Whilst here in Florida where Queerguru is based not only are fab drag queens banned from reading stories (fairy tales) but our obnoxious homophobic Governor doesn’t want us to say gay at all.  Now he has come sneaking back home after his disastrous campaign to be a Presidential candidate, we are expecting him to take his frustration and anger out on our community.

It’s therefore refreshing to read that our Southern neighbors …..Mexico … are using a talented drag queen to host a national TV news program, which amongst other things, takes the plight of the queer community seriously.  Through his drag persona Amanda, 32-year-old journalist Guillermo Barraza is both reading the news and making it too

He/she bedecked in some fabulous dress,   starts each broadcast the same way  with Welcome to La Verdrag, the program where minorities turn into a majority.”

Barraza told the AP “Having an alter ego, you have fewer problems because they can’t harass a character. You have more freedom to speak out,” he said. “There are many things that Guillermo wouldn’t do or say that Amanda wouldn’t think twice about.”  The timing of his new venture couldn’t be more prescient as he has sought to push the boundaries of society in a place where both LGBTQ+ people and journalists are violently targeted

Soon after he interviewed one of his quests who was one of the most prominent queer figures in the country, he was later found dead along with their partner with dozens of cuts across their body. Just hours after their bodies were found, local prosecutors quickly described the deaths as a murder-suicide, a move often made by authorities to dub a case a crime of passion and quickly shelve cases in a country where nearly 99% of crimes go unsolve

In addition to being one of the deadliest places to practice journalism in the world, Mexico has some of the highest rates of violence against LGBTQ+ communities in Latin America, a region where hate crimes and gender-based violence already run high.

The 40-minute newscast has been making a powerful impact since its start in October as it goes against the grain in a highly “macho” country where nearly 4 in every 5 people identify as Catholic. We so applaud both the commitment and sheer bravery of Barraza and his team ……. and its time to demand similar programs in our countries across the globe.