Queerly Festival 2025: A Space for Expression, Community, and Inclusion Now More Than Ever
Queerly Festival returns for its 11th season this June for a month-long run, spotlighting queer voices with diverse, multilingual performances amid rising national challenges to LGBTQIA+ rights.
| 19 May 2025 | 03:54
The Queerly Festival, presented by Frigid in the East Village, is returning for its 11th season from June 12 to July 3, and organizers say it has a particular sense of purpose this year with LGBTQIA+ rights under fire nationally.
“The phrase ‘now more than ever’ gets thrown around a lot, but, looking at the life of this festival, I think it is actually appropriate here,” said Jimmy Lovett, the resident artistic director.
The month-long festival at the group’s theater at 94 St. Mark’s Place serves not only as a celebration of queer creativity but also as a reaffirmation of visibility, inclusion, and community.
Founded in 2014, Queerly emerged during a time of progress, just ahead of the landmark Obergefell v. Hodges ruling that legalized same-sex marriage across the US. Over the years, the festival has grown into a space centered on queer voices and artistic expression. According to its curator, Lovett, continuing the festival today signals an ongoing commitment to supporting marginalized communities, especially at a time when political and cultural debates around diversity, equity, and inclusion have intensified.
One of Queerly’s missions is to provide a space where queer artists can share work without needing to explain, justify, or adapt their stories for mainstream expectations, Lovett said.
This year’s lineup reflects that ethos through a wide range of performances, highlighting both cultural and linguistic diversity. For the first time, the festival welcomes an international performer from Canada with the show Sex Goddess, marking a new chapter in its development. Several shows this year also explore multilingual storytelling: Loud & With Feeling includes American Sign Language interpretation; A Spanglish Affair combines English, Spanish, and its American offshoot, Spanglish; Boy Meets Girl integrates English and Hindi, and Clay Mommy features English, Hebrew, and Yiddish. These additions reflect the festival’s goal of reaching broader audiences and recognizing the full spectrum of queer experiences, Lovett said.
The selection process for 2025 was highly competitive, with more than 50 applications submitted for 18 available slots. Lovett, who has worked on the festival for several years, notes that particular attention was given to platforming trans creators and queer-artists-of-color groups that are often most affected by social and institutional inequalities. Lovett said: “I am also trying to platform trans people and people of color within this festival as they are often the queer people most at risk on pretty much every front.”
Frigid New York, the independent arts organization behind the festival, continues to play a key role in ensuring its independence and continuity. At a time when other queer cultural initiatives, such as National Queer Theater, have faced significant reductions in funding, maintaining support for grassroots festivals like Queerly is more important than ever. Although New York is often seen as a progressive stronghold, the realities of political and cultural backlash remain relevant even here.
For more details on the program and how to attend, visit the official website: https://frigid.nyc/queerly/.
“I am also trying to platform trans people and people of color . . . as they are often the queer people most at risk on pretty much every front.” — Jimmy Lovett, Queerly resident artistic director