The LGBTQ+ community has a long history of turning to the arts as a form of protest, as a means to cope and as an expression of joy. Now, a movement of queer poets are using the power of language to find healing within the community and to resist erasure in the greater Phoenix area.
In the face of anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ+ legislation being introduced locally and nationally over the last several years, many in the LGBTQ+ community in Phoenix have turned to storytelling.
These poets and the venues that host them offer their community the power of a well-turned phrase to soothe the tired soul, to offer solace and to thrive together.
Ghost Poetry Night
Cylie Naylor came out in a poem onstage. Her parents were in the audience.
During a Pride Night event at Ghost Poetry Show at Rebel Lounge, off Indian School Road and 23rd Street in Phoenix, she opened with a poem about her bisexuality. It was the first time she’d publicly come out about her LGBTQ+ identity.
In the poem, Cylie described the feeling of being a two-sided coin, not fully understood on either.
She was grateful to have the opportunity to be in a space where she was comfortable enough to speak her truth on a stage where she had witnessed others do the same.
“People can get together and feel really safe, especially right now, it feels very necessary,” Cylie told The Arizona Republic.
Cylie Naylor and her husband, Josh Naylor, are the creators of Ghost Poetry Show, hosted at Rebel Lounge.
The project sparked from their favorite pastime when they were dating. The two frequented a weekly poetry slam in downtown Phoenix until the pandemic hit in 2020.
As COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, they were inspired to create a recurring community poetry event.
They had been meeting with friends during the pandemic, writing and performing their poetry to one another in the interim.
“Everyone just wanted a show, to go back to pre-pandemic,” Josh said.
The couple launched their first show in September 2021 at the popular downtown Film Bar, where they were able to host five shows before the venue closed down permanently.
In January 2022, they found their home at Rebel Lounge and have hosted there ever since.
Though both are poets in their own right, they’ve taken on facilitator roles in the local poetry scene, spotlighting other poets. Josh Nolan doesn’t perform his written poetry and prefers a behind-the-scenes approach, while Cylie moderates the show.
The show has always been heavily political, and has remained so regardless of which president occupies the White House.
“Having the stage, having the atmosphere to share some of those feelings of injustice is a beautiful opportunity,” Cylie said.
“Art is a form of protest,” Josh added.
Thems Fruity Poetry Night
Thems is an artistic collective that seeks to create a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community, offering events like leather-working, craft-making, coffee meetups and Fruity Poetry Night.
Using his background in event planning to execute his vision, Francisco Diaz, a Phoenix native, created one of the more popular queer groups in the Phoenix area.
One of the biggest event draws is their Fruity Poetry Night.
It started small, but has been growing by numbers, with lines winding around the block outside venue spaces like Afternoons Studio, in the Encanto neighborhood, The McKinley Club, near Historic Grand Avenue, and the Phoenix Art Museum, where they recently hosted a night with guest Yosimar Reyes, Santa Clara County Poet Laureate and 2024 Creative Ambassador of San Jose, California.
Raina Funston, who also goes by Raina Jane, a well-known local poet, hosted Fruity Poetry Night on Jan. 29 at Afternoons Studio. Funston has written and shared poems about her experience as a trans woman.
She began creating poetry when she began her transition.
As a regular performer at local events around Phoenix and a rotating host for thems, she has found community and solace from anti-trans judgment.
Funston opened the floor during that January event with a poem with a resounding line, “I am fruit,” that the audience was encouraged to repeat.
She spoke of solidarity and of continuing to fight for LGBTQ+ rights in the face of proposed bans and restrictive laws.
Though Fruity Poetry Night rarely has a theme attached to it, the sentiments that have threaded their way through each event are resistance and solidarity in the face of the current administration’s agenda.
