Latvian Drag King Collective

The mission of Latvian Drag King Collective is to build a more inclusive society in Latvia, by increasing the visibility and understanding of LGBT+ community members and gender. It seeks to renegotiate the traditional understanding of masculinity and to expand safe spaces via drag, education and debate. It seeks to lead in its unapologetic strength in defiance of discriminating laws and perceptions in Latvia. Eventually, the platform seeks to bring together activists and artists from Latvia to strengthen LGBT and feminist activism.

The Latvian Drag King Collective envisages to achieve the following goals:
- increase the visibility and understanding of LGBT+ and gender-related issues in border society;
- change popular perceptions on masculinity through drag performances;
- protest discriminating laws and perceptions in Latvia;
- create a strong and a broad platform for engagement for LGBT+ and feminist activists for future work under the “umbrella” of the Latvian Drag King Collective.

Our plan for the year 2020 is the following:
Organisation of the Second Drag King Festival in November 2020
Drag King Show in Conversation Festival “LAMPA”, 19-20 June 2020
Drag King Show in open air festival “Komēta” 1st of August in Riga, Latvia
Drag king shows in marginal territories across the country
Collective mobilization for dedicated shows in support for same-sex partnership laws and womens rights movement
Educational trips of the drag king performers across alumni highschools to reach LGBT+ youth.

The Latvian Drag King Collective expects to achieve the following throughout 2020:
Increased awareness of the gender-related issues in Latvian society by raising awareness of the problems of the most vulnerable groups of society;
The Latvian Drag King Collective established as a relevant stakeholder in the Latvian LGBT+ and feminist scene to build new coalitions;
Connect with LGBT+ community in Estonia and Lithuania
Help establish a community across the Baltic countries.

Funded by Awesome Without Borders (May 2020)