How to Send a Queer Creators Panel to SXSW

Author: Trudy Ring

Clockwise from top left: Lex Barberio, Roberto Max Salas, Jacques Agbobly, and Baby Yors. Photos courtesy Young Hero.

An LGBTQ+ creators panel is in the running to appear at the 2023 SXSW Conference and Festivals, and the public has a chance to vote for the group.

The panel, “Pride365: Uniting Queer Creators With Brands,” will be moderated by Roberto Max Salas, president of Young Hero, a cultural creators studio and creative agency. But it will be all about passing the mic to queer creator panelists to discuss the importance of brands supporting LGBTQ+ artists year-round. Those panelists are Lex Barberio, a nonbinary artist and photographer; Baby Yors, a queer Latin musician and entrepreneur and previous Out100 honoree; and Jacques Agbobly, the nonbinary founder of Black Boy Knits and a finalist for this year’s CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund.

Many LGBTQ+ artists only see interest and support from brands during Pride month. With its Pride365 platform, an original initiative with ready-made opportunities for brands to support queer artists year-round, Young Hero is working to change this.

The panel seeks to make the points that supporting LGBTQ+ creators beyond June is a huge opportunity for brands to break through the Pride noise and work with artists who help define culture and supporting LGBTQ+ artists and their creativity doesn’t require a symbol like the rainbow.

Each creator on the panel will share their experience with Pride 365, their upcoming projects, and their views on how brands can best support them.

To vote for the panel, go to the SXSW Panel Picker link by Sunday. The next SXSW will be held March 10-19 in Austin.

Original Article on The Advocate
Author: Trudy Ring