Here is how native New Yorker Chiquitita is using drag to celebrate Latinx and Hispanic culture
Drag queen Chiquitita is using her voice to celebrate her Latinx and Hispanic culture and to dispel negative stereotypes about the community.
Video Transcript
CHIQUITITA: I want to be the positive representation of what it means to be Hispanic, of what it means to be trans, of what it means to be a native New Yorker in 2023. Hello, my name is Chiquitita. I am a Brooklyn based drag performer, and I am at the top of my game.
I dropped out of high school at the age of 15 and dove straight into it, because I knew that I wanted to do something that meshed together fashion and art. And drag was right there. I'm very vocal about issues regarding trans people across the country and around the world, about the discrimination that we face. And I'm all about celebrating trans people and trans excellence, which I think I'm doing pretty well.
I was, for a long time, almost ashamed to be Hispanic. Through drag is really when I started appreciating my individuality and how rare it is to even come across another Salvadorian. Through that, I've really learned to appreciate my ancestry.
Specifically, when I started my medical transition and I started seeing the changes that my body started going through or the features that started changing with my face, I was starting to see a resemblance to other women in my family. And that made me appreciate myself a lot more.
We hear a lot of rhetoric about how negative or dangerous Hispanic people are or Latinx people are to the American society. That's not the case. And it's not true. And I want people to have very visible, positive examples of what it means to be Latinx in 2023. One more for the road.
Seeing the people that I have positively impacted through just existing on this planet, and being a first generation New York born and raised Latina, and having people also be like, I'm also Latina, or I'm also Salvadorian. And your representation for me means a lot. So that's why I do it.
- Chiqui is a natural. She's just truly at home on stage, so you always feel when you're watching her, it's just seeing someone do the absolute thing that they were put on this planet to do, essentially.
CHIQUITITA: Be the best version of yourself. Whatever that looks like, just be yourself. Let that part of you shine, because that's literally what we're looking for. We're looking for people that have the ability to be genuine, that have the ability to be community leaders, and to speak for not only themselves, but for the people that they're representing. So just be yourself, and be kind.
I want to be trans visibility. I want people to see us, and I want them to hear us, and I want them to know that we exist. And no matter how many times you try to prevent us from existing, we will never go away. And we will always be here.
