WerQfest celebrates Black queer, non-binary, and trans artists at The Big Top

When festival organizers Tre'von “Tre G” Griffith and Shelton Boyd-Griffith set out on the journey of creating the werQfest, the goal was to have a little fun and raise some funds. 

What started as a pandemic virtual event in 2020 is now a vibrant festival celebrating its third year. WerQfest, which seeks to amplify the voices of Black queer, non-binary, and trans artists—as well as be a safe space for the community—has become far more more than just fun.

TRE'VON GRIFFITH AND SHELTON BOYD-GRIFFITH. COURTESY OF WERQFEST.

As an independent artist himself, Tre G was inspired to found and produce the event alongside his husband, Boyd-Griffith, based on his own experience navigating the music scene as a queer Black artist. “I just saw such a huge gap of representation in what was being represented as the best artists and artistry available in St. Louis,” he says.

This year, the festival will take over The Big Top on July 9 for an evening featuring nearly a dozen talented performers. Among the lineup of St. Louis-based artists is Maxi Glamour, a non-binary multidisciplinary artist. They recently became the first drag artist from St. Louis to be featured on an international series when they competed on the hit Netflix series Dragula. Fresh off a 20-city tour, they are set to take the stage for a performance they say is for everybody, from “3-year-olds to 60-year-olds.”

Glamour describes their style as “deconstructive and subversive,” and they cite inspirations such as Bjork, FKA Twigs, Arca, and Nine Inch Nails. In addition to entertaining the crowds at werQfest, they hope to send a major message to audiences about following non-traditional career paths. Glamour says they are thankful for events like werQfest for empowering those doing just that. 

The festivals artists also come from beyond the St. Louis entertainment scene. Sevndeep is an independent musician based out of New York. He says his inspirations are “the greats,” such as Lil’ Kim, Britney Spears, Kanye West, and Janet Jackson. 

SEVNDEEP. COURTEST OF WERQFEST.

“I grew up on entertainers, and I stress that all the time,” he says. “If you want to see an actual entertainer that performs and that enjoys it, I think you should come to the werQfest.”

The self-described “high-energy” masculine and feminine hip-hop artist says platforms like the werQfest stage are important, especially for underrepresented queer voices in the rap industry, where openly queer artists such as Saucy Santana and Lil Nas X are breaking ground.

“I do think that sometimes when it comes to my community, meaning just the Black community, they can be a little bit harder on queers, especially queer artists,” Sevndeep says. “They have to open up to it, especially in hip-hop.”

In addition to its mission to amplify underrepresented artists, werQfest also raises funds for local and national charitable organizations. A portion of this year's proceeds will go to The Trevor Project and the Trans Housing Initiative of St. Louis. Organizer Boyd-Griffith says this fundraising has been crucial from the start.

“That was one of the initial pillars of the virtual festival—making sure that it was giving back to the community,” he says. “We really wanted to partner with organizations that really speak to specifically Black trans folk, Black trans women, as an underserved, marginalized community, even within our Black, queer community. It was really important to facilitate that.”

WerQfest will also honor two people with awards at this year's fest: Ohun Ashe for community advocacy and Kristian Blackmon for arts impact.

“A lot of people don't get their flowers,” says Griffith. “Now that we're here and we have the opportunity, we want to make sure that we're also doing that, highlighting people who are doing really great.” 

WerQfest is July 9 at The Big Top. Doors at 5 p.m., show at 5:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online.