Cheated Hearts—Meanjin’s Queer Dance Party—Celebrates 10th Anniversary
Meanjin’s alternative queer dance party, Cheated Hearts, is celebrating its 10th birthday this year and organiser Roxy Burt is ensuring it stays true to its origins by bringing back the OG DJs who performed at the very first Cheated Hearts event.
At its core, Cheated Hearts is an event which is heavily inspired by the alternative. “The main concept that I really wanted to get across to people was the music,” says Burt, “so, we feature a lot of remixes of those classic alternative songs.”
She continues, “for example, someone might play a remix of a Florence + The Machine song, y’know. I just really wanted the focus to be on the music and I wanted it to stand out from the rest … I wanted it to be something else for people to go out and enjoy.”
However, while the music is a large component of what Cheated Hearts brings to Meanjin’s queer scene, Burt has also ensured that the event is a truly inclusive one, not just for the LGBTQIA+ community, but for people of colour, and for those with disabilities, too.
“I did some work with a not-for-profit organisation,” says Burt, “and we developed programs for queer and trans people of colour between the ages of 16-25. And so that really emphasised how important it is to have space in the community for people who are part of minority groups.”
However, it was also the queers of Meanjin/Brisbane who inspired Burt to create these events. She explains, “another thing that prompted me to do these events was the amount of people who have talked to me about how they haven’t felt safe at [REDACTED]. Y’know, I’ve heard stories of security guards mishandling people, especially trans people.”
So in true Cheated Hearts fashion, the 10th anniversary is as inclusive as ever. Burt says that it’s being hosted at La La Land, a wheelchair accessible venue, with both disabled and gender-neutral toilets.
“I’ve been trying to reiterate that it’s a good place, a safe place—especially for queer people of colour—to come and party and have fun and feel safe.”
This year’s event features a stellar line-up of DJs, including:
- Burt herself (performing as Jane Doe)
- Logan
- Killer Prince
- Tough Sook
who will be playing electro, mashups, remixes, hiphop, trap and more.
Tickets to the event (held on Friday 12 May) start from $26, however the team at Cheated Hearts understand that times can be tough. If you can’t afford a ticket, shoot them a DM, let them know what you can afford (even if it’s nothing), and they’ll sort you out.
