The Dinah founder says LGBTQ events 'more important than ever' in this political climate

It’s been three decades since Mariah Hanson founded The Dinah, a long-running local music festival and event for queer women. After various states signed 75 anti-LGBTQ bills into law, Hanson feels the need for the event "more than ever" this year.

“Nobody has a sense of humor or a shared consciousness like we do,” Hanson said. “The whole coming out process is amazingly painful and joyful. I liken it to being from the same unique dysfunctional family. Nobody understands my life or the way I think like my brothers and sisters, because we went through it together. I think that’s true of gay people too. We’re like one big family and we have all these unique and common experiences. They might be different but also the same. That’s why events like The Dinah are more important than ever.”

The event, which takes from Sept. 20 to 24 across various Palm Springs locations, is being referred to as the most daring and audacious one yet. The Dinah is also hosting its pre-party on Sept. 20 at Chill Bar and the official opening party at Reforma Palm Springs on Sept. 21.

"We need our community, strength in numbers, to feel safe and to recharge, and we do that with each other," Hanson said. "Lesbian clubs, queer clubs and women's clubs — there's not many of them left. People will recognize we have our own distinct and unique culture, and we're going to get that in mainstream environments. We'll always have our pride, so I think it's important and people realize our spaces need to be protected and supported."

Hanson said The Dinah is women-centric, but not limited to women or LGBTQ people. She's expanded the event's sexual parameters and identities to include the transgender community and other sexual identities due to society's regression on LGBTQ issues.

"There's a cisgender woman and a transgender man who have come to The Dinah in the past and feel comfortable because there's an experience and memories there that needed to be honored," Hanson said. "But I would argue, how cool is our younger generation? This pushback (against the LGBTQ community) isn't coming from 21-year-olds, it's from from 50, 60, 70-year-old politicians and the religious right. I think younger people get how it's a false narrative."

In previous years, the festival has attracted Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Fletcher, Pat Benatar and The Pussycat Dolls. But it's also acclaimed for providing a platform for queer women in music and this year's performers include rappers Princess Nokia and Doechii, dance music icon Black Box, indie-rock singer Phem, singer-songwriter G-Flip, pop artists Xana and Keeana Kee and more.

"There's a real paradigm shift going on right now where it's not such a male-dominated program in the music industry where men are telling women what they need to do to get successful or to have a full career. It's young women who are saying, 'This is my music. This is who I am. Take it or leave it.'"

'Palm Springs is what makes The Dinah, and that's the brand'

Since the end of the pandemic, signs began to appear showing music festivals were on the decline. This year, for example, was the first time the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival's Weekend 2 wasn't sold out since Goldenvoice added a second weekend in 2012. A 2022 Wall Street Journal article examined many issues facing promoters of festivals such as the rising ticket costs, an “oversaturation of events" and featuring many of the same artists on lineups.

Hanson said the key for any successful music festival is knowing the size, market and strength of the intended audience and that she's turned down multiple offers to do The Dinah in other cities, adding "Palm Springs is what makes The Dinah and that's the brand."

"When people think you're really good at what you do, you make it look easy. When you make it look easy, other people think they can do it. So we have a lot of strong music festivals that make it look easy, and then more people enter into the market, this crash happens and it hurts everybody," Hanson said. "It hurts because the bills aren't paid, artists aren't paid and the hotels aren't paid. All of a sudden you have an industry with their eyebrows raised like 'Do we take a risk on this?' It's common in any industry."

But one challenge The Dinah has had in the past is attracting queer talent because artists didn't want to be "pigeonholed" into performing at LGBTQ events over mainstream festivals. Hanson mentioned one artist — but wouldn't name them — who chose conventional events because it advanced her career.

"I see artists now doing things on their own terms without a manager saying 'This is the pathway to your success' ... Too many artists like Jessie Reyez and Bebe Rexha have proven that's not true and have presented on their own terms, created the music they want to make and they're huge. I'm excited by that because I think it also speaks to civil rights and a shift in our collective consciousness," Hanson said.

In 2022, The Dinah moved to the Margaritaville Resort from the Hilton Palm Springs, which Hanson said is a "bonus" for attendees because of the larger event space and 400 hotel rooms.

"I love how Margaritaville can juggle important platforms and stay unique and defined. They appeal to families, groups and LGBTQ," Hanson said.

Brian Blueskye covers arts and entertainment for the Desert Sun. He can be reached at brian.blueskye@desertsun.com or on Twitter at @bblueskye.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: The Dinah: Palm Springs festival offers queer women vital safe space