On May 22, the Bazara LGBT+, which began as a response to the lack of inclusive employment opportunities for the LGBT community, celebrated its first anniversary.
With one more edition, among the 15 that have already been completed this year, Muñeca Aguilar, representative of Comando Trans Intersectional, one of the founders together with Kelly Ramírez, of Substantive Equality Yucatán, explained that this space is also a political action in the fight against discrimination against diversity.
She celebrated that since they began, they have had constant growth, and, although the Bazarita began last year on the International Day against LGBTphobia, May 17, people who lost their jobs due to the pandemic or had businesses that were in bankruptcy began to join our initiative.
“And, with this monthly space that charges the companies a minimum recovery fee for the essential expenses to make it possible, these have managed to get up; but today, in addition to being the anniversary with the presence of 42 enterprises, it is very special because the event is taking place in the Parque de Las Américas”, she expressed.
“It was difficult to get this space because public spaces are almost always denied to gender-based dissidence,” however, based on the legislation itself, “we are demanding to occupy public spaces as we should,” she continued.
Their presence “is a political movement”, since the challenges they face include obtaining the permits to running the Bazara, and managing the infrastructure and logistics necessary: tents, audio equipment, drag show, etc.
Parque de Las Américas and Parque de la Alemán were both denied as venues in past editions of inclusive events of this type; however, after a lot of pressure via social networks, local authorities allowed the event to be held at the Parque de Las Americas.
“Perhaps a bigger challenge will come next year if we manage to get the Parque de la Alemán as a venue for the Bazara,” Aguilar continued.
“Occupying these spaces that were previously denied is important for the LGBTI community to make diversity visible,” she stated.
“There are flea markets every day throughout the city, but we, trans people, queer people, lesbians, gays, are discriminated every time we show up at any of those “Tianguis“, we are mistreated,” the leader of the LGBTI community declared.
“We will manifest in a cultural and artistic way, with drag shows, which is also part of a political movement,” Muñeca Aguilar, representative of Comando Trans Intersectional concluded.
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