate cosplay, or geeking out on Discord about what level island we all have in Tomodachi Life, Queer geeks have an incredible way of turning fandom into genuine community.”
She also highlighted how both the gaming and nightlife communities are built on providing spaces where people can be their authentic selves and find other like-minded people.
“Pink Party Prime sits right at that intersection,” she said, “and I couldn't be more hyped to celebrate that freedom and creativity with everyone on September 4th!”
Pink Party Prime: Xenomode will be held at Neumos on September 4 from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. Tickets can be found at https://posh.vip/e/pink-party-prime-pax-west-queer-gamer-party.
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