Säye Skye
Säye Skye is a transgender Iranian rap artist and LGBTQ rights activist at the forefront of a new hip-hop movement that has its basis in social consciousness. Currently based in Toronto Canada but born in Tehran Iran, SÄYE SKYE was forced into exile for daring to be the first person in Iran to speak about the Iranian LGBTQ community, their existence and struggle for freedom. Säye Skye recently finished composing music for a German feature film, and cooking his underground electronic Persian rap EP in Berlin. After 22 shows all over Europe, he is excited to bring a new vibe and mood to North America. The futuristic, knockout music video “TNE” shot in -15, is on Youtube as the first single, while he focuses on the next video for the fun and energetic track called “ADHD”. Beatrice Thomas, director of Authentic Arts & Media, is a national multi-disciplinary artist, cultural strategist, and creative producer. Whether through creative production, consulting or equity, diversity, and inclusion workshops, Mx. Thomas' focus is on uplifting and centering queer, transgender, and POC voices, with special attention to creating queer-inclusive family programming. They are a pillar of Drag Queen Story Hour, serving as director of the SF Bay Area chapter, on the Leadership Team for the national organization, and as a featured drag queen. Beatrice’s work has illuminated the audiences of the deYoung Museum, SF PRIDE Mainstage, CounterPulse, SomArts Cultural Center and KALW Radio, and has shown in galleries across the United States. Currently, they serve on the national board of directors for the Association of Performing Arts Professionals.