NE: They’ll be much bigger, with a jam-packed programme that really engages with what’s going on each month. Queer House Party is going monthly, what can we expect from future parties? ‘Accessibility has become a really big thing for us’ I never expected to be in a group chat with 20 sex workers about how to put on really cool parties. We’ve formed a really important relationship with Cybertease, who are an online strip club. HG: It’s brought our house so much joy and given us new friendships. How has Queer House Party helped you through lockdown? I hope there’s a real push to make venues more accessible after this. Now the parties have a BSL interpreter, audio descriptions and captioning. There’s so many people who can come to Queer House Party that wouldn’t normally be able to go out to a queer bar in London. HG: Accessibility has become a really big thing for us. What have you learned from Queer House Party? I don’t think it‘s surprising that the queer community has risen up in lockdown – it’s in our nature. Nik Erz: Historically, people in the LGBTQ+ community haven’t been able to access or been welcome in many places, so we’ve always had to be creative and resilient and make our own spaces. Why is it important to keep queer spaces alive online? People have even gone on dates after meeting at the parties.
We’ve had messages from people in countries where it’s illegal to be queer thanking us. HG: People have tuned in from around the world. Jay Jay Revlon even did a guest DJ set from Barcelona. It was really beautiful, with an hour of Black performance from poetry to drag. Our Black Lives Matter fundraiser stands out.
We’ve had big-name DJs approach us, but we want to keep it DIY. We spotlight people dancing, and collaborate with amazing performers and hosts. HG: We’ve done 15 events and now we’re experts in online parties. The next day we sat down and said, ‘Let’s do this!’ ‘We’ve had messages from people in countries where it’s illegal to be queer thanking us’
The first party was us DJing for four hours from our kitchen and over a thousand people came. We put up a Facebook event and didn’t think too much of it. Harry Gay: In March my friends and I saw our DJ bookings disappear, so we thought of ways to make some extra cash and get our friends together who were in lockdown all over the country. Now that the city is slowly reopening, we ask Harry and DJ Passer (Nik Erz): what does the future hold for online nightlife? When lockdown hit, Londoner Harry Gay and his fellow DJs (who also happen to be his housemates) created a weekly LGBTQ+ Zoom party from their New Cross pad.
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