(L) Adje and Alejandro at their civil union ceremony, (R) Adje performs in drag. (Photos provided by LOUD)
Adje smiles as he prepares for this interview. His young face and his big smile hide everything he has had to suffer to live a quiet life of peace and truth with his partner in a world that often rejects our LGBTQ+ community. On his path as an immigrant he has managed to find refuge in the art of drag and it has given him a way to express himself during the greatest difficulties of his life.
Valencia, Venezuela
Adje’s story begins in Venezuela, a simple, middle-class boy who grew up in an environment full of love for God. “My parents were religious; For me, homosexuality was a sin which had to be hidden.” This is how Adje remembers the first stages of his teenage life. Living a secret which should not be spoken about. He had his first relationship in college which was marked by the pain of hiding it from the world. After university, his life changed when his clandestine relationship ended and he met Alejandro, the love of his life and future husband. Alejandro showed Adje what it meant to live life without the pain of secrecy. Together they would begin to build a little corner of love and peace in turbulent Venezuela.
“With Alejandro I began to feel more comfortable with my sexuality and it was because of him and his great support that I had the courage to tell my family the truth. Who accepted me little by little” Adje turns to look tenderly at Alejandro who is washing dishes in the kitchen. “He freed me from lies and was also the one who introduced me to the other love of my life, drag.” Drag was an experience that would change Adje’s life but at the same time it presented great difficulties due to the homophobic environment in Venezuela. “We had to hide again, it was difficult to get transportation when we dressed in drag and we lived in fear that our neighbors would see us. It was horrible, but at the same time the transformative experience of drag was worth the risk.”
Sadly the situation in Venezuela continually worsened. Alejandro’s grandmother who had been a great support for both of them passed away. Their safety was at risk every day. Crime, robberies, murders and financial difficulties were the reality of the country. Also because of the homophobia of the Venezuelan government. Gay marriage was illegal which meant that to build their lives together Adje and Alejandro had to emigrate.
Quito, Ecuador
Adje and Alejandro had high hopes for Ecuador. Civil unions were legal when they arrived in Quito in 2015 and they hoped Ecuador would be more welcoming to the LGBTQ+ community. Adje explains that this was not the case. “Ecuador’s culture is less violent and people are homophobic but in a more subtle way. There was less crime and more security but homophobia was still present.” Arriving in Quito was very hard for Alejandro. Adje remembers seeing his partner cry when they had to share a room with a small, thin mattress which would be their new bed. But together they began the fight to improve their lives.
Quito gave Adje something wonderful; his entry into the professional drag world. This began one day when he designed a costume, corset and visited an LGBTQ+ establishment in which he was admired by the organizers, his beauty stood out and resulted in an invitation to compete in a drag competition for novices. “By chance, a friend from Venezuela was also living in Quito and he helped me perfect my makeup, I knew how to sew and created my own clothes, I ended up winning the competition and from then on I started working in drag.” Adje explains that this was not his main job because drag did not pay well in Ecuador. He continued working wherever he could during the day and at night he was the queen of the nightlife in Quito. This was where he received his drag name Zeux Arem.
Life in Ecuador had its challenges, especially xenophobia. Because they were Venezuelans, their home was vandalized daily. Also due to his gift and good fortune, Adje began to receive threats from a Colombian trans gang who did not want to see him in drag in their clubs. “Things got tough, there were about three months in which I had to stop doing drag and talk to this group so they wouldn’t hurt me and so I could continue doing drag.”
This was a tough time in Adje and Alejandro’s relationship. Getting to a point where Alejandro asked Adje to retire from drag completely. “I was clear with Alejandro and told him that I was not going to leave something that I loved so much, he had to understand that this is part of me and I was not going to sacrifice it for anyone.”
The greatest difficulty would come with a global pandemic that no one was prepared to face. COVID ended up ending Adje and Alejandro’s ability to improve their lives. Seeing the difficulties they were going through, homophobia, xenophobia from Ecuador, the insecurity of their situation growing every day, they decided to start from scratch again. They got married and together they decided to go in search of the American dream.
La Frontera, Mexico
Leaving everything behind except the two suitcases they were carrying on their backs, Adje and Alejandro went to the Mexican state of Monterrey. They continued on foot and with a group of almost 100 people they reached the border. “It was night and a group of travel advisors (coyotes) who were drugged started yelling at us to leave our suitcases behind. They were rude and mean to people, but we crossed determinedly and left all that behind.” Adje explains that they had to cross a river, the water reached up to his torso. The cries of the coyotes could be heard behind but they continued forward. When crossing the border they saw the border patrols and here the two husbands surrendered to them to begin their immigration process. “The trip was long and the crusade was very hard, complicated and overwhelming. But it could have been much worse.”
Orlando, United States
Now living in Orlando as of 2022, Adje now sees a new world of acceptance. “The LGBTQ+ community is more free and open here, one can live life fully and do what one wants without hurting others; and that is freedom.”
Adje comments that the drag world is more closed here in Orlando and that it has been hard for him to integrate into the drag community. “I have been able to do three shows and even if it is once a month I go out dressed in drag but here it is more difficult to enter the clubs than it was in Quito” In any case, Adje appreciates the freedom he has in his new home in Orlando. He and Alejandro work to rebuild their lives here and Adje continues with his passion for drag. “I would tell anyone who is curious about drag to do it at least once in their life. It is an experience that gives you the freedom to live your fantasy self. Show the other you to the world and be a character without fear of being judged. Drag frees you in a way that nothing else can.” Adje and Alejandro have had a long road to this freedom they have found, but looking back they are grateful for all the love that their families gave them, which they left behind in Venezuela. They are also grateful to live in a city like Orlando where our LGBTQ+ community is welcome.
To learn more about Adjeh follow him on instagram on his drag account @zeuxarem.
