For our fiction edition, Latino USA producer Camilo Vargas takes a shot at news parody by reporting on the foundation of a gay state:

Representatives from gay districts of the world’s capitals have announced the foundation of the gay nation of Queergyztan after a brunch near UN Headquarters in New York. The announcement comes after a sweeping wave of anti-gay legislation in Central Africa, Australia and several US states.  The queer founders initially vetted buying islands from troubled economies like Puerto Rico, Spain or Greece. But Western powers decided the new gay nation will be located at the heart of the Persian Gulf, where permitted homosexual activity was first documented in ancient Assyrian-Mesopotamian territories. The new rainbow shaped nation will form a tri-national border with Kuwait, Iraq and Iran. Newscaster Satireus Temple-Arcton reports the historic declaration and the responses from world leaders. Latino USA producer Camilo Vargas gets reactions from the streets of New York.

Our “newscaster” is Frank Garcia Hejl, a writer and actor in the New York sketch group Onassis. He is also a member of the UCB weekend team Bucky. His favorite film of all time is a tie between Ghostbusters and Gremlins. Seriously. He is a graduate of the University of North Texas with a degree in Sociology and English.

Camilo Vargas went from his native Colombia to the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He joined Latino USA after a fellowship with Univision Noticias and Univision’s Investigative Unit. Before coming to the US, Camilo was a researcher in conflict studies and US-Latin America relations for the Colombian government and the Universidad de los Andes in Bogota.

Photo by Ilia Yefimovich/Getty Images