{"id":5059096,"date":"2024-01-26T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-26T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/malatinonews.com\/?p=5059096"},"modified":"2024-01-26T07:00:00","modified_gmt":"2024-01-26T12:00:00","slug":"bostons-latine-drag-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/maln\/2024\/01\/26\/bostons-latine-drag-community\/","title":{"rendered":"Boston\u2019s Latine Drag Community"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">BOSTON \u2014 Her sets are energetic and her crowdwork is unapologetically salacious. You might find her in a bright pink feathered ensemble one day and a beaded emerald bodice with blue tulle sleeves the next.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In every regard, Linda Maripossa is poised to stand out when she struts around Ghost Pepper Bar in Dorchester.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you attend one of her shows, you\u2019ll soon discover that Maripossa is a self-proclaimed Latina diva who refuses to start a performance without the sound of loud cheering.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yet, despite her prima donna persona, this young Peruvian drag queen is part of a wave of change bringing about more inclusion in Boston\u2019s drag community.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every month, Maripossa hosts a drag brunch at Ghost Pepper Bar where she performs alongside a cast primarily made up of other Black and Brown drag performers. You can also find her hosting shows and brunches in different venues throughout the city, including Club Cafe, Painted Burro and Vial\u00e9. These shows provide a space of belonging for them, Maripossa shared, one that can\u2019t be found for queer Latines in the city\u2014at least not in the way some might need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s sad that it doesn\u2019t exist here in Boston,\u201d Maripossa said. \u201cI really long for a Latin community feel.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Much of this stems from a lack of queer spaces in general. Every year, more LGBTQ+ bars and nightclubs in Boston close their doors for good. At least five such venues have permanently shut down since 2019.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As these physical meeting spaces disappear, Maripossa said queer Latines in the city are increasingly scattered from one another. For her, this can feel \u201cisolating.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/episode\/3Aqe1bnblD5xbtZI6cu25v?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameBorder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are organizations throughout Boston that explicitly serve queer and transgender people of color as a whole. In fact, the growing collective named <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wearefrolic.com\/about\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FROLIC<\/a> is one of the most visible groups that directly support these communities, spearheading parties and POC queer nights at various bars and clubs.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Grouping everyone together isn\u2019t always as helpful, however.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s abnormal that there\u2019s not more Latin queer nights, for example,\u201d Maripossa said. \u201cThe intersectionality aspect is important.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She\u2019s not alone in her endeavor or in recognizing a need for more spaces that understand those intersections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pflag.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">PFLAG<\/a> is one of the nation\u2019s largest organizations advocating for LGBTQ+ people, with over 400 chapters throughout the U.S. and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gbpflag.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">four chapters<\/a> in Massachusetts.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Angelina Leon, senior partnerships and communities manager at PFLAG National, shared that the organization started a virtual program to address how identifying as Latine and LGBTQ+ can breed unique experiences.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen it comes to the Latino community being so diverse and so expansive, we have our own set of challenges,\u201d Leon said. \u201cFor me, on top of being Latina and queer, I\u2019m also an immigrant.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/pflag.org\/connects-communities\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">PFLAG Connects:<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/pflag.org\/events\/latino-community-comunidad-latina\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Comunidad Latina<\/a> program was started in April 2021 to combat the loneliness people were experiencing during pandemic shutdowns. The program facilitates free, online discussions between queer Latines throughout the globe, venturing into topics like familial relationships and belief systems.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThese spaces are important because it&#8217;s hard to explain to someone that isn&#8217;t part of the Latino community how essential it is to have someone that just gets it,\u201d Leon said. \u201cThey might not know the challenges when it comes to identity\u2026where you&#8217;re either LGBTQ+ or you&#8217;re Latina.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-image uagb-block-6421465b wp-block-uagb-image--layout-default wp-block-uagb-image--effect-static wp-block-uagb-image--align-none\"><figure class=\"wp-block-uagb-image__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/maln\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Sanchez-01-2-1024x674.jpg ,https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/maln\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/01\/Sanchez-01-2-scaled-1.jpg 780w, https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/maln\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/01\/Sanchez-01-2-scaled-1.jpg 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 150px\" src=\"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/maln\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Sanchez-01-2-1024x674.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"uag-image-5059130\" width=\"880\" height=\"579\" title=\"\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><figcaption class=\"uagb-image-caption\">Linda Maripossa singing with audience members during her monthly drag brunch at Ghost Pepper Bar. Photo by Jewel Sanchez.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Feeling like these identities clash in different spaces is an experience one Latine performer has had themselves.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Just JP, a nonbinary Salvadoran drag queen, said they struggle to make drag friends they can speak Spanish with. This is partially because places where Spanish speakers and Latines gather aren\u2019t always LGBTQ-inclusive.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAs a Latine chubby person that\u2019s queer, sometimes I just don\u2019t feel like the Latino clubs are the ones that I should be at,\u201d JP said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the other hand, JP warned that blindly leaning into the drag community can also run the risk of Latines being tokenized.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI live them, so, I kind of forget sometimes of some of my identities until it clicks to me that..I need to make sure that [shows that book me are] not just trying to meet a quota of diversity,\u201d JP said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two years ago, in light of the need for more inclusive spaces, Just JP helped launch a space as inclusive as one might get: an open drag stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The pandemic closed down the last of Boston\u2019s venues with open drag stages, where fresh newcomers to the drag world could make their debuts. JP\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DragStroll\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DragStroll\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Drag Stroll<\/a> stepped in to fill that void.