Celebrating Worcester Pride: Bound to Make a Difference

YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS IT.

      The look on Finn’s face as he stands proudly on the runway next to Diva D, a drag performer wearing a pearly-pink gown Finn stitched. The genius of Tyler, whose designs play with shapes, fabric mimicking a mushroom and Saturn’s rings on models. This pure magic is the result of valuing and affirming young people, and we’ll see even more of it at Queer AF 2024: “I’m with the Banned.”

        Youth fashion designers are the heart of Queer AF, a fashion show fundraiser for the nonprofit Love Your Labels, which teaches young people in Central Massachusetts about identity and expression through initiatives like Threads, a youth fashion design program. Finn and Tyler are alums of Threads (they presented collections at Queer AF 2022 and 2023), and new youth designers from the most recent cohort will join them in showing looks on the runway at this year’s show on Friday, Sept. 6, at Mechanics Hall in Worcester.

        Threads teaches sewing, a valuable life skill, but its impact is more holistic.

         “Threads is really about creating an environment where young people can express themselves and be celebrated for that expression,” says Joshua Croke, the President and Co-founder of Love Your Labels.

         That celebration is visceral at Queer AF. The crowd roars as models of all sizes and identities strut. For youth designers, this reaction to hand-stitched works is an indelible message of acceptance.

         “Queer and trans people often feel we need to fit the binary parameters set by media, stores, and, sometimes, our families,” says Croke. “Choosing to wear clothing that more aligns with our authentic selves, in contrast, can be an incredibly empowering and affirming experience, and that is what Threads and Queer AF are all about.”

         Dani Killay, a member of the Queer AF planning committee, saw her 13- and 15-year-old daughters’ confidence boost as they completed Threads this past year.

         “American Sign Language is both of the girls’ first language, so having an inclusive environment eases my parental anxieties many times over,” she says.

         The community bonds built through Love Your Labels also help quell those anxieties.

         “Being a parent is scary enough, but having queer or trans kids in this world can be terrifying,” says Killay. “There are so many efforts targeting your child’s right to just exist. If I didn’t have a group of folks to take this all on with, I don’t think my mental health would be even close to okay right now. Knowing that our family isn’t alone, that we have this community actively inviting us in to contribute to making this world better for young people now and in the future, is so much more than many families in this country have. I’m so deeply grateful for all of it.”

         The onslaught of legislation targeting transgender and queer health care Killay is referring to is part of the impetus behind the Queer AF “I’m with the Banned” theme, which channels the spirit of resistance running deep in the queer community.

         As of July 25, more than 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced into state houses since the year began, and more than 30 bills have passed, according to the Human Rights Campaign. Last year, the HRC declared a National State of Emergency for LGBTQ+ Americans following more than 550 anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced into state houses, more than 80 of which were signed into law. On the Queer AF runway, every garment worn is a battle cry for freedom and a love letter to those who have been silenced.

         In addition to Finn, Tyler, and Threads youth, a slate of other designers, including local drag performer Chateaux Bordeaux and Sam Donovan of Project Runway All Stars, a Threads program mentor, are creating bespoke looks for the show.

         Emerging from the sea of runway fashions will be headliners Jackie Cox and Jan Sport, both of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 12, who are co-hosting the show with Croke.

         Queer AF doors will open at 5:30 p.m. for a bazaar featuring wares, goods, art, and more on sale by local vendors. The show starts at 8 p.m., promising two hours of joy, drag, music, and a runway action-packed with fierce fashion. Tickets are on sale at queeraf.org.