CELEBRATING LATINO VEGAS STYLE
ORGULLO! by caleb rainey
It’s only April and Pride season is already getting off to a great start with the inaugural Orgullo Latino Las Vegas Pride, brought to you by the Southern Nevada Association of Pride, Inc. This festival will be the first to focus exclusively on Latino/as and personally, this writer hopes that other cities catch on and implement similar Prides. The purpose of Orgullo Latino Las Vegas Pride is to “encourage and pro-
mote cultural pride by uniting the LGBT Latino organizations, community group, schools and businesses to share Hispanic customs, culture, music, dance and traditional food. The goal is to enhance Latino LGBT cultural recognition, educate and preserve the collective past of the LGBT Latino Heritage.” What an amazing vision! I was fortunate enough to be able to chat with Jorge Garcia-Solorio, the
man behind this fabulous festival and pose a few questions regarding this event. When asked what prompted a Latino/a Pride, Solorio had this to say, “Las Vegas’ Latin community has been increasing year over year and becom- ing very active. This past year [2014], our entertainment committee decided to dedicate a time slot specifically for Latin music and entertainment; the response to this was extremely positive and exciting. Many spectators and sponsors suggested we design a festival focused on the Latin community.” Indeed, a demographic shift is happening across the nation and those
LGBT communities are no different. We are much younger and browner than we have been in previous decades. It only makes sense that this shift manifests itself in our celebrations. Mr. Solorio added, “As soon as our or- ganization announced our plans and ideas for a Latin-focused festival, the response was overwhelming. What we heard the most was that many in the Latin Community didn’t feel too welcomed at our Pride festival due to the lack of entertainment and vendors for the Latin community. We wanted all people; of every color, background, shape and size; to feel that they belong and they are welcomed.” Latino/as have survived, struggled and thrived in a nation that was and of-
tentimes still is, hostile to their presence. They have been some of the leading voices for social justice and recently, LGBT Latino/as have shown up in droves in the Undocuqueer movement [The Intersection of the Undocumented and Queer Movements]. LGBT Latino/as have also been amazing cultural workers
16 RAGE monthly | APRIL 2015 APRIL 2015 RAGE monthly
“The com- munity has
overcome so many hurdles over the years and even more [in] the LGBT community.
For many Latin
countries, LGBT issues are still
very taboo and not something that is talked about often.”
producing some of the best visual art, film, literature and political theory of the 20th and 21st century. Mr. Solorio quickly added, “Historically, Latino/as have a lot to be proud of. The community has overcome so many hurdles over the years and even more [in] the LGBT community. For many Latin countries, LGBT issues are still very taboo and not something that is talked about often. Personally, as the President of Las Vegas PRIDE and a member of the Latin community, I have experienced this first-hand. This will be a won- derful opportunity to show that we are here and here to stay. My goal is to have this festival be my legacy for many years to come.” It is vital that we as a community, celebrate the
achievements, struggles and contributions of LGBT people of color and this Pride festival aims to do exactly that. It seems that there are quite a lot of people excited about the new focus on Latino/as. An estimated 3,000-5,000 people are expected and as Solorio stated, “My goal would be to have every single Latin person in that festival, but unfortunately, we cannot shut down the city. I guess, we must let some people work, but, they can come have fun after!” The celebration takes place at the Llama Lot, 900
For tickets and more information, visit
orgullolatinolv.org
Freemont Street and will consist of many exciting events. Kicking off Friday, May 1 at 6 p.m., is the night concert by Downtown Project, followed by an After Party that same night. Saturday, May 2, will continue theOrgullo Festival, opening at noon. The festival is an outdoor event showcasing celeb- rity entertainment, food, merchandise, activities and numerous community organizations. On Sunday, May 3, the festivities will close out with the firstPool Party of the summer season, taking place at the amazing Rumor Hotel.
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