A True Queer Denver Love Story Created This Unique Live Dating Event

Shanel Hughes and Uche Ohaya became friends in 2019 after realizing how much they had in common. Both women grew up in the Denver area, had several mutual friends, were interested in the arts and entertainment industry (comedy for Hughes, poetry and music for Ohaya), were living with their conservative families, and were dealing with anxiety and depression. And although they didn’t know it at the time, they were also both queer – and falling in love with each other.

“I went to college with her older sister, and her older sister used to do my hair. So throughout the years we had seen each other, had mutual friends, and then when I was about 25, we were like, ‘Let’s be friends,'” Hughes recalls. “Her family moved close to where I was living, and I like to call it our own Great Depression because we were both in such unhappy spaces in our lives. We would get together and smoke, talk and just be there for each other.”

In hindsight, all the signs of a budding romance were there, but neither Hughes nor Ohaya had ever dated a woman before. “I never thought about it seriously because I’d only been with men – what a mistake!” Hughes says. “When our friendship went up to another level, it was like someone pulling their mask off in Scooby-Doo. I had no idea.”

They finally admitted their feelings for each other, dated for a year and a half, then married in July 2021. Now Hughes and Ohaya are raising a son together as well as running their own production company, Uchneligans Productions, which curates events for the queer BIPOC community. They’re kicking off Denver’s official Pride weekend on Friday, June 23, with Queer Light Party, a supersized version of their Cuff’d in Cabaret event, in which the two play matchmaker for queer folks in between eclectic performances.

Around the time they started dating, Hughes’s comedy career took off, and Ohaya became a big support system for her. “Uche was there for the majority of it. I remember going to a competition, and I was like, ‘I just want you to be in the first row – that’s all that matters!’ Which is very gay, but I still didn’t know,” Hughes says with a laugh.

“She went from doing that competition to doing maybe twenty shows a month,” Ohaya adds proudly.

Ohaya, who uses the artist name Uccchh, was inspired by Hughes following her passions and began to take her own creative pursuits more seriously. “I’d made music before in college with some friends, but seriously being an independent artist and taking advantage of that is more new,” she says. While Ohaya dabbled in spoken word and poetry, she’d taken a step back from writing by the time she became friends with Hughes.

“I wasn’t as active in those scenes when we became friends, but seeing her journey in comedy was so inspiring and made me feel like, ‘Dang, I want to step into my abundance as well,'” Ohaya continues. “She’s been very supportive and encouraging.”

A few months after their wedding, Hughes and Ohaya founded Uchneligans Productions to take both their careers to the next level. Hughes had been working under her own LLC but wanted something that better reflected their partnership. “Uche was like, ‘I just want to be here supporting you,’ and I was like, ‘No, I need you by my side as my partner.’ It wasn’t just Shanel Hughes Comedy doing these things. My wife was a big part of it,” Hughes explains.

Uchneligans released Ohaya’s EP, BLACK Is…, and debut album, IRoko noIR, then began producing its two signature events: the live-dating show Cuff’d in Cabaret and Funky Fresh Friday, a concert series showcasing queer BIPOC musicians. “It’s just snowballed into so many different things, but it was birthed from the music by way of comedy, then into events,” Ohaya says.

Originally, Ohaya and Hughes wanted to host crafting events for Black women, but quickly pivoted to producing shows specifically for the queer BIPOC community. “Anybody is welcome,” Hughes clarifies, “but it’s centered around queer people of color.”

Cuff’d in Cabaret was also inspired by the pair’s own relationship journey. “Once we were together, maybe about a year in, I knew I wanted to write a show about us or something,” Hughes recalls, “because this love story is so cute.”

During the event, Ohaya and Hughes help other queer people find love among comedy, music, drag and other performances at the women-owned venue Town Hall Collaborative, which won 2023 Best of Denver awards for Best LGBTQ+ Safe Space and Bar and Best All-Ages Club.

Cuff’d is modeled after the ’60s TV show The Dating Game, in which a guest contestant assessed their compatibility with three unseen, anonymous contestants through a series of questions. When it comes to a typical night at Cuff’d, Hughes says, “People come in, there’s a full bar and a food truck, so people are mingling, eating, drinking, getting acquainted with the space. About 8:15 p.m., I start by introducing the show and explaining how it’s going to work. I encourage people to write questions, letting them know that we’re doing giveaways, just wanting the audience to have a good time and participate. Then we introduce our contestants, who don’t see each other. We start with a round of questions, then have a comedy performance, then another round of questions, then a drag performance, then audience questions, another drag performance, and then we reveal the winner.”

But Ohaya and Hughes are doing things a little differently on June 23 with the Queer Light Party. It’s similar to a Stop Light Party, in which attendees wear a certain color to represent their relationship status. “It’s going to be different, because everyone is a dater,” says Hughes. “I was like, ‘Let me just have a big party, and anybody can come’ – even if you just want to make friends. We’re going to have games, dancing, color-coordinated goodie bags and other fun little things.”

There are six colors to choose from: pink for couples in an open relationship, orange for singles seeking a monogamous relationship, yellow for folks only looking for friends, green for “unicorns” (singles looking to join a couple for a threesome), blue for polyamorous daters and purple for those down for whatever. Planned Parenthood will have condoms and dental dams available, Angie’s Vegan Cakes will be selling treats, and there will be a raffle benefiting YouthSeen that includes prizes from Denver Made Clothing, PlayHaus Bakery and Jeff Stonic Photography.

For Hughes and Ohaya, the Queer Light Party celebrates the queer folks of color whom they’ve met through Cuff’d in Cabaret. “I never would have imagined the community I’ve found. I grew up very Christian. My mom wouldn’t even let me wear rainbows as a kid. That was scary for me,” Hughes reflects. “Now I’m in a much better space with it. We met a bunch of our now-friends from this show, and I was like, ‘Oh, this is the community that I want to be tapping into – the Black queer community.”

Uchneligans events are unique in that aspect, she adds: “There are other queer-centered events, but then I go to my show and I see that they’re catering to different audiences. That’s what makes my space different. The queer BIPOC community can be small, as we’ve realized, but hopefully we can bring some new people out and find some dates or just some friends to celebrate Pride.”

The wives plan to continue producing and hosting events centering queer people of color, including upcoming collaborations with Black People Know Things and Culture Movie Nights.

“Honestly, I don’t necessarily always feel like it’s work,” Ohaya says. “I’m just with my best friend, and we’re planning the next fun thing we want to do. Of course it comes with stresses, but ultimately we have a good time. We’re very open-minded and will continue to elevate to new heights.”

Cuff’d in Cabaret Queer Light Party, 8 p.m. Friday, June 23, at Town Hall Collaborative, 525 Santa Fe Drive. Tickets are $15 and include a color-coordinated goodie bag.