For World AIDS Day consideration: Body Hack presents Nuestros Lazos Festival, Dec 1-4
BODY HACK [A MUTUAL CARE RESOURCE & INTERNATIONAL FUNDRAISING COLLECTIVE FOR AND BY TRANS AND QUEER PEOPLE OF COLOR] ANNOUNCES NUESTROS LAZOS, A FUNDRAISING INITIATIVE THAT KICKS OFF ON WORLD AIDS DAY
This December, Body Hack joins forces with Kiki House of Prince, for the first time to create a spectacular festival complete with panels, workshops, the long-awaited Maxi Kiki Ball, and a dope afterparty, done Body Hack style! Through the activities around Nuestros Lazos Kiki Ball, we seek to provide relevant information and generate support networks with civil organizations that fight to eradicate the stigma against HIV in society; in the same way, to bring a positive message about the value of bodies and experiences of diverse people through art and performance.
Nuestros Lazos is a fundraising initiative that kicks off on World AIDS Day, bringing together community to benefit and celebrate our poz family. In this space, trans folks, people from the LGBTIQ+ community in general, migrants, afro-descendants, racialized people and more, who have found through Ballroom a platform for art and visibility, come together in a celebration of their identities, as well as in commemoration of the struggles that, as communities, continue to affect them. This year we are raising funds for Jóvenes Cambiando VIHdas, a network of mutual support by and for young people and adolescents living with HIV in Peru.
HIV is an important issue within the Ballroom community, as it is home to people living with the virus who are constantly struggling to cope with a society that discriminates against people based on their HIV status. This reality is faced through actions and information from our platforms, since it is necessary and imperative to impact the community and society in general to maintain an active and visible fight regarding this cause.
Originally a happy hour for trans and nonbinary people set in a tiny Brooklyn dive bar, Body Hack has grown into a transnational project seeking to model a world where trans communities can thrive interdependently. Now a collective, Body Hack throws parties in-person and virtually over Zoom, creating dedicated spaces for trans people to gather, celebrate, and extend support to one another. Each party doubles as a fundraiser for a trans-related initiative, raising over $100k across 20 events in the last three years.
Established in 2019, Kiki House of Prince is the Pioneer house of the Peruvian ballroom scene.
They have organized some of the first balls in Peru, and are disseminators of ballroom culture as a form of resistance and community development. Kiki House of Prince has the support of institutions such as Harvard University, Cayetano Heredia University, UCLA, and UNAIDS; which, through our network of contacts, will participate in the events that seek to generate awareness, education, prevention, and community outreach for the optimal and responsible development of our event and ball.
