The Trans Artists Powering Austin’s Alternative Nightlife Scene
After a brutal legislative session, local underground music may “never be the same again”
By Genevieve Wood, Fri., June 23, 2023
Last month, Erika V, known in Austin's experimental nightlife scene as Private Service, took to Instagram Stories to speak on the tenuous position of trans artists living in Texas: "I think a lot of you in the Texas music scene are blissfully unaware of how much more this states scene will suck if a majority of the transsexuals in it are forced to move elsewhere for medical care."
She continued: "One more thing, we aren't just performers a lot of us do a lot of behind the scenes work you don't even see, often for little recognition and next to no compensation, just out of sheer passion. Good luck filling that gap if this comes to pass."
Alongside her partner Pat Reed (aka Tears of Eros) and old friend JT Whitfield, Erika stays busy curating experimental and dance music lineups across town as one-third of underground booking collective Death of Affect. They frequently curate at Fourth Street after-hours space Club Eternal, which was recently celebrated as Resident Advisor's Club of the Week. Erika never intended on becoming an activist, but with a boost from fellow trans artist p1nkstar, her message made the rounds across social media, garnering a supportive response from LGBTQIA Texans and their allies.
"After I stopped being overwhelmed by the attention from the post, I was glad that [p1nkstar] spread it around, because I meant what I said," she explains. "The dance music scene in Texas – not just in Austin, but everywhere – is full of trans people, and it won't be the same at all without them."
Her statement arrived in the final weeks of the state Legislature's exhausting 88th regular session, which saw a slew of anti-trans legislation reach the Capitol floor. Senate Bill 14 blocks trans minors from receiving gender affirming health care, while others, like the failed SB 1029, sought to prevent Medicaid from covering gender affirming treatment for both trans adults and minors. Targeting drag shows, SB 12 bans performances vaguely defined as "sexually oriented," and occurring with a minor present, by fining hosting venues up to $10,000.
Now, trans Texans – many of whom are musicians and creatives – are struggling to figure out their next steps.
"I'm in community with many trans people, and a lot of them are trying to figure out a backup plan," says p1nkstar. "It's scary – people aren't sure if they should sign a lease for another year because we don't know what the climate is going to be like."
After relocating from Mexico to Texas in 2014, p1nkstar made waves in Austin's dance scene by blending gender-bending performance art antics with neoperreo sensibilities. Today, her presence in Austin nightlife can best be described as a politically conscious pop star who cares as deeply about making space for her queer peers as producing hit songs.
"Trans people do a lot of heavy lifting in the underground scene, but spaces like Cheer Up Charlies or Coconut Club are also filled with trans people putting on events," says the event organizer. "Historically, nightlife and music have been some of the only spaces where trans people can access jobs, so we have a big presence in every city."
On whether she plans to remain in Texas, she offers: "I love Austin so much, and it's really hard for me to conceptualize leaving. There's such a great community here, and I feel really supported as a person and an artist. The government has never been on our side, so taking care of ourselves and each other is the best we can do."
In the face of looming threats, the solidarity between trans members of Austin's nightlife scene remains strong. Tommy Jammer, known onstage as SaliYah, spoke of their inner circle's plans to take full advantage of the upcoming summer.
"My friends and I were all at Club Eternal recently, and there was a moment where we were all standing outside and talking about all the shit going on right now," says Jammer. "We all agreed that it feels like there's something bubbling because it might be the last summer we'll all be in Austin. It feels like the last hurrah. We're all just kind of ready to go hard and throw crazy gigs together because things will never be the same again."
As SaliYah, Jammer releases hypnotic electronic music on local label Growth in Decay. Outside of the studio, they've established a consistent DJ presence at DIY raves and aboveground venues alike. After a brief spell in New York, they returned to their longtime home of Austin last year; growing anti-trans rhetoric, however, quickly soured their homecoming.
"All of these laws have taken an extremely heavy mental toll on me and everyone that I know – it feels low-key very hopeless in a lot of ways," says Jammer. "I grew up in Austin's underground scene, and so much of it was built by queer and trans people, whether we're running the shows, booking the talent, or raising funds."
They continue: "So many trans people in the city do sound at so many different venues! They're bringing so much to these spaces, and that's going to disappear because it's not safe for us."
One of these audio experts is Lucía Beyond, who works as a live sound engineer at a number of Austin's landmark music venues, including the Continental Club, C-Boy's Heart & Soul, and Sahara Lounge. She's equally comfortable onstage as she is behind the soundboard: As a performer, Beyond curates genre-blending DJ mixes and plays live alongside Ezra Rodriguez (Euphonia) and David Alvarez (e. artifact). Her recently released, independently mixed second album Airborne Fantasy: Unlimited blends contemplative guitar work with buoyant synth melodies, chronicling both the beauty and the pain of the producer's experience transitioning.
"In terms of music, things are working out for me recently, which is crazy, because it feels like the first time in my life that everything is kind of clicking into place," shares Beyond. "The legislation has felt like this awful looming force over that."
"I don't want to run away – this is my ancestral land, quite literally," she continues. "We have a really beautiful collection of people and artists in Austin right now, and I love it."
In the midst of political turbulence, Beyond encourages those unfamiliar with trans musicianship to broaden their horizons. "Go out and see a show by a trans artist or listen to a show mixed by a trans person, and you'll see how different it is. There's such a deep knowledge when you change yourself so intensely.
"You learn a lot of things. And then naturally, you have something to say that's different from what everyone else has to say – and that's what art is supposed to be about."
Alongside weekly involvement in Los Felices Tuesdays at Volstead Lounge, p1nkstar performs live Friday, June 23, at Swan Dive as part of Sister Fisters’ Pride shows. Lucía Beyond plays Friday, June 23, at Sahara Lounge’s Queer Freak Shows, as well as all night on June 30 at “bizarre techno rave” Body Mechanics.
