Gatekeeping as care: The Door List celebrates five years

Virality has, in many ways, become an ugly word. In social media’s early days, the term was almost a badge of honour for moments that seemed to align the world at once; now that’s just par for the course in 2026.

Now used by every marketing manager worldwide in pursuit of the next big moment for [insert brand here], dance music is now a viral movement, too. For many, that accolade is one worn with honour, and one that makes it far easier to sell tickets.

In some scenes, however, a kind of micro-virality is emerging, where the line between visibility and overreach is never crossed or tampered with.

The Door List, a queer event series based primarily in Gadigal Land/Sydney, regularly flirts with that kind of micro-virality.

Founded five years ago as a QTBIPOC-prioritising event, both in its lineups and on its dance floors, The Door List has built the kind of reputation many would pay to achieve. But rather than being pushed by an algorithm, people find it through word of mouth and pass it around between friends. The fact that you may not have heard about it before is, in all likelihood, by design.

That design is predominantly to the credit of Xander Khoury, co-founder of House Of Silky, and the fka in Door List’s previous name, Xaddy's Door List.

Earlier this month, The Door List marked the milestone with a takeover of Room 22 in Potts Point. The bill brought together artists who've played since the very beginning, a few new additions to the family, and Aotearoa/New Zealand's HALFQUEEN, a long-time supporter of the party.

Ahead of the birthday, we caught up with Xander to talk about gatekeeping as care, curating a crowd in public, and where The Door List goes from here.

X: It feels surreal. Nightlife has changed so much even in recent years - so reaching five years feels significant. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built and grateful to everyone who has trusted us, contributed to the space and helped shape its identity. It’s so cool to look back at the friendships, performances and moments of self-expression that have come through The Door List.

X: The Door List has always been a response to its environment and, at its core, has always been a QTBIPOC priority event and lineup. That has remained consistent, and we are one of the last few parties in Australia maintaining that.

X: Absolutely. It came partly from seeing who was missing from certain dance floors, line-ups and positions of creative control. There were plenty of queer events, but that didn’t automatically mean every part of the queer community felt equally represented or comfortable.

The Door List was our response to that, not through opposition alone, but by actively building something different. We wanted a space where queer and trans people of colour weren’t treated as an aesthetic, a trend, or an afterthought, but were central to the event and could express themselves without minimising who they were.

X: Every project begins with a clear purpose and personality. I think about who it is for, what it should feel like, and what it contributes that doesn’t already exist. One of the only common themes about them all, is that they always need to be a little silly - We need more fun in this world! Dance floor shouldn't be serious; it should be freeing.

X: The past five years have required a lot of flexibility. We’ve experienced the effects of lockdowns, rising costs, venue instability, and changes in how people discover and engage with nightlife. I think remaining authentic to the vision is what has kept The Door List alive and people coming back; I did this for the culture.

X: It's about having intention in everything you do. Intention in where you place your event, what night, who does security, where you promote, how you promote it, avoiding certain things that could attract the wrong crowd, considering travel home for people. There are so many little things that go over people's heads that, for me, I can't ignore because I know the more thought I put into it, the more it draws the right people.

X: Girl, it is stressful! Anyone who knows me knows my Instagram is deleted unless I have something to promote because I hate being on there! But it's important to promote and put your event out there; it's how you find community and your audience - It's an unavoidable part of the game.

X: It was really fun! Curation is always my favourite part; I'll mull on it for weeks, listen to mixes constantly, get a feel for the artists I want and the vibe I want to curate for the night and start to visualise how it will play out. It was nice to include some people who have been playing the event from the very beginning, but also always provide a platform for new artists who haven't and bring them into the door list family.

X: HALFQUEEN has been a long-time supporter, and I'm grateful that they always come out for us - they are so incredibly talented and considered in everything they do. Some of my favourite DJs are from Aotearoa, and so many of the Māori girls are at The Door List event; it's extended family over there, so it feels natural to integrate them.

X: Thriving, maybe with another QTBIPOC person leading it, and it expanded into more than just a party. I love the idea of intergenerational parties like Loose Ends, Club Kooky and Club Arak and how they have stood the test of time in different climates and provided that space for generations. I hope to achieve something like that for the queer community.

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Jack Colquhoun is Mixmag ANZ's Managing Editor. Find him on Instagram.