Every on-air journalist sits in a makeup chair before a broadcast, but reporter Guillermo Barraza’s routine is more transformative than most.
With a bright wig, fabulous outfit, and flawless makeup, Barraza slips away into Amanda Drag for “La Verdrag,” a news program “where minorities turn into a majority.”
The show, which is filmed in Mexico City, combines investigative reporting with interviews that highlight LGBTQ+ celebrities and residents. The Canal Once program gives visibility to a local queer community that faces daily harassment and prejudice.
“In this country, no one is safe,” Barraza told LGBTQ Nation. “The more visible you are, the more you want to fight for change, the more you put a target on your own chest. And if we have to put our lives on the line, that’s what we’ll do, because we won’t let fear win.”
Mexico has the second-highest death rates in the world for journalists, and Barraza sees a barrage of death threats flood their inbox every day. But the Amanda Drag persona allows Barraza to be brave in the face of violence.
“There are many things that Guillermo wouldn’t do or say that Amanda wouldn’t think twice about,” Barraza said. “Having an alter ego, you have fewer problems because they can’t harass a character. You have more freedom to speak out.”
A version of this article originally appeared in the 2024 Pride Edition of the Goodnewspaper
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Header image via Guillermo Barraza
