Decolonized Beatz Indigenous World Pride Brought Indigiqueer Creatives Together from Across the Globe

Piscataway Land (Washington, D.C.) – Decolonized Beatz Indigenous World Pride (DBIWP) was nothing short of life-changing. For two unforgettable days, IndigiQueer and multiply-disabled artists, youth, and elders from across the globe gathered on the ancestral homelands of the Piscataway people, also known as Washington, D.C., to celebrate creativity, culture, and collective resistance.

This historic gathering marked the first time IndigiQueer and disabled Indigenous artists from Brazil, Kenya, Fiji, Palestine, Canada, Finland, and across Turtle Island (the so-called United States) came together in person to honor ancestral storytelling traditions, share inter-tribal knowledge, and dream new worlds into being, while celebrating and re-creating Pride.

In Indigenous cultures, coming together across distances, walking long paths, weaving knowledge between elders and youth, has always been sacred. But the forces of colonialism, capitalism, and ableism have tried to sever these ties by imposing borders, silencing languages, and creating barriers to connection. DBIWP changed that.

“Crushing Colonialism cultivates a unique environment full of Indigenous love, creativity, and Queerness. Whenever I am in space with my Indigenous community, I feel secure and heard. At DBIWP this was enhanced by also being surrounded by my Queer community,” said Tatiana Villegas (Tlingit and Haida), a youth participant in the IndigiQueer Youth Film Workshop. “All IndigiQueer people have a voice, and Crushing Colonialism ensures we have a platform to make that voice heard. For that, I am forever grateful.”

From powerful performances to panel conversations, the event showcased the brilliance and depth of 2SLGBTQIA+ Indigenous artists and storytellers.

Featured guests included:

● Yaffa As – IndigiQueer trans Palestinian poet, teacher, and Executive Director of the Muslim Alliance for Sexual and Gender Diversity

● Ritni Tears – Sámi storyteller, drag performer, and yoiker from Finland, known for blending ancestral song with contemporary movement

● Rivolta Sata – Afro-Indigenous multidisciplinary artist rooted in Afriqiyah (Africa) and Abya Yala (the Americas), based in Senegal

● Rayceen Pendarvis – Empress of Pride, Goddess of D.C., and a beloved icon of Queer joy and justice on Piscataway Land

This was more than a Pride event, it was a reclamation of space, voice, and visibility. DBIWP celebrated Indigenous Queer and Two-Spirit creativity on a global stage, while nurturing the connections and care needed to imagine liberation on our own terms.

As with all of Crushing Colonialism’s programs, accessibility was a cornerstone of the event. Crushing Colonialism prioritized the inclusion of our multiply-disabled community through CART captioning and language interpretation to ensure full participation by all.