If you’re queer in Los Angeles, chances are, you’ve been to an Andrés Rigal event. For over two decades, the nightlife king has invigorated the scene with events like SummerTramp, Simon Says, Evita, Mr. Black, and Rasputin. And recently, he launched Green Qween, L.A.’s first queer-owned cannabis dispensary. From his career, he’s learned that parties have power.
“Nightlife taught me that a room can be more than a room; it can be a chrysalis. When queer people are given intentional spaces to shed their inhibitions and show up in their fullest form, joy stops being an escape from the world and becomes a way of remaking it,” Rigal says. “Never underestimate the power of that transformation, and always hold the door open for those coming next.”
“I grew up queer in rural Pennsylvania, long before my surroundings reflected the life I imagined for myself,” he adds. “That experience taught me that coming out is not a single moment, but an ongoing act of self-authorship, and that authenticity can be a form of survival. I’ve spent my career building the spaces I once needed, and I intend to keep building them so every generation of our community can arrive exactly as themselves.” @andresrigal
