After two years of hard work and determination, SLAYFest makes its debut at the Brooklyn Academy of Music on July 21, celebrating queer and trans music, film, television, and arts. It’s an outgrowth of SLAY TV, the media company that was founded by Sean Torrington (above) and his husband Terry to bring LBGTQ people of color’s stories to the forefront.
Torrington hopes that SLAYFest (SlayTV.com) can become an annual tradition creating space for Black people of all experiences to come together — a cross-pollination of film, music, and other creative communities. Already more than 3,000 individuals have signed up to attend the inaugural SLAYFest, where they’ll enjoy screenings of independent films, industry panels, vendors, and live podcasts, all curated by the folks at SLAY TV. Attendees can also look forward to a concert featuring Bry’Nt, Boy Radio, Cakes da Killa, Dai Burger, and Mila Jam.
For Torrington, the theme of culture over identity means creating together, not individually. “Black people as a whole are masters at creating culture, and doing it together is extremely important to me, more than doing it individually,” he says.
The lack of representation of queer and trans people of color in mainstream media helped fuel Torrington’s interest in filling the void with stories told through that lens. “We’re creating stories that are for us and by us,” he says, but that may still have a universal appeal as well.
“Relationships across the board really are not that different,” Torrington says, comparing queer couples to those who are not. “We all go through the same things, and it’s really just a human experience.”
Bringing these communities of Black experience together also introduces the abandon that comes with living a life that is label-free. As someone who never found himself fitting into any singular box, Torrington says he hopes SLAYFest can be a nod to others out there who don’t feel like they fit in.
“Living label-free means being as free and authentic as I wanna be in that very moment,” Torrington muses. “It doesn’t have any notions on how I’m supposed to be or what you’re supposed to expect
from me.”
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