OUTsider is an Austin-based transmedia nonprofit that celebrates the bold originality and creative nonconformity of the LGBTQ+ communities through the presentation of provocative, overlooked and out-of-the-box film, dance, theater, performance art, music, writing and visual art.

Through its annual festival and conference, OUTsider unites queer artists, audiences and scholars from around the globe to exchange ideas, ignite conversations, transcend boundaries and experience new pleasures through artistic discovery.

In December of 2013, a small group of queer artists and festival friends were catching up over some snacks and libations when the conversation turned toward the contemporary festival scene in Austin. They agreed that this scene was unparalleled and that queer culture in Austin was at a creative zenith. At the same time, they felt that something was missing: a queer space (both in Austin and beyond) that encouraged participants to explore beyond their artistic comfort zones, that facilitated new interactions between artists, academics and audience members, and that brought together LGBTQ+ artists of all stripes from around the globe. The more that this vision for a new type of queer festival was discussed, the more excited the group became, and by the end of the evening OUTsider was born!

Full schedule of events can be found here.

 

About the Author

Bryen Dunn is a freelance journalist based in Toronto with a focus on tourism, lifestyle, entertainment and community issues. He has written several travel articles and has an extensive portfolio of celebrity interviews with musicians, actors and other public personalities. He’s willing to take on any assignments of interest, attend parties with free booze, listen to rants, and travel the world in search of the great unknown. He’s eager to discover the new, remember the past, and look into the future.