Oh, honey, pack your bags, charge your phones, and slap on those fabulous sunglasses because SXSW (March 7-15, 2025) is about to get a glitter bomb of fabulousness! Whether you’re here to sashay through the tech scene or voguing your way into the film premieres, this SXSW LGBTQ+ events guide is your golden ticket to the gayest SXSW experience ever.
What in the Queer Universe is SXSW, Anyway?
South by Southwest (SXSW) is like the ultimate playground of festivals. It’s where creatives, innovators, and enthusiasts from all walks of life gather in Austin, Texas. It’s a mashup of film, music, tech, and more—basically, a big melting pot of culture, entertainment, and ideas!
SXSW can be a little overwhelming, but worry not! We’ve got your back with this epic guide to dive into all the LGBTQ+ awesomeness at SXSW 2025. Get ready for mind-blowing panels, killer performances, world premiers, and a whole lot of love as SXSW goes all out to celebrate the vibrant LGBTQ+ community in every fabulous way possible!
Now, these are the highlights of LGBTQ+ events you won’t want to miss. However, there is a full schedule of queertastic events and activities—check the SXSW site to explore all LGBTQ+ programming.
Let’s Get This Party Started: SXSW LGBTQ+ Events to Make Your Heart Sing!
This Discussion is Spicier than Texas Chili: Queer Marketing
Hold onto your rainbow hats! The “Pride Campaigns vs. Proud Campaigns: The New Queer Marketing” panel is coming in hotter than a Texan summer. As Pride 2025 approaches, it’s time to discuss the disbanding of this month as the (controversial) pinnacle of LGBTQ+ marketing, and turn the focus toward regular brand allyship and authentic community engagement, where queer integration is always proudly on trend and other key moments (like International Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31 or LGBTQ+ History Month in October) are given equal weight. Grab a seat (and maybe a rainbow latte) as a social impact whiz, a trailblazing trans activist, an LGBTQ+ streaming guru, and a queer media pro team up for a no-holds-barred chat. Spoiler alert: it’s going to be innovative, inspiring, and maybe even a little sassy.
Film Screenings and Premieres: Popcorn, Please!
Get ready to clutch your pearls and gasp at the dramatic entrances, because the Film screenings and premieres at SXSW are serving LGBTQ realness. From documentaries shedding light on untold stories to indie flicks that make you go, “Damn, that’s deep,” your cinematic hunger will be satiated. Bring tissues, or better yet, a whole box—we’re in for an emotional rollercoaster. Three we can’t wait for:
NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION
Fucktoys
Director/Screenwriter: Annapurna Sriram, Producer: Timothy Petryni
Join AP on a bubblegum grindhouse adventure through sunny and romantic Trashtown, USA. In this raucous odyssey, a wanton minx quests hard across a dreamy landscape of smut, filth and psychics, hustling to lift a curse that has been f-cking her sh-t up. Cast: Annapurna Sriram, Sadie Scott, Francois Arnaud, Damian Young, Big Freedia, Brandon Flynn, Lorrie Odom, Jowin Batoon, Tamika Lawrence, Arianna Ortiz (World Premiere)
Outlerlands
Director/Screenwriter: Elena Oxman, Producers: Marc Smolowitz, Elena Oxman, Asia Kate Dillon, Allison Estrin, Henry Russell Bergstein
When Cass (they/them) is asked by an alluring woman to watch her 11-year-old daughter while she goes out of town, Cass is forced to confront the truth of their own tumultuous childhood. Cast: Asia Kate Dillon, Louisa Krause, Ridley Asha Bateman, Lea DeLaria, Daniel K. Isaac, Melinda Meeng, Allie Heng, Winter Dewitt, Safia Fredericks, Sedrick Cabrera (World Premiere)
NARRATIVE SPOTLIGHT
I Really Love My Husband
Director/Screenwriter: GG Hawkins, Producer: Elle Roth-Brunet
When a woman grows disillusioned with her golden-boy husband during their tropical honeymoon, she recruits an enigmatic expat to spice things up—for better or worse. Cast: Madison Lanesey, Travis Quentin Young, Arta Gee, Lisa Jacqueline Starrett, Elizabeth de Robbins, Armodio Sophia, Meggan Taylor, Mitch Bisschop, Amberlin Morse (World Premiere)
