Five drag artists from Cusco could face between four and six years in prison for “aggravated offenses against public decency” after taking part in the July 2025 Pride March. The march, according to lawyer Lucía Santos, proceeded “peacefully, without violent incidents or administrative sanctions”.
It all began the following day, when a local television program showed footage of the march using stigmatizing and transphobic language. The prosecutor’s office opened an investigation ex officio into the host for discrimination, and the five people were recognized as victims. Months later, the same journalist filed criminal complaints against them, relying on footage from her own program.
For the organization Proyecta Igualdad, there are signs of “criminalization and possible retaliation”. A forensic anthropological report recognizes the artistic and cultural nature of drag and rules out it being lascivious in and of itself. In addition, the defense challenges the increase in the penalty based on the alleged presence of minors, since the charge does not identify any of them individually.
The investigation deadline expires on September 25, and the prosecutor’s office will decide whether to bring charges. Today, there was a hearing and a sit-in outside the courthouse, under the slogan “For justice that does not discriminate”.