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe welcome all types of queer art so if you\u2019re burlesque or stand up, it\u2019s an open stage for anyone drag or drag adjacent,\u201d JP said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-image aligncenter uagb-block-30e666a2 wp-block-uagb-image--layout-default wp-block-uagb-image--effect-static wp-block-uagb-image--align-center\"><figure class=\"wp-block-uagb-image__figure\"><img decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/maln\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Sanchez-04jpg-1-1024x675.jpg ,https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/maln\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/01\/Sanchez-04jpg-1-scaled-1.jpg 780w, https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/maln\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/01\/Sanchez-04jpg-1-scaled-1.jpg 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 150px\" src=\"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/maln\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Sanchez-04jpg-1-1024x675.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"uag-image-5059132\" width=\"4903\" height=\"3234\" title=\"\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><figcaption class=\"uagb-image-caption\">Audience members tip Just JP during their performance. Photo by Jewel Sanchez.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thanks to spaces like the Drag Stroll and Maripossa\u2019s drag brunches, there are more opportunities for BIPOC performers. In turn, the scattered presences of queer Latines that they\u2019ve experienced and the fears of tokenization is a far cry from the experience that some newcomers now get.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Iris Laveauis, a Dominican drag queen, sings a different tune about her journey getting into drag.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt&#8217;s just very compact and small and we all know each other a little bit,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re just trying to stay strong as not a big Latina community so we look out for each other as much as we can.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When she\u2019s not on stage, Iris goes by Jolene Paredes. For years she made her money doing makeup, but when the pandemic hit she suddenly found herself without a job.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Paredes said it was the support of Just JP and other Latine drag performers that got her into more shows and connected her with bookers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Drag became her only source of income for weeks, often doing multiple back-to-back shows. Their help ensured she survived financially.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m just so thankful to the Boston drag community\u2014the Latino community. They\u2019ve just been so good to me,\u201d she said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Boston\u2019s queer nightlife is ever-changing. New collectives and venues are popping up while old ones are shutting their doors. After years without fully inclusive spaces to rely on, these Latine drag performers have learned to rely on one another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:37% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"712\" src=\"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/maln\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/01\/IMG_8571-1024x712.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5059113 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/maln\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/01\/IMG_8571-1024x712.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/maln\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/01\/IMG_8571-300x209.jpg 300w, https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/maln\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/01\/IMG_8571-768x534.jpg 768w, https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/maln\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/01\/IMG_8571.jpg 1035w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Jewel Sanchez<\/strong> is a recent journalism graduate from Boston University. Growing up surrounded by Chicano culture in California, she is a proud Latina and first-generation college graduate. Jewel aims to share the stories of underrepresented communities and give a voice to other Latines.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>BOSTON \u2014 Her sets are energetic and her crowdwork is unapologetically salacious. You might find her in a bright pink [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":5059117,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","ghostkit_customizer_options":"","ghostkit_custom_css":"","ghostkit_custom_js_head":"","ghostkit_custom_js_foot":"","ghostkit_typography":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[199,14],"tags":[489,698,1648,1670,1671,1672,2023,2085,17,23,2954,18,25,3942,3943,4030,4137,4763,4987],"ppma_author":[6213],"class_list":["post-5059096","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-culture","category-community","tag-angelina-leon","tag-boston","tag-dorchester","tag-drag-performances","tag-drag-queen","tag-drag-stroll","tag-frolic","tag-ghost-pepper-bar","tag-hispanic","tag-hispanics","tag-insectionality","tag-latino","tag-latinos","tag-lgbtq","tag-lgbtq-2","tag-ma","tag-massachusetts","tag-pflag","tag-queer-nightlife"],"acf":[],"mb":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/maln\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/01\/Sanchez-03jpg-scaled-1.jpg",2560,1696,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/maln\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/01\/Sanchez-03jpg-scaled-1-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/maln\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/01\/Sanchez-03jpg-scaled-1-300x199.jpg",300,199,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/maln\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/01\/Sanchez-03jpg-scaled-1-768x509.jpg",768,509,true],"large":["https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/maln\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/01\/Sanchez-03jpg-scaled-1-1024x678.jpg",1024,678,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/maln\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/01\/Sanchez-03jpg-scaled-1-1536x1018.jpg",1536,1018,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/maln\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/01\/Sanchez-03jpg-scaled-1-2048x1357.jpg",2048,1357,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"","author_link":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/maln\/2024\/01\/26\/bostons-latine-drag-community\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"BOSTON \u2014 Her sets are energetic and her crowdwork is unapologetically salacious. You might find her in a bright pink [&hellip;]","authors":[{"term_id":6213,"user_id":0,"is_guest":1,"slug":"jewel-sanchez","display_name":"Jewel Sanchez","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g","0":null,"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":"","8":""}],"mfb_rest_fields":["title","uagb_featured_image_src","uagb_author_info","uagb_comment_info","uagb_excerpt","authors"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/maln\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5059096","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/maln\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/maln\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/maln\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5059096"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/maln\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5059096\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/maln\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5059117"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/maln\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5059096"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/maln\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5059096"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/maln\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5059096"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/maln\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=5059096"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}