O’Dessa
Director/Screenwriter: Geremy Jasper, Producers: Michael Gottwald, Noah Stahl, Rodrigo Teixeira
Set in a post-apocalyptic future, O’Dessa is a rock opera about a farm girl on a quest to recover a family heirloom. Her journey leads her to a dangerous city, where she must use the power of destiny and song to save her true love’s soul. Cast: Sadie Sink, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Murray Bartlett, Regina Hall, Kelly Macdonald, Pokey LaFarge (World Premiere)
She’s The He
Director/Screenwriter: Siobhan McCarthy, Producers: Halley Albert, Vic Brandt
Just before graduation, Alex and Ethan pretend to be trans women to get into the girl’s lockers. It’s all a joke until Ethan realizes: she really is trans. Alex and Ethan must reckon with their changing friendship and the process of coming out. Cast: Misha Osherovich, Nico Carney, Suzanne Cryer, Mark Indelicato, Malia Pyles, Emmett Preciado, Tatiana Ringsby, Aparna Nancherla, Kyle Butenhoff, Emma Orr (World Premiere)
DOCUMENTARY SPOTLIGHT
Creede U.S.A.
Director: Kahane Corn Cooperman, Producers: Innbo Shim, Kahane Corn Cooperman
In tiny Creede, CO, conservative mining families and progressive theater people have been trying to negotiate their differences for 60 years. When the same issues polarizing America ripple through the town, can it maintain its fragile coexistence? (World Premiere)
Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror
Director: Linus O’Brien, Producers: Adam Gibbs, Garret Price, Avner Shiloah, Linus O’Brien, Screenwriter: Avner Shiloah
A wild journey into the origins of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, the biggest cult film of all time, its impact on popular culture and socio-political resonance to this day. Featuring Richard O’Brien, Tim Curry, Lou Adler, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick (World Premiere)
GLOBAL
Trans Memoria (Sweden)
Director/Screenwriter: Victoria Verseau, Producers: Malin Hüber, Mathilde Raczymow
In an exploration of self-discovery, Victoria, Athena and Aamina navigate womanhood through loss and introspection, weaving past regrets and future aspirations in a poetic documentation of embracing true selves. (U.S. Premiere)
FESTIVAL FAVORITE
Touch Me
Director/Screenwriter: Addison Heimann, Producers: John Humber, David Lawson Jr., Addison Heimann
Touch Me is a story about two codependent best friends who become addicted to the heroin-like touch of an alien narcissist who may or may not be trying to take over the world. Cast: Olivia Taylor Dudley, Lou Taylor Pucci, Jordan Gavaris, Marlene Forte, Paget Brewster, JJ Philips, Yumarie Morales, Ashley Lauren Nedd, Eli Lucas (Texas Premiere)
INDEPENDENT TV PILOT COMPETITION
Denim
Showrunner/Director/Producer: Tedra Wilson
Denim is a fantastical doc series illuminating the brilliant minds of LGBTQIA+ creatives who showcase how they use their art as a form of self discovery. (World Premiere)
R&R
Director/Screenwriter/Producer: JJ Herz
Co-dependent twins Robbie (a responsible, hopeless romantic with Down syndrome) and Rachel (a raunchy, gay mess) tackle a chaotic, yet typical day in their lives. Cast: Kevin Iannucci, JJ Herz (World Premiere)
NARRATIVE SHORT COMPETITION
Brief Somebodies (Canada)
Director/Screenwriter: Andy Reid, Producer: Alessandra Sconza
While rehearsing a sexual assault scene, a pair of actors form a connection they’ll be forced to reconfigure once filming begins. (World Premiere)
I’m The Most Racist Person I Know (Australia)
Director/Screenwriter: Leela Varghese, Producer: Suriyna Sivashanker
When Lali unexpectedly ends up on a date with another woman of color for the first time, it unravels prejudices she has long ignored. (World Premiere)
Yú Cì (Fish Bones)
Director/Screenwriter: Kevin Xian Ming Yu, Producers: Shayan Ajmal Farooq, Camila Grimaldi, Kevin Xian Ming Yu
Bowen, a nonbinary Asian-American from Queens, tries to connect with their estranged father and help him deal with a poisonous fish bite. (World Premiere)
MIDNIGHT SHORT
Familiar (France)
