Southern Fried Queer Pride

Southern Fried Queer Pride (SFQP) is working to establish a Black queer-owned community space - the CLUTCH Community Center -  in Atlanta, GA, in honor of our beloved, late MonteQarlo, a founding SFQP chef/organizer. 

Southern Fried Queer Pride (SFQP) is an Atlanta-based (on Muscogee & Cherokee land) organization empowering Black queer and QTPOC-centered communities in the South through the arts. SFQP was born out of a lack of space for Black and brown queer folks to build community and a lack of queer art in opposition to the established narrative of Southern queers. The South is home to the country’s largest population of LGBTQIQAP2+ individuals, yet we’re confined to a narrative of stigma, statistics, and struggle. SFQP fights that notion and uplifts an honest narrative of resilience, rich history, and vibrance.

For 8 years, SFQP has built a community in the South amongst Black and brown queer and trans artists and organizers. To date, we have organized a total of 7 festivals in Atlanta, GA, and Durham, NC, convening over 60 performers, artists, and educators and 2,000 attendees from throughout the South. Annually, SFQP hosts over 60 events and actions, from marches and community conversations to gallery shows, stage productions, and more. SFQP uplifts Southern queer culture, which mainstream media often overlook. The time has come for more.

Since the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, we have witnessed a complete change to the landscape of spaces for queer and trans folks in Atlanta. Many centers, venues, and places our community flocked to for celebration and affirmation have vanished or closed. This only increases our urgency about opening a  community space to serve the LGBTQ+ community in Atlanta and the South.

Learn more about SFQP and the CLUTCH Community Center.

SFQP needs your help and partnership in establishing a Black queer and trans-owned community center in Atlanta. Our community is vibrant, resilient, and robust but lacks brick-and-mortar spaces to commune, heal, and build. Community centers can play a direct role in providing safety and support for Black and brown queer and trans folks, young people, disabled folks, and others marginalized by systemic injustice and a lack of infrastructure. We want to build a space where people have the freedom to grow and thrive as individuals, artists, and organizers.

Partner with us this #GivingTuesday to make the CLUTCH Community Center a reality!