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Published: Queens of Caracas feature in HUCK Mag's 073 Issue
lexi parra
Aug 18, 2020
Huck 73: The Sanctuary Issue. Get your copy now.
We were ready to share Huck 73 back in March. Then the world fell off a cliff. Five months later, we have a magazine that exists freely between then & now.
I am so excited to finally be able to share about this story, along with a few outtakes.
Last year, a group of vibrant, badass queens welcomed me into the fantasy world they create every night and the not-so-glamorous everyday struggle they go through to make it happen. The drag scene is fighting on, out of an urgent need for escape ... especially for LGBTQ folks. Performers and their public can immerse themselves into the antithesis of what Venezuela has become: vivid, luxurious, free.
What started out as an invite to a gala event and genuine curiosity turned into a year-long project sharing and uplifting a community that is often overlooked, hopefully providing a distinct look into the Venezuelan crisis.
As Aron, Caracas’ drag matriarch, told me last year: “Although all of this might seem like a character, it’s an extension of me …it’s the only way I can feel free. That is why I continue to fight. Because I feel that if I decay, I fall to everything else.”
Aron left a lasting impression. He had a regal air to his six-foot stature. Unfortunately, Aron passed away June 9, 2020 at 49 years old. Just three days before his passing, we were messaging back and forth about the quarantine. He wrote me saying, “I am very sad but I am holding on to faith that this will end soon. To be able to work again will give me strength, as I live for what I do. I have had to distance myself from everyone because I have been sick. I love and miss my drag family very much.”
Aron lives on through those he mentored and guided in a world that allowed him to feel free.
Thank you to those who welcomed me into their world and especially to Aron. This story is a testament to all of you and your dedication.
The HUCK Magazine Issue 073: Sanctuary is out now! Digital article of this feature 'Queens of Caracas' to come soon.
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