The State Department says its grant for a cultural center in Ecuador to host drag shows is aimed to give LGBTQ Ecuadorians an outlet 'to express themselves freely and safely.'
"In September 2022, the U.S. Department of State awarded a grant to the Centro Cultural Ecuatoriano Norteamericano Abraham Lincoln, a U.S.-Ecuadorian cultural center in Cuenca, Ecuador, for a program that uses the arts to raise awareness about diversity and inclusion," the spokesperson said."The program’s goal is to promote tolerance, and the arts provide new opportunities for LGBTQI+ Ecuadorians to express themselves freely and safely.
Drag queen Just JP reads stories to children during a Drag Story Hour at Chelsea Public Library in Chelsea, MA on June 25, 2022. "Facilitators and artists in Cuenca will collaborate with a local theater company in implementing workshops, creating customized plays, and producing a documentary video; the program will conclude in June 2023," the spokesperson continued."LGBTQI+ people across the globe deserve to live in societies free from targeted violence and discrimination.""Recent data suggest an alarming and deadly rise in violence against LGBTQI+ persons in Ecuador," they added.
Drag queens Athena Kills and Scalene Onixxx arrive to awaiting adults and children for Drag Queen Story Hour at Cellar Door Books in Riverside, California on June 22, 2019.