Wet & Wild: ¡DYKED! goes out with a splash

When I attended Wet & Wild, the deliberate inclusion and accessibility details were clear — and evident in the hundreds of different body types, abilities, aesthetics and skin tones who showed up in their queerest poolside outfits. Photo: Autumn Richardson

Image: Autumn Richardson

Community

Over two years ago, SLUG Magazine’s own Asha Pruitt interviewed Miel Franco Pérez (they/them) shortly after the second-ever ¡DYKED! event — a sapphic and trans-only dance party Franco Pérez started themselves. So it was especially full circle (and more than a little bittersweet) when I had the chance to chat with the ¡DYKED! founder after their 15th and final, pool party-themed celebration.

“The last three years have completely catapulted me into this identity that was very challenging to come into as a person of color, neurodivergent, disabled, organizer and immigrant as well,” says Franco Pérez. “After each event, I’ve been able to find a different part of myself and version of myself that I had to believe so highly that I could embody.”

Merch tent — Even the merch was more unique and thoughtful than anything I’ve ever seen at an event; each unique piece ranged from sizes 3XS to 4XL and was thrifted, and then customized with ¡DYKED! branding or embroidery. Photo: Autumn Richardson

Franco Pérez’ many overlapping identities played a big role in the creation of ¡DYKED!, right down to the brand’s deliberate double punctuation as used in written Spanish. The amplification of non-white, non-cisgender voices is a big part of what makes their events stand out. “It’s a political statement, you know, that ¡DYKED! is not an Anglo-run event,” Franco Pérez explains. “To add the intersectionality of language in there felt like a really powerful move to make, especially because of all my overlapping identities.”

When I attended Wet & Wild, the deliberate inclusion and accessibility details were clear — and evident in the hundreds ofdifferent body types, abilities, aesthetics and skin tones who showed up in their queerest poolside outfits. Franco Pérez and their team truly thought of everyone, including spaces that ranged in sound and stimulation levels, plus activities for every type of partygoer. Even the merch was more unique and thoughtful than anything I’ve ever seen at an event; each unique piece ranged from sizes 3XS to 4XL and was thrifted, and then customized with ¡DYKED! branding or embroidery. Like, how genius is that?

Perhaps the sweetest moment of all happened at the beginning of the wet T-shirt contest, where the MC surprised Franco Pérez with a bouquet of flowers and an impromptu speech: “Miel started this as a team of one, remember that. If you went to the first ¡DYKED! three years ago, that was all Miel, with the help of a couple of friends, and they said, ‘Trust the vision.’” The crowd erupted in cheers. Then, in true sapphic fashion, Franco Pérez grabbed the hose and did the honors. So why is Franco Pérez taking a hiatus?

“I want to give more,” they say simply. “¡DYKED! started as a passion project that quickly had to become my livelihood. I soon realized that I wasn’t able to fully expand it in the ways that not only the event deserved, but in the ways everyone involved deserved – including myself.”

Building the ¡DYKED! community empowered Franco Pérez more than they ever thought possible, but it also taught them the importance of regulation, rest and mental capacity. They’re taking time and space to work on that, “so hopefully at some point, there is a ¡DYKED! revival, and it can come back even bigger and better.”

While I could talk more about the Wet & Wild experience — the queer DJs, the water slide, the creative vendors or even Ice Cream Social’s homemade vegan ice cream that I’m still thinking about — it’s that self-awareness that I think makes ¡DYKED! so impressive. When a community is built on a foundation of growth, evolution and respect, it benefits everyone. And who knows? Maybe it will inspire someone else to create Utah’s next great sapphic space.

If that’s you, Franco Pérez has advice for you: “Have a vision and just fucking do it,” they say, not skipping a beat. “If you want it bad enough, create it, and everything will align to support it.”

Click on each photo to view the full image.