In honor of April being Sexual Assault Awareness Month, this upcoming Saturday, April 8, The Dub and Java Barn Music will be collaborating on a new event called bRAVE, which will be a live music event intended to build community for survivors of sexual and interpersonal violence, with a particular focus on members of the queer community. This EDM centered performance will feature two DJs who are queer-identifying people and wish to support the mission of our event by sharing their music with the St. Lawrence community. In addition to the show on Saturday night, proceeds from t-shirt sales and redeemable can drives that are associated with this event will act as a fundraiser for The Renewal House, a local resource providing comprehensive care and support for survivors of sexual and domestic violence in St. Lawrence County.

Our aim is to create a space that allows queer survivors to express themselves and build community alongside allies in the positive, uplifting environment of a rave. Rave culture is historically rooted in an anti-establishment counterculture, and because of this, quickly became a safe haven for queer people to express themselves in a manner that has not historically been accepted on a mainstream stage. Not only did they find safe spaces in EDM and rave culture, but queer and marginalized voices became the engines of this budding genre of dance music. In fact, house music – now one of the most popular subgenres of EDM – was developed in the mid-1900s by queer, black artists in Chicago (Hodgson, 2023). This inspired us to participate in this community by establishing a rave of our own that will work to raise awareness, foster solidarity, and allow survivors to feel safe and have fun.

Part of why we feel this event is so important is because of the often-unseen impact that sexual and domestic violence has on the queer community. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV), members of the LGTBTQ+ community are often more likely to experience sexual and domestic violence, but at the same time are much less likely to report or obtain support for their experiences. And, to make matters worse, queer voices are oftentimes overlooked in the larger discussions of these issues. This can often lead queer survivors of sexual and interpersonal violence to feel isolated in their experiences.

For purposes of education at the event, we will have zines containing information on resources for survivors and a description of The Renewal House’s mission. Interspersed with this information will be student-made art centered around feelings and experiences of queerness and domestic/sexual violence. This idea was a collaborative effort between respective house members who are enrolled in a Book Arts Class here at St. Lawrence. The skills and techniques they have learned throughout the course of the semester have inspired the design of the zine. Additional information and resources provided by the Renewal House, including informational pamphlets and drink-testing kits, will be available on the day of the event and, as always, are available from the Dub (3 University Ave). We are excited to see you all on Saturday night! Remember, EAT, SLEEP, RAVE, REPEAT.