A piece of the floor of the workshop of Drag Race Francethe iconic Martini glass from Paloma, the Mylène Farmer wig from Lolita Banana, vinyls autographed by Jean Paul Gaultier, a Bambino bag from Jacquemus… Here are some of the chic and/or cult objects that will be on sale at auction during the “Awarded, VenDrag!” » Wednesday, from 7:30 p.m., at Trabendo (Paris 19th). The money collected on this eve of International HIV Day will be donated to Sidaction.
The Sidragtion event, hosted by drag queens Minima Gesté, Emily Tante and Enza Fragola, will be punctuated by the performances of some fifteen artists including La Big Bertha, Lolita Banana and La Kahena that the general public discovered this been in Drag Race France.
“Every euro spent on site will go to Sidaction”
The approach is supported by the Tinder application. “Thanks to the money she gave us, every euro spent by the public on site, from the cloakroom and raffle ticket to the drinks, will go to Sidaction”, underlines Minima Gesté.
In 2016, the latter participated in the creation of Sidragtion, an association of drags aiming to raise funds for the fight against HIV. The initiative reminds us that the role and influence of these artists is not limited to entertainment. “Drags are beacons in the LGBT+ community. It is important that we take this militant action,” she insists.
Marauders in March
“Selled, VenDrag! is a first. Until then, the Sidragtion, it was mainly marauding in drag, piggy banks flocked with the Sidaction logo in hand, in the streets of Paris but also of Bordeaux, Lille, Lyon, Montpellier, Toulouse or Dijon… The next ones are planned for the month of March. “It’s also an opportunity to raise awareness,” continues Minima Gesté. We take this opportunity to talk about screening, PrEP, etc. And then we reclaim the public space which is not a safe space [“sûr”] for non-standard people,” she explains.
Minima Gesté says that, most of the time, reactions from passers-by are positive and festive. “But sometimes we had problems. Some drags have been insulted, attacked, had their wigs removed in the middle of the street, ”she laments.
Unity being strength, they were 73 to walk the streets of the capital in heels last year. Where the raids took place, a total of 20,000 euros were collected for the good cause. For the next operation, other cities – Clermont-Ferrand, Amiens, Brest, but also Brussels – could see their arteries crisscrossed by local drags. It’s up to you to show off your generosity.