We’re queer and we’re here and our fave rave community Elephant is proof. Production designer and Elephant co-organizer Paul Jatayna is about to introduce Manila’s queer nightlife spaces to a bigger audience at the Sound City Conference to be held in Liverpool, England on Apr. 28.
Jatayna was chosen as an international conference delegate and is set to speak on the panel about Gender Balance and Inclusivity in International Territories. He will be talking about the local LGBTQIA+ community and sharing Elephant’s core values of enabling a safe place for all and promoting platforms for marginalized artists in the drag and music scene.
“It is important to me that I get to represent the queer community that I belong to and to raise awareness of the achievements and learning curves that we face—especially on the political and economic influence on queer nightlife psychology. I am also very keen to learn from other queer communities from other parts of the world and to understand how they customize and create their own safe space,” Jatayna says.
Among those who nominated Jatayna is British Council in the Philippines’ head of arts Mich Dulce. “We are thrilled to have Paul Jatayna represent the Philippines and the Filipino queer community,” says Dulce. “It’s fantastic that Paul will have the opportunity to share the stories of our LGBTQIA+ community to the rest of the world.”
Sound City, known as the UK’s independent music conference and Association of Independent Music (AIM) UK’s Conference in The North, has a 15-year history that makes it notable in the global music conference circuit. Jatayna joins its international hub this year with speakers from Mexico, Turkey, Vietnam, Thailand, and more.
We’re hoping this trip brings much needed support for queer artists in the local drag and music scene.
Photo from Jude Macasinag’s Instagram
Follow Preen on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, and Viber