This article is a collaboration with kentcore! Check them out here for news and videos of concerts happening around Kent

When transgender rights are under attack, what do we do? We throw a benefit concert. Last month at the Little Rose Tavern, Cleveland Art Workers teamed up with a fleet of local folk musicians to host a Folk Fest, raising money for TransOhio, a local organization dedicated to protecting the rights of trans people in Ohio. 

The Little Rose is not a large venue, but the show was by no means small. Musicians selling merch took over the pool table at the back, TransOhio commandeered the booths on the side of the venue, and the rest of the attendees squeezed in wherever there was space by the bar. Of course, as is the case when you host a local event by and for trans people, there were lots of familiar faces.

I only caught the tail end of the fest, starting with a local favorite of mine The House of Wills, who never disappoints. Next was new-to-me solo artist Tahm Lytle, then followed by Ren’s solo project Girl in the Shade, kentcore alum and no stranger to our reporting. Barricade Baby was the closer of the night. Tahm and Ren were joined by three other musicians which created a much fuller sound. Barricade Baby, a band of self-described “local leftist queers making loud music in their basement,” delivers exactly what they promise. The folkier sound brought by a change in members gives a new feel to Barricade Baby, meeting the already-present punk attitude to create a folk punk powerhouse and what is clearly a future

staple of the Cleveland folk scene. Barricade Baby’s last song of the night was a singalong cover of Apes of the State’s “They Can’t Kill us All,” one of the most powerful folk punk anthems in the community. Hearing the mostly-trans audience scream along was a powerful moment.

The idea to host a trans benefit show was hatched back in September by Girl in the Shade, before joining forces with Cleveland Art Workers, an organization dedicated to establishing a minimum wage for performing arts workers in Cleveland.

“[Cleveland Art Workers] began in 2022, and it was basically an outgrowth of musicians, illustrators, and other kinds of independent artists that were concerned about pay for artists. A lot of times when we play certain venues, we’re really just not getting paid anything and it’s really a shame,” a representative of CAW says. The organization is non-hierarchical, and all decisions are made by consensus and done as a group, including interviews. “[CAW] really helps support your network and you get a lot, it’s just so much easier to get work done and you get a lot more done and the event is just so much bigger and so much more fun.”

Before the show started, a man entered the bar and threatened violence against Ren. While the threat was not against the show or the venue, homophobic slurs were used. Even with a scary start to the evening, Ren and the show organizers created a plan to keep attendees safe and proceeded to have a good show. It’s a scary time to be trans right now and this is proof of it, which makes the positive effects of the show even more profound.

The show raised a total of $1,900 for TransOhio, through a combination of door sales and online donations. Money raised by the concert will go towards causes like TransOhio’s emergency fund for trans Ohioans, HRT access and legal aid and representation for name and gender marker changes. All of the money raised will directly impact the lives of trans Ohioans. In addition, musicians earned nearly $500 in combined merch sales.

With love and passion, I will scream, protect trans communities.

If you’d like to make your own contribution to TransOhio, you can learn more at https://www.transohio.org/