The first drag association in Spain is born: 'Fighting together against job insecurity'

Spain's first official drag association will aim to defend the artists' working rights and advocate for better workplace conditions. "It is a group of drag artists in the broadest sense: drag queens, drag kings, performers and DJs," said Àlex Marteen, one of the transvestites involved in the pioneering project.

Some of these drags acts have been working to form the association since before the summer and the official presentation will be on Saturday 9 September at the Paral-lel 62 art space in Barcelona at 8.30pm under the name, Assemblea Drag. "The aim is to present the association in society and raise funds to begin to carry out our work," the artist told SUR.

The main objectives of the first drag association in Spain are to fight for better working conditions such as salaries, insurance and contracts, create networks where drags can support each other and advocate for drag to become more involved in society.

Beginnings

The idea of creating a drag association has been in the pipeline in Barcelona for a long time. At the first meeting there were 17 participants, whereas 60 showed up at the latest gathering. "It goes against the stereotype that people have of us, that we don't support each other," said Àlex Marteen.

Most of the association is made up of drag acts from Barcelona, although there are some others from other parts of Catalonia. "In the end they all pass through here because there is no real drag scene outside Barcelona, only a few local ones, for example in Sitges and Tarragona," Marteen said.

"One of the difficulties is the diversity among drags," Marteen added. Some drag acts combine what they do with another job, others are in a more precarious situation, there are also those who can live from the work they do. "It would be great if the association could be extended to the whole of Spain, but we would have to adapt the needs to the reality of each city," Marteen said.

Assemblea Drag

The launch event for Assemblea Drag will serve as a presentation and fundraiser. A line-up of 17 artists, the founders, will be joined by others who also belong to the association including Alma Pharmacy, Alexandra, Àlex Marteen, Alice Spears, Dio Addams, Fist' Alicia, Flama, Gillette Antagonista, Glaciar, Gwindolyn Addams, Kelly Passa, Kika Super Puta, Krystal Karma, Marikarmen Free, Metal Kimby, Missla Blak, Muerte a la Norma, Santa Catalina, Pamela Chandelier, Tónika Leprechaun, Unique Horn and Vilma Porux.