Featuring El Sanchez, Jes Tom, Junauda Petrus-Nasah, and Be Steadwell! MC'd by Autostraddle writer Shelli Nicole!

Ticket proceeds will go to benefit Women for Political Change in Minneapolis, who are offering mutual aid and on-the-ground support for protesters and communities during the current uprising and global pandemic!

Rise Up Get Down: A Benefit for Queer Futures

Autostraddle has worked for years — and in earnest since our fundraiser in July 2019 — to imagine more concretely and act on what it looks like to center BIPOC members of our community. As the uprising against state violence and white supremacy and the fight for Black lives swept the United States at the end of May, it became clear and apparent that the only stories worth posting for the first week of June, Pride month, were about defending Black lives, making room for Black grief, and the efforts every non-Black person can make to support defunding the police, abolishing prisons and dismantling white supremacy in our communities. As a reader-supported independent publication, we were able to make this decision to stand behind our values through financial support from our community.

As part of our efforts to continue to sustainably publish and pay queer writers and our team, we’d originally planned a benefit show for June 28 to raise funds for Autostraddle. However, it is, again, more aligned with Autostraddle's values to prioritize the needs of those engaged in protest and the fight for Black liberation. So, instead of a fundraiser for ourselves, we’re hosting Rise Up Get Down: A Benefit for Queer Futures, virtually, on Sunday June 28 as a way to raise funds to directly benefit local protest and aid efforts in Minneapolis.

It’s the 51st anniversary of the start of Stonewall Riots and we will not forget that Pride was an uprising. That’s why we’re donating 100% of proceeds from ticket sales from Rise Up, Get Down to Minneapolis-based mutual aid efforts, protest organizations and funds supporting those fighting for Black lives at the center of the uprising. Because the organizing realities and needs of Black communities in Minneapolis are shifting day by day, we'll announce the Black-led Minneapolis efforts we'll be donating to at the time of the benefit, and can affirm that the choice will be led by the priorities of people based in Minneapolis. We’ll share updates about donations transparently and will let our community know the total raised from ticket sales.

Autostraddle stands in solidarity and support with the Black Lives Matter movement, with an end to the carceral state, with the abolitionist movement — and with our queer and trans Black community. We hope you’ll join us in raising funds for our collective future through practicing togetherness and partaking of queer joy on Sunday June 28, 2020. 5pm PST / 8pm EST. Tickets are Pay-What-You-Want, from $1 to Infinity, recommended contribution of $25, with 100% of ticket proceeds after costs donated to Minneapolis-based orgs or funds. Our collective queer future is our responsibility. None of us are free until all of us are free.