Award Winner Alberto Antón Benítez, a Queer community organiser in Barcelona shares his Queer Leadership Journey.
My Story and Journey.
My name is Alberto Antón and I was born and raised in beautiful Málaga. I've been living in Barcelona for the past 10+ years where I met my husband and settled down in a nice countryside house. I consider myself very privileged as I was raised in an environment where I didn’t feel much discrimination, but I couldn’t make deep connections due to always being the outcast. When my life was stable enough I started to dedicate my energy into being the change I needed when I was younger. That’s why I focus on creating queer places where people feel comfortable and can connect with other queer people. My chosen family is what helped me become the best version of myself so I want this to happen to other people.
My Work and Passion.
I consider myself a facilitator. As I inhabit many queer spaces (Ravalada, WCS, Ahora Dónde) it helped me connect with the local drag scene and queer community. I saw the need for spaces where people could connect and being the extrovert I am, it was natural that I started to grow a Whatsapp community where people could find queer events and queer friends to attend those events with. I work as a community admin for the Whatsapp community, managing a central Google Calendar sharing all the queer events I find and publishing a weekly agenda on Mondays to talk about the events occurring locally each week. So far I’ve received great feedback as it helps many people know what’s going on in Barcelona and find people to go to these events with.
My Leadership and WCS Connection.
Queer leadership means caring for others in a way that helps them become the best version of themselves. I think WCS unlocked some potential in me by allowing me to participate in the Speed Networking events. The connections and friendships I’ve developed thanks to these spaces are vital to continue with my growth and now I dedicate part of my energy to helping others. In the end, we just want to be happy. I remember attending the gala last year as a guest, as an awardee and as a volunteer, I felt so proud of that.
I am working right now on a series of interviews in collaboration with eminent figures of the Barcelona Queer scene that I hope can provide a snapshot of how people are building these connections and finding their support networks. I hope to inspire others to build more support networks. - Alberto Antón Benítez
Life Before & After Winning the Award.
After earning the WCS Queer Leaders Award I truly started to believe in myself and the impact I’m making in the local Barcelona queer community. I was surprised because I didn’t think this would be something to award, but it also fuelled my desire to continue with this project and thanks to that, now it’s grown to help many other people. I wouldn’t continue with my LGT-BCN community if it wasn’t for WCS and it helped me realize we need these structures to help other people with their passion projects.
My Vision for the Future.
My first immediate goal is to set up a telephone line to dedicate it fully to LGT-BCN, so I can manage the community more properly. I don’t do this for profit, so all the activities I organize are free and the ones I share tend to have discounts or special prices. Sometimes it’s hard to find a balance between supporting the organizers of queer spaces but also making it accessible to everyone. I hope to find agreements with the event organizations to get free tickets to events where people with less resources can access the vast leisure offer in Barcelona.
Alberto Antón Benítez (he/they)
Alberto is an advertising professional and volunteer dedicating his time over the last few years to a wide range of LGBTQ+ initiatives and efforts in Barcelona. Alberto is driven by the idea that the happiness and growth of the community is rooted in the establishment of a solid and healthy social fabric.
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