Sparkle, defiance, and grassroots grounding
They teach us early in small-town church pews
and dusty baseball diamonds to shrink our shine, tuck our truth behind grit-stained collars, and pray away our wildness. We chose another route: loud, femme, country-soft, and fiercely uncloseted. Here is where the boots meet the Florida pavement: our real-world footprint of solidarity, neuro-spicy play, and community survival.
Deconstructing adult sports trauma through queer play
Turning sports trauma into neuro-spicy joy
Growing up as a neurodivergent, genderqueer kid in rural Illinois meant athletics were often a battleground of shame, isolation, and church-fueled conditioning. At Nerd Nite St. Pete, we ripped off that bandage to explore healing adult play through radical inclusion.
Out of that healing grew Spice Rack, our deliciously chaotic, neurodivergent kickball family kicking up dirt in HotMess Sports. Because healing is never solitary; it is an open field where everyone gets to kick, stumble, and shine without apology.
Key reading from the talk:
White Rage by Carol Anderson
Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Beverly Daniel Tatum
What to Say Next by Sarah and Larry Nannery
The T Guide by Gigi Gorgeous & Gottmik
Queer twang and community airwaves
Taking to the legendary Tampa Bay airwaves on WMNF 88.5 FM, we joined the Big Gay Radio Show to dish on reclaiming country music’s roots for the exvangelical, the weird, and the outlaws. We dove deep into country storytelling, building trans-affirming local athletics, and treating radical queer joy as our loudest weapon of defiance.
Adam Rye, friends, and more in monochromatic color portraits for the City of St. Petersburg Beyond the Rainbow campaign.
Representing the flag: City of St. Petersburg Pride campaign
Selected by Mayor Ken Welch and the City of St. Petersburg, Beyond the Rainbow was the City's landmark storytelling campaign launched to kick off Pride Month in June. Rooted in the living symbolism of the Progressive Pride flag, each participant was paired with a specific color (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, black, brown, light blue, pink, and white) and photographed against a bold, saturated monochromatic backdrop to tell our personal truths and elevate local grassroots voices.
The campaign evolved from a citywide digital initiative and featured video into an official photography exhibition at The Studio@620, celebrating National Coming Out Week in October. As LGBTQ+ Liaison Nathan Bruemmer affirmed, living openly and demanding visibility is a foundational form of grassroots civil rights advocacy. Having our portrait, voice, and defiant queer joy woven into St. Pete's civic tapestry proved that our community is here to stay.
Queer twang and community airwaves
Taking to the legendary Tampa Bay airwaves on WMNF 88.5 FM, we joined the Big Gay Radio Show to dish on reclaiming country music’s roots for the exvangelical, the weird, and the outlaws. We dove deep into country storytelling, building trans-affirming local athletics, and treating radical queer joy as our loudest weapon of defiance.