Tired of the same old scene? Her Haus, founded by Italia Solis, is redefining queer events for women.

The queer-focused social organization is dedicated to creating safe spaces where queer women can connect, support and empower one another. Through events that playfully riff on TikTok trends, including Her Haus’ recent “Performative Masc Lesbian” contest at Good Times at 2626, Her Haus invites attendees to embrace their authentic selves.

The community-driven tournament was paired with local vintage markets and pop-up food stands in May to celebrate sapphic culture. Contestants demonstrated niche “masculine” skills and leaned into exaggerated masc aesthetics, such as one-handed push-ups, flannel shirts, jorts and multiple layered carabiners.

“In queer women’s spaces, there’s a playful joke about there being a ‘masc shortage,’ so we thought it would be fun to turn that into a lighthearted community activity during one of our markets,” Solis said. “We handed out little goodies, hosted the contest, and honestly, it was incredible seeing so many queer people all together, especially queer women. I remember thinking, ‘Where has everyone been hiding?’”

Her Haus hosts monthly meetups and often collaborates with Sapphic Strolls, a walking club for queer women and nonbinary people.

Solis brings a unique blend of nonprofit and marketing expertise to Her Haus, driven by her passion for creating safe and empowering spaces for queer women and nonbinary people.

“What inspired me to create Her Haus was seeing the kind of vibrant events that existed in places like New York, California and Austin,” Solis said. “I wanted to bring a piece of that energy to El Paso and help create experiences where people could feel safe, celebrated, and where they could truly connect with our community.”

During college, the El Paso native started her own women’s golf clothing line, Fairway Collective, reflecting her passion for creating spaces for women.

“The main thing for me is always making a change in my community in everything I do,” Solis said. “When it came to my golf clothing line, it was about creating a space for women in a male-dominated field. It was creating attire I wanted to see on the golf course because clothing for golf, at the time, was mainly catered to an older demographic.”

According to Solis, part of her mission in working with local venues to host Her Haus events is to show the queer community the progressive change that is on the way for El Paso.

“With the queer community, we don’t have a lot of queer-friendly spaces, or spaces that maybe are queer-friendly but don’t really advocate that and people don’t know about it,” Solis said. “So it’s kind of being able to reach all of these different places and changing the narrative. Maybe this one place wasn’t queer-friendly before, but they’ve made a lot of changes. There are different people in charge. So many things have changed, and we’re coming in to tell you, ‘You’re safe here now.’”

The responses Solis has received suggest safe spaces for queer women were long overdue in the Borderland.

“I have gotten messages from people saying they went to my events and felt safe to hold their girlfriend’s hand in public,” Solis said. “Those are the things that really hit you, and this is where people feel like they can be themselves without being scared. Sometimes, especially more masculine-presenting queer women, they’re always kind of scared that something’s going to happen, something is going to be said, someone is going to act on something. It’s just nice to be able to create this space where people can be themselves and don’t have to worry about someone attacking them for it.”

Her Haus has a couple of plans for Pride in El Paso this year, including Queer Prom at Lowbrow Palace.

“That one is our big event this year,” Solis said. “We’re collaborating with Sapphic Strolls and the El Paso rugby team. We’re doing anything and everything we can think of. We’re bringing in emerging queer artists from New York. I’m just hoping it’s going to be that kind of experience that maybe a lot of people didn’t have in high school because they weren’t comfortable or out yet.”

Solis extends an open invitation to anyone interested in joining Her Haus’ inclusive events.

“If anyone has thought about going to an event, but is scared or nervous about anything, just come over,” Solis said. “Let’s have a good time, whether you’re a woman, an ally, queer-presenting or not. We’re just creating a good space for people. As long as you bring good vibes, you’re welcome.”