Aquatica Recap: A Deep Dive into Queer Underwater Fantasy

Last weekend, Haus of Other hosted its second quarterly immersive theme party, Aquatica. As the founder of the Haus, when reflecting on the event and everything that it meant to me, I can’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of pride. Pride in our community for coming together in support of YouthSeen, pride in our Haus for working their fingers to the bone to create intricate costumes and decor, and pride in myself for doing something to honor and celebrate the queer community in a time when we need queer leaders more than ever.

I know my mother is looking down on me from the ether of the universe with love (rooted in the fact that she nourished my creativity), and my inner child is looking up at me in awe (based on the sheer audacity of sequins on my lion fish costume).

At Aquatica, when I looked around at all the aquatic revelers, and then down at myself in full merman regalia, I remember feeling a unique sense of belonging. As queer people, we don’t always fit into public spaces. Most of us are born to stand out and couldn’t fit in even if we tried. But at Aquatica, as well as at all of our Haus of Other events, we create a space for ourselves. A place where you belong, no matter what you look like or who you love. A place where you can take up as much space as you want, and have the freedom to become the ultimate fantasy version of yourself, which in my case is a lion fish. I don’t think I really grasped that concept before this event.

Now I understand that what we are really doing with Haus of Other is creating and facilitating freedom of expression for the queer community. Aquatica was a shining example of that concept brought to life. And thus, my pride is overflowing and boundless.

Of course, pride and gratitude must go hand in hand. The Haus of Other team, including Grant Scovel, Zack Shamy, Kevin Allison and Nadia Mccullough came together and supported each other with grace and patience, which was especially helpful since I found myself freaking out every few days.

Richi Ramos, DJ Buddy Bravo, and Vio the violinist of Starlux, did an amazing job of keeping the crowd engaged and excited. What they do is so unique, when you consider the juxtaposition of beats paired with piano, violin, and live music. Their presence elevates our events into truly unique experiences. This time around, we also hired Annika from Solis Entertainment to do some circus performances, and invited Andres Carrera, who is running for Colorado senate in 2026, to speak. Both brought unique elements to this event. Seeing Andres speak reminded me how important it is to acknowledge the politics that shape our everyday lives as queer people. His charisma was undeniable and his speech supercharged the crowd.

Haus of Other is honored to be the first recipient of a grant from the Queer Business Alliance. Jade Baranski of QBA was on hand to present the oversized check to us, and gave an impassioned speech about the importance of funding queer businesses. Since the government is pulling money from any programs that support queer people, it is important that we step up and support ourselves. I guess it’s a good thing many queer people have disposable income and understand the importance of community support!

This time around, we were also honored to be sponsored by Southwest Airlines. They donated a free flight to be used as the grand prize of our costume contest. The winner was Connor Barrett, a super-talented creator who dressed up as an Atlantean “Priestish,” which is basically a nonbinary priest. The prize was well-deserved because their attention to detail is unparalleled.

I want to thank all of our other sponsors: Denver Divers, Denver’s Cupid, Train.Fight.Win MMA, Organic Mechanic Massage, Citrine and Gold Financial Consulting, Champagne Tiger, and YouthSeen. Their contributions supported both queer art, and queer youth—two very important causes in our community.

I also want to thank our vendors, Thayne from Thayne Warne Art, Karen from Purses by Karen, Scott from First Brick Coaching, Jade from Queer Business Alliance, Molly from Body Painting by Molly Jean, and Yuri from Curiosa Apothecary. Both your presence and your donated items for our giveaway made the night extra special. 100% of proceeds from the giveaway is going to YouthSeen, so we are thrilled that so many people participated in such a worthy cause. This includes artists Kyle Singer of Waffle Cone Club and Shaylen Broughton who donated artwork to display and give away.

In a previous article, I’ve shared that the inspiration for Aquatica came from my childhood, as a young, queer brown child making up fantasy worlds in his head to escape bullying. I have to say that now, as a fully formed queer adult, being able to turn those small tragedies into an immersive undersea sanctuary for our community makes every little heartache worth it. As queer people, we have the power to use our creativity and inspire younger generations to dream, live out loud and proud, and turn our tragedies into triumphs. Aquatica was the embodiment of that ideal. And I simply cannot wait to see what comes next.

Photos Courtesy of Kevin Torres