Media Contact:
Joelle Bayaa-Uzuri Espeut (she/her/hers)
(832) 853-7709
Normal Anomaly Announces Black Queer+ Advancement Festival: A Celebration of Black, Queer+ Culture through Music, Community and Disruptive Advocacy in Houston
In Honor of Black History Month, Specially Discounted Tickets On Sale Tuesday, February 15, 2022, at 8 AM CT (Use Code ‘Presale” for General Admission Discount.) Here.
HOUSTON, TX. – Feb. 15, 2022 – The Normal Anomaly Initiative, Inc., a Houston-based nonprofit dedicated to assisting Black, queer+ people with overcoming barriers and ending stigmas and problematic narratives, announced the launch of their latest initiative, the Black Queer+ Advancement Festival (BQ+AF). BQ+AF will premiere at Stampede Houston on Saturday, April 30, 2022, featuring a lineup of all Black local, national, and celebrity entertainers.
BQ+AF is a first-of-its-kind Houston-based music festival that centers and spotlights Black, queer+ voices. The festival and corresponding weekend will be composed of innovative experiences that merge recreation with advocacy. The community-centered event is the epitome of “partying with a purpose” in a safe and creative environment. BQ+AF will include talented performers, immersive games, and recreation, as well as the launch of 15 local, queer+ businesses as part of Normal Anomaly’s Project Liberate.
Project Liberate is a leadership program that helps build sustainability and lasting community impact by providing education, tools, and resources to the Black, queer+ community’s activists, nonprofit leaders, entrepreneurs, and small business owners. It is funded by ViiV Healthcare’s Accelerate Initiative and aims to liberate the Black, queer+ community through advocacy, as well as rebuilding and redefining our society.
“As a Black, queer-led nonprofit, we are committed to providing authentic and safe spaces for our community to not only celebrate but also contribute to the culture,” said Ian L. Haddock, Founder and Executive Director of the Normal Anomaly Initiative. “BQ+AF will bring together communities, creatives, corporations, and changemakers from Houston and beyond to engage in conversations and connections that will further empower our Black, queer+ ecosystem.”
Tickets go on sale Tuesday, February 15, 2022, at 8AM CT Via Eventbrite.com. In honor of Black History Month, tickets will be specially discounted (until March 10) using the code “Presale”. General Admission tickets start at $15. BQ+AF’s VIP Experience is led by Impulse Group Houston. For more information, please visit https://www.normalanomaly.org/bqaf/.
——————————————————————————————————————————-
About Normal Anomaly – Founded by Ian L. Haddock in June 2016 in Houston, Texas as a storytelling blog, The Normal Anomaly Initiative has grown to become a Houston staple in the community-based social advocacy world dedicated to the forward mobility of all black, queer people. In March 2021, The Normal Anomaly opened the BQ Plus Center for Liberation, a Black, Queer-led center located in Houston.