Director/Screenwriter: Marco Novoa, Producers: Clémence Crépin Neel, Igor Courtecuisse
Steve is kicked out by his parents, who do not accept his homosexuality. Caroline, on the other hand, is struggling to mourn her motherhood as she accompanies Youri on tour. (North American Premiere)
Last Call (U.S., Australia, Hong Kong)
Director: Winnie Cheung, Screenwriters: Andujar Twins, Winnie Cheung, Producers: Weston Auburn, Travis Wood, Celia Au, Amanda Kreuger
A motorcycle rebel spirals deeper into her erotic hallucinations to escape the grip of a sultry serpent woman. (World Premiere)
TEXAS SHORT COMPETITION
Newbies
Directors/Screenwriters: Kimiko Matsuda-Lawrence, Megan Trufant Tillman, Producers: Stephanie Roush, Melissa Louis-Jacques
Two broken strangers wrestling with their queer identities meet on the subway just after midnight. A poignant, poetic journey through the past few hours of their night reveals how they got here, and what broke them. (World Premiere)
Music to Our Queer Ears
The music performances at SXSW are so diverse, you’d think the lineup was curated by RuPaul himself. From up-and-coming queer artists to big-name acts that support the LGBTQ+ community, your playlist is about to become as colorful as a Pride parade. Get ready to dance, sway, and maybe even meet your next ex! One not to miss is xBValentine (March 15 at Vaquero Taquero)—a queer Latina artist from Georgetown, Texas, known for her bold blend of hip-hop, R&B, and Latin influences.
Werk It at the Panel Discussions and Workshops
It’s not all play at SXSW, darling. The panel discussions and workshops are where the magic happens. Whether you’re looking to network with other LGBTQ professionals, learn a thing or two about breaking into the industry, or simply want to engage in meaningful discussions on queer representation, these events are where you put on your thinking cap—or your most intellectual-looking glasses.
Don’t miss the panel “Turning Identity into Action: Careers that Change the World,”a conversation with four LGBTQ+ artists who have acted as trailblazers in their respective fields, and use their platforms to give back to their community and create space for other queer voices.
Tech Innovations and Startups: The Gay Agenda
Techies, assemble! The tech innovations and startups showcasing at SXSW are queerer than ever. From apps that connect the LGBTQ community to platforms advocating for inclusivity, this is where the future is happening. And yes, the future is fabulous.
On March 8, Arlan Hamilton, founder at Backstage Capital, is a serial entrepreneur, author, and prolific speaker is holding court. She founded Backstage Capital in 2015 to invest in founders who are people of color, women and/or LGBTQ. Since its founding, Backstage has raised $30 million and invested in more than 200 startups led by underestimated founders. Time to secure that bag!
Mix and Mingle at SXSW LGBTQ+ Events
Now, what would SXSW be without a touch of mingling and, dare we say, flirting? The networking and community events are perfect for those looking to connect with other LGBTQ movers and shakers. Whether it’s a casual happy hour or a themed meet-up, bring those business cards—or just your charming self.
On March 8, join Luis Gramajo and Hans Schrei from The Sunday Afternoon Project at the “We’re Here, We’re Queer: LGBTQIA+ Meet Up!” It’s all about belonging, fearless story-sharing, and just being yourself. Expect heartwarming chats, real connections, and good vibes at our ‘kiki’.
Austin Culinary Scene: Eat Your Heart Out in Between SXSW LGBTQ+ Events
Last but certainly not least, the Austin culinary scene is a foodie’s paradise. From food trucks with top-notch breakfast tacos to upscale restaurants led by LGBTQ+ chefs, get ready for a flavorful adventure! Because no gay guide would be complete without mentioning food, right?
Giddy Up!
There you have it, folks: your rainbow roadmap to SXSW. Armed with this SXSW LGBTQ+ events guide, you’re ready to conquer Austin in the most fabulous way possible. Remember, SXSW is what you make of it, so go forth, be queer, and turn heads, darling!