GGG and NSFW Sessions threw NYC’s first queer office siren rave

“Make some noise if you’re gay! Make some noise if you’re gayer!! Make some noise if you’re GAYEST!!!”

Kennie, one of the founders of Gay, Gayer, Gayest (GGG), a New York City party series for Black and queer sapphics — set the mission for the night. In response to her call, the crowd, a beautiful spectrum of Black and Brown queerness, got loud enough to shake the walls of H0l0, a no-phones basement venue in Bushwick.

On Thursday, May 21, GGG and music performance platform NSFW Sessions teamed up to throw New York City’s first office siren-themed rave, kicking off Pride month. I’ve spent almost a decade navigating corporate America, and walking into the venue, I’d never seen so many Black and queer women in ties, button downs, heels, tights and blazers without having to code-switch. The 9-to-5 uniform usually comes with a set of rules on how Black women should act, wear their hair, and often shrink themselves to make people comfortable. But inside the dark, underground rooms of H0L0, the dress code was a giant middle finger to it all.

This liberating spirit is the core tenet of the GGG collective’s philosophy. Born from a simple house party in June 2024, the collective, which stands for gay, gayer gayest, was created after its four founders found it way too hard to find a party for people who looked like them. Two years later, their events aim to fill a real gap in NYC nightlife, one where Black sapphic women across the diaspora are centered.

Ahead, see photos from the event where DJ Purp, DADDIE, CH3RI, No Promises, and Lil2hood hit the decks and played everything from Jersey club to Natalie Nunn’s “Doing What I Want.” DMV area-rave artist Jabbagotdajuice and Atlanta-based dance Maleigh Zan also performed in between sets.