On January 24, GLAAD with Frameline and Newfest in partnership with ACURA and IMDbPro returned to Sundance Film Festival as hosts of the second annual “Cheers, Queers” event dedicated to celebrating LGBTQ stories and makers.
The event kicked off with the “Trans Stories and Storytellers” panel, which rides the wave of momentum from last year’s Transgender Storytellers panel. The conversation continues GLAAD’s mission to amplify trans peoples’ voices amid the ongoing escalation of anti-trans legislation in Utah and across the country. As GLAAD’s Senior Director of Entertainment & Transgender Inclusion, Alex Schmider, warned during last year’s panel:
“If [Utah House Bill 257] becomes law, by Sundance 2025, the people you see on this stage will have to make decisions about their safety to be here. It’s on all of us to speak out against this legislation that endangers trans people and anyone who knows their own gender better than the government.”
Schmider moderated the panel which featured trans storytellers and leaders, including Moi Santos (Sundance), Hope Giselle (BLKNWS), Aud Mason-Hyde (Jimpa), Zackary Drucker (Enigma), Shaan Dasani, and Sav Rodgers (Transgender Film Center). Each of them their insights about our present and the future.
“I don’t have the luxury of being silenced about the ways Black trans women are being erased,” said Giselle on the panel. “Wherever I go, I make sure to say the hard things and force people to have those conversations.”
Giselle continued to talk about resilience: “For every person who overlooks you, there are six or seven inspired by your bravery. Do it scared, do it underfunded, but do it.”
“Freedom feels better than fear,” said Santos. “Being a trans woman of color has been one of the biggest blessings from the creator, and I refuse to let any cis person make me feel otherwise.”
Dasani added, “As a community, we’re intergenerational. We learn so much from those ahead of us and those coming up behind us. My goal is to create work where we don’t have to explain our identity—we can just exist.”
Following the panel, GLAAD’s Ryan Mitchell took the stage as emcee and welcomed LGBTQ film festival leaders including Sundance Film Festival Director Eugene Hernandez, Newfest’s David Hatkoff, Frameline’s Allegra Madsen, and Utah Queer Film Festival’s Russell Roots. They led the “Raising Our Voices” section where LGBTQ artists offered their motivations of the moment.
To conclude, GLAAD’s Andria Wilson Mirza alongside co-hosts commenced the Industry Happy Hour, inviting creatives in the room to update their IMDb pages for increased ability to be searchable for crewing and casting opportunities.
The event was attended by many LGBTQ and ally entertainment leaders.
