SLAYPEX is serving up monthly Apex Legends realness
If you’re an LGBTQ+ Apex Legends player looking for a safe place to compete in the battle royale, SLAYPEX is probably the place for you. Created by drag queen and Twitch Partner Kylie Gabor, it’s an event of the third Friday of every month organized by LGBTQ+/BIPOC folks, for their communities.
“SLAYPEX aims to bring marginalized APEX players and content creators to the forefront of the competitive scene,” Kylie Gabor told Gayming Magazine. “Giving them a platform and a safe space to learn what it is to compete in a professional competitive format.”
The monthly tournament first started back in June, when Gabor noticed that not many independent tournaments in the scene seemed to want to include LGBTQ+ folks. Since there wasn’t much of a consistent space for the queer community within the larger Apex Legends community, Gabor decided to create one herself.
“When I receive messages thanking me for creating a safe space in a field dominated by CISHET individuals I know I’m doing the right thing,” Gabor said. “If I can create a safe space for just 1 person I will continue to do it!”
SLAYPEX isn’t necessarily the only queer Apex Legends game in town. Team Overture has been putting on the Scared But Not Alone tournament for three years now. But Gabor’s tournament series is the only one that happens on a regular basis, rather than as an annual event. It also features cash prizes that Gabor and her community raise themselves to provide for competitors. According to Gabor, they raised $600 as a community to fund the prize pool their first event. Now, they’re moving on to their third monthly tournament, a special event for Halloween.
The SLAYPEX Halloween stream will take place on October 21 and will be streamed on Kylie Gabor’s Twitch channel. To set the mood, she themed all of the promotion around classic horror movies like Silence of the Lambs. There are even special, spooky rules in place to make the competition feel more festive. Each team must include edgy Apex Legends characters Revenant and Caustic, to keep things nice and scary. The prizes for this tournament have yet to be determined, as they’re based on the generosity of Gabor’s community, potential sponsors, and what she can spare from her own pocket. SLAYPEX is a labor of love for Gabor, one she hasn’t hesitated to fund herself.
“I have never been more focused or passionate about anything else I’ve done besides creating/organizing SLAYPEX, it warms my heart seeing people get excited for the events each month,” she said.
Those who’d like to participate in this month’s SLAYPEX festivities can check out the BOOM.TV link to sign up.
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