myspace.homoagogo.com
Fairies rock
Homo A Go Go 2006 returns with more treats, more workshops, and the same ‘ole funky DIY grit
By Mairead Case
Published: July 18th, 2006 | 5:01pm
The press release for this year’s Homo a Go Go Festival, Olympia’s biennial celebration of queer art and activism, is something like fireworks and Halloween candy in one, by which we mean: mind-blowingly amazing, and not just because we’re sponsoring it.
Many people dream about a community that is at once vibrantly artistic, politically progressive, and unconditionally welcoming. So does Ed Varga, festival director and self-appointed “head homo.” The difference between Varga and everyone else is twofold. First of all, Varga actually created a queer-punk utopia, and second, he’s sustained it.
August 1–6, 2006, will be the third time that Homo a Go Go (HAGG) has taken over the streets (as well as theaters, libraries, and burrito joints) of Olympia, Washington. This year’s schedule includes workshops on antiracism and Super 8 Film, a “bootleg queer animé” series, and a showcase featuring both Vaginal Davis (the L.A. drag queen named-checked in Le Tigre’s “Hot Topic”) and a double-dose of musician Hannah Blilie (she’ll play with both the Gossip and Shoplifting). There’s also Fashion Show 2006: A Space Gaydessy to Uranus and Beyond. As former Moldy Peach Kimya Dawson would say, “holy crap.”
The dream began in 1995, when Varga was booking queer mixed-media events under the name Homocore Minneapolis. At that time, Varga realized that he could no longer live as a biological female. Now that he’s been on T (testosterone) for 10 years, Varga is “just another one of the guys” in many ways. Still, his dyke and female histories give him a different awareness of sexism than that of your average feminist dude. It’s not insignificant that HAGG’s numero uno priority is the creation of an actively inclusive community, no ifs, ands, or buts.
In 2000, Varga moved to Olympia to do sound for The Transfused, a rock opera written by Nomy Lamm and the Need. That gig led to similar ones at Ladyfest 2000, Yoyo Recordings, and the Yoyo a Go Go Festival. “It was such an amazing thing to see Olympia transformed and then taken over by these festivals,” said Varga. “It’s like being at summer camp. I wanted to see something like that happen for queers.”
Enter summer 2002, and the first Homo a Go Go festival. Then, as now, Varga and his cohorts created a community of artists, musicians, writers, activists, and, of course, festivalgoers. There are up to 15 hours of festival programming per day, so that you can pogo from workshop to concert to performance, from craft fair to open mic. This year’s schedule boasts the addition of Plan Your Own Event, a series of hikes, craft circles, discussion groups and bicycle polo, all hosted by Oly locals and festival regulars.
Tickets are cheap ($60 bucks for five days and a goodie bag!), and proceeds go to the Gender Variant Health Project, an Olympia-based nonprofit organization that addresses the health issues and needs of gender variant individuals. If you’re feeling able or generous, though, you can spend $80 on a Big Homo pass and earn front-of-the-line privileges, plus an extra-special goodie bag.
Bottom line: why wouldn’t you want to go to a festival where you can bump into Michelle Tea at a spontaneous street performance, buy a skirt embroidered with fallopian tubes, and then dance, dance, dance? If the answer is “I don’t know,” then Varga wants you to know that you’re not alone. For reals.
Homo a Go Go: http://www.homoagogo.com
Gender Variant Health Project: http://www.myspace.com/gvhp
Ed Varga: http://www.edvarga.com/
Issue #36
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