Drag artist arrested and held on bail after performing as Jesus Christ

A drag artist has been arrested after a performance in which they dressed as Jesus.

Performer Pura Luka Vega was arrested by authorities in in the Philippines at their home in Sta. Cruz, Manila.

The arrest warrant stated that Luka, born Amadeus Fernando Pagente, was charged with immoral doctrine, obscene publications and exhibition and indecent shows.

Addressing a moral panic following the performance, Luka said: “Let me state and reiterate that Drag is NOT a crime. This experience has highlighted hypocrisy and is an education on hate. This is hate.”

They added: “I am still not in receipt of any notice regarding an alleged criminal case filed in Manila against me.

"In the past two weeks, I have been attending preliminary investigations in Quezon City for three criminal complaints. I have conferred with my volunteer lawyers as to the steps I need to take to also face the alleged charges in Manila."

Dulcinea Zulueta works with Luka, and told the BBC: "What people don't understand is that Luka grew up with a religious background [and] still practices their faith in their own way."

Instagram / @puralukavega

Zulueta added: "I got called an accomplice to a crime just because I supported Luka. We got messages from pastors telling us we're going to hell."

The Philippines is a majority catholic country, with nearly 80 percent of the country's population self-identifying as catholic.

Father Jerome Secillano, spokesman of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, told the BBC: "I know Pura Luka Vega said it was art... What they did was a mockery of our faith.

"We're calling the act itself offensive, whether it's done by a man, woman, or a member of the LGBTQ community."

Many people have posted online in support under the hashtag '#freepuralukavega'.

Meanwhile, Luka has claimed that they never received a subpoena for a criminal case which had been filed against them in Manila.

Manila Police District

The drag artist had previously received 'persona non grata' declarations over their 'Ama Namin' performance.

These were in the provinces of Cebu City, Floridablanca, Pampanga, General Santos City, Toboso, Negros Occidental, Bukidnon, Dinagat Islands, City of Manila; Nueva Ecija, Laguna, Occidental Mindoro, Lucena City, and Bohol.

Luka has previously explained that the performance is intended to pay tribute to the isolation many LGBTQ+ people feel in religious spaces.

Group Concerned Artists of the Philippines has condemned the arrest, writing in an Instagram post: "We firmly believe that the true practice of faith and worship should materialize into the fundamentals of how we live as human beings."

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