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Q&A with Liz Tymus

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Related stories:

• New to Madison? Have no fear, seek out indieQueer (September 2, 2008)

Also by Ciera McKissick:

• New to Madison? Have no fear, seek out indieQueer (September 2, 2008)
• New gay bar makes tails wag (April 2, 2008)
• The battle for hip-hop (September 12, 2007)

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Liz Tymus is the face behind iQ; the founder, the party planner and she is responsible for the organization’s events.

BH: What is iQ versus iQ Discotech?

LT: iQ is really an umbrella of events catered to the queer and queer friendly community. iQ was originally to create social ties and bring people together. Discotech is the inspiration to party.

BH: How have you seen iQ evolve?

LT: For the better. It ignited a dance party environment, which is something Madison never had. When OCD Automatic did his first show at King Club in December ‘07, it really revolutionized iQ. That’s when Discotech got big, and that’s not all that iQ is. It has both the indie culture and the queer culture converged.

BH: Do you plan to keep iQ in Madison?

LT: I’ve heard from a lot of people that iQ would do great in cities like Chicago, Milwaukee and even New York, but I think Madisonians take pride in iQ. Madison is key.

BH: Do you tend to see more indies or more queers?

LT: Now, more indies than queers.

BH: What’s the iQ demographic?

LT:. The range is 18 to 40, but our core group is 21 to 30. It’s not just students; you get the young professionals, grad students, hipsters, vagrants, queers, raging dykes and bears. It’s really a demographic of its own.

BH: What should newcomers to the iQ scene expect?

LT: To have fun and come out and see what happens. The most people at an iQ night so far has been 580 in February, with a capacity of 600. People usually trickle in around 10:30, 11. Everyone is welcome and you won’t feel out of place at all.

BH: What is indieQueer to you?

LH: A lovechild, how I identify. It’s what has kept me in Madison and what will make me stay in Madison. It’s life consuming, but something that comes easy to me, so it’s not work at the end of the day.