Nearly a dozen people were hanging out inside a small tent located across from the main stage at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on Saturday, April 16.

Some sat in white lounge chairs next to a short white picket fence. Others reclined on a rainbow-colored carpet placed on the grass while some took pictures in front of a big bright pink sign that covered most of a wall that read “#Queer Plus.”

This spot wasn’t just about relaxing though, this tent is dubbed the “HeadQ+uarters,” and it’s part of a new Goldenvoice initiative called Q+, which aims to empower, celebrate and provide a gathering place for the Queer+ and the Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities.

“This is just a safe haven for our community,” said Irvine resident Navi Huskey, who along with their sibling and Anaheim native Juice Husky, partnered with Goldenvoice to design the Q+ space.

“This is a space we wanted to create for the Queer community that celebrates the community, specifically of color, and that acknowledges how central we are to just culture in general,” Navi said.

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Navi said they became involved with the project after they faced discrimination at the festival in 2018 when they weren’t allowed to enter bathrooms due to their gender identity.

The siblings wrote letters to Goldenvoice, and the concert promoter, as well as providing more gender-neutral bathrooms this year, launched the new initiative aimed at the Queer+ and BIPOC communities.

“It feels like we’re making history. It feels amazing having people come into the space. This is a gay space and recognizing and seeing that and coming here and being together is amazing,” Juice said.

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