Barcelona, is preparing for a month of September full of color, reflection and vindication. From September 8 to October 1, the Eixample neighborhood hosts the ninth edition of “We: LGTBIQ+ Week”, an event that, year after year, consolidates itself as a beacon of visibility and critical thinking for the LGTBIQ+ community.
Organized by the Sagrada Familia Civic Center and the Sagrada Familia-Josep M. Ainaud de Lasarte Library, in collaboration with various entities and artists from the neighborhood, this week promises to transform the urban space into a canvas of expression and encounter.
A space for all voices
Since its inception, LGTBIQ+ Week has had a clear objective: to give voice, make visible, break stereotypes and raise awareness. But it goes further, offering a safe haven where artistic creation and critical thinking flourish in playful and engaging formats. Don’t you think it is essential to have these spaces for the construction of a more just and inclusive society?
The programming is as rich as it is diverse, covering exhibitions, workshops, talks, itineraries and shows. Each activity is designed to make dissidence visible and encourage the analysis of the reality that surrounds us.
Exhibitions that challenge and move
Several exhibition proposals invite deep reflection:
- “Nosaltris: reassigning our bodies”: In the Àlex García Exhibition Room of the Sagrada Família Cultural Center, this collective photographic exhibition, by Chikazos, Gogara, La Revelada and Les Metzineres, explores the creation of “Terabak”. Chikazos’ performance piece delves into bombast, desire and failure through the eyes of drag kings, challenging traditional notions of masculinity. The inauguration will include a presentation and a collective dynamic to create a performance based on image theater.
- Les Metzineres: With the motto “When everything seems like shit and with a piece of paper you end up being happy”, this exhibition celebrates the art of women and gender diverse people who have faced multiple situations of violence and vulnerability. After passing through the MACBA in 2024, his collages invite us to imagine a utopian Raval, free of questions and criminalization.
- “Fanzinoteca”: From September 15 to October 15, the lobby of the Sagrada Família Cultural Center hosts this artistic installation. Explore the phenomenon of fanzines, amateur publications that address topics such as identity, music or cinema from a subjective and liberating perspective. Would you dare to participate in the creation of a collective fanzine?
Activities for participation and celebration
Starting on September 25, LGTBIQ+ Week is filled with participatory activities that invite reflection and collective celebration:
- “I wanted to be a faggot but I was born in Sudaca”: On Thursday, September 25 at 8:30 p.m., Mazorra, a Mexican artist, presents an intimate and provocative cabaret performance at the Sagrada Familia Cultural Center about the contradictions of an existence marked by discrimination.
- Latin American transfeminist cinema exhibition: On Friday, September 26 at 6:30 p.m., the Casal de Barri Espai 210 hosts a cineforum with four short films from Argentina, Ecuador, Mexico and Venezuela, followed by a participatory conversation.
“Putiruta”: A historical and irreverent route through the streets of Barcelona, on Saturday, September 27 at 11:00 a.m. and Monday, September 29 at 7:00 p.m. Designed and facilitated by Violet Ferrer, a trans woman who has lived in a situation of prostitution, this itinerary makes visible the footprint of the LGTBIQ+ collective and prostitution in the city since the 18th century. - “Mermaid’s Tail”: On Saturday, September 27 at 12:00 p.m., the Sagrada Familia Library offers a storytelling workshop for children ages 4 and up. Two characters energize the narration of the story by Alba Barbé i Serra and Sara Carro Ibarra, promoting diversity and respect.
- “Feminism is already gone”: On Saturday, September 27 at 6:30 p.m., at the Sagrada Familia Cultural Center, Mikaelah Drullard, Afro artist, Dominican-Mexican transvestite, offers a provocative talk on the decolonial and anti-racist perspective, questioning the essentialist logic of white feminism.
- Fira Us: On Sunday, September 28 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., the Sagrada Família square hosts a meeting point between entities and bookstores specialized in LGTBIQ+ themes. There will be information, resources, reading guides and workshops, all enlivened by soundscapes from the TILECT Collective.
- Elegetebeízinexx zine workshop: On Tuesday, September 30 at 6:00 p.m., at the Sagrada Familia Library, Jesusi Arpal (La Caníbal, SCCL) will give a workshop for sex/gender, kuir and LGTBIQ+ dissidents to create quick and powerful fanzines.
- Les Metzineres (Talk): On Tuesday, September 30 at 7:30 p.m., at the Sagrada Família Cultural Center, you will be able to see first-hand this non-profit cooperative that offers exclusive shelter environments for women, with an innovative intervention model based on harm reduction.
- LGTBIQ+ Week reading club with ‘I was a boy’ by Fer Rivas: On Wednesday, October 1 at 6:30 p.m., at the Sagrada Familia Library, Jesusi Arpal (La Caníbal, SCCL) and the author Fer Rivas will talk about the themes explored in the novel.
LGTBIQ+ Week is, ultimately, an open, safe and transformative space where diverse voices take center stage and where everyone is welcome. A unique opportunity to celebrate diversity and build a more equitable future. What impact do you think these types of initiatives have on today’s society?
