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.