Hola hola! My name is Melvin. I'm Queerie's Cxnti Executive Officer, and I'm an immigrant from El
Salvador. My partner Alfredo and I have been together for 15 years. Among the many things that unite
us, our love of travel and music are two of the things that have given us so much joy and
perspective, and have truly transformed us and pushed us to grow, as a couple and as individuals.
Through our shared love of house and techno music, we have found ourselves sparking connections with
like-minded people everywhere and we've learned that when humans come together for a common purpose,
it doesn't matter where you're from, what your beliefs are, or what your socio-economic background
is. What matters is the mutual respect, understanding, and sense of belonging that is created when
we come together for something we care about and that gives us so much joy.
On a trip to San Francisco several years ago, home to a vast number of LGBTQI folks, we hit peak
frustration. We wanted to go out and meet other queer like-minded folks through the music gatherings
we love so much only to be let down because with no network to rely on, we searched online only to
be disappointed by the lack of information on these parties. This was the moment Alfredo and I
thought this could be something we could solve for our community.
It wasn't until the very beginning of 2020 that this idea started to take shape into something real.
We found ourselves in Berlin, at Berghain's NYE party, where we met Justin. We bonded through the
very same love of music and concluded that we have been having the same pain points, and that we had
all been thinking about creating some sort of centralized digital space for queer folks to find
these sorts of events.
Alfredo and I were living in DC and Justin in NY, and soon after our time in Berlin, the three of us
decided to embark on this journey together. I'm a designer and Alf and Justin are both in tech. So,
we quickly got to work. We started talking to friends about the idea. And heard nothing but
encouraging feedback. But then the pandemic hit. Although we did not feel discouraged, we did,
however, find it necessary to halt the development of the project in the fall of 2021 since
gatherings were not being allowed for obvious reasons.
The silver lining of those trying times, if there was one, is that this brought the three of us very
close as we were spending increasingly long periods of time together. We felt so enlivened and
grateful for this new dynamic. And even though it was uncharted territory for Alfredo, Justin, and
me, we welcomed it because we knew it was steeped in mutual love, care, and respect.
Full tea, this really had me wondering about the true meaning of it all. It helped me realize that
the reason why we seek these music experiences is to connect. As a result, we decided to pivot and
refocus our queer events platform to something we believe was more important; a platform to help our
communities forge strong meaningful connections. But never losing sight of the very thing that
brought us together—music.
More energized and motivated than ever, we got back to work. And in the early Spring of 2022 we
reconnected with a dear friend of ours, Nick, who was working for a large tech company. We showed
him what we had been working on and he jumped at the opportunity to be part of the project. We were
thrilled to bring him on board.
This brings us to where we are now. With a pandemic behind us, the evolution of my and Alfredo's
relationship into a transformative polyamorous relationship with Justin, the re-sparking of a
beautiful friendship with Nick, the constant conversations with friends, old and new, everywhere on
what this platform could be, and the countless hours of work already put in, we are more determined
than ever to get this labor of love, our simple yet powerful tool in the hands of those who need it
most. One, because we are now facing a serious epidemic — loneliness. And two, because we are
yet again in the crossfire of greed and politics.
We believe with everything going on around us, as there is a major push to feed greed and fuel
oppression, it's beyond important to come together for a common purpose and use our unity as a
powerful tool to demand true change.
Our mission is to spread joy and accelerate human progress through meaningful connections.
Queerie will feature a quute user interface as well as a powerful recommendation engine that will
suggest folx for friendship, love, networking, and everything in between. As well as events,
resources, and much more to our community members based on interactions and common affinities with
the intention of forging an ecosystem by us for us.
We aim to grow a vibrant community that
extends to our physical world. A community that will empower its members with invaluable resources
and unwavering support.
Amid all the pain and suffering, and blatant fuckery that surrounds us, we
fiercely believe lessening suffering and infusing joy into our lives is key to sparking the fire of
true change. We face trying times and failing systems. But don't forget: our resilience is our
superpower. We acknowledge that change isn't easy. But here's the tea, babe: we noticed a void, and we
exist to bridge the gap. We're all about offering a unique voice, a safe space, true inclusivity, and
an outlet by and for our community. We are reclaiming our unity, rejecting divisions and apps that
drive us further apart. It's time to rise above and unite like never before. We're here to shift the
focus back to us, radiating positivity and empowerment. Together, we'll overcome the hurdles that hold
us back. Let's rewrite the narrative and create a united community that thrives.
There is power in reclamation and to us the word queer is a strong political statement that speaks to
progress and forward-thinking open minds. We care deeply for human advancement and protecting our
environment.
Join us, be part of the movement. Together we will make so much noise that they won't have any other
option than to listen. And who knows, that may be the impetus needed for a more pro-human, equitable
future.
Queerie is you, we are all Queerie. Let's be there for each other. Let's lift each other up.
Relentlessly.
We are building a fabulous queer army of helpers. Let's talk!
We are looking for folx who can help us carry out our vision: to build the best platform for ALL of us, especially our most marginalized siblings, that will inspire and serve as a catalyst for change. We are building a network of expert do-ers, thought-leaders, activists, influencers, performers, lawyers, djs, promoters, artists, developers, and so many more. You name it. We want to spotlight you and empower you to be a source of guiding inspiration and help for our community.