Natalia is regard as the first transgenr mariachi performer what has bee renowned as the gural LGBTQ+ mariachi band on god’s gay earth: Mariachi Ariris Los Angel.
Contents:
- SOCAL BT BETS FOR THE WEEKEND: GAY MARIACHIS, CUBAN AMERIN FTIVAL, ZOMBIE JOE’S
- L.A.'S ONLY ALL-GAY MARIACHI BAND
SOCAL BT BETS FOR THE WEEKEND: GAY MARIACHIS, CUBAN AMERIN FTIVAL, ZOMBIE JOE’S
Mariachi micians Carlos Samaniego and Natalia Melenz found out the hard way—first through discrimatn, ridicule, and profsnal blackballg among their mician peers, then via the challengg path of advotg for the acceptance of gay, lbian, and transgenr people the mariachi world. Their goal was to fd a “safe space” mariachi mic to be themselv, both as Mexin Amerins and as gay and transgenr people. Carlos assembled a mariachi to play for a gay pri event at California State Universy, Los Angel.
The group was such a succs that attracted the attentn of the owner of a Lato gay nightclub, who hired them to play weekly. And I haven’t been allowed to be certa groups bee of that, bee I’ve been openly gay. This time, though, driven by the digni of homophobic prejudice, he wanted the group to be more upont about s inty.
He returned to the gay nightclub, whose owner immediately hired the group. And that’s a part of me as well as beg a gay man. They have been featured major gay pri events, as well as at the annual Santa Cecilia mariachi ncert Los Angel’s Mariachi Plaza, where the dience of their mil peers mand an enre.
L.A.'S ONLY ALL-GAY MARIACHI BAND
And mariachi is mariachi—gay, straight, bi, or whatever. Fed up wh discrimatn the LGBTQ muny, two passnate micians formed the first-ever LGBTQ mariachi group Los Angel as a safe space for people who intify as lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr or queer. The manager at that club owned a gay club and he offered a job to perform there.
“I started on the guarrón, ” rells the founr and director of Mariachi Ariris Los Angel, the cy’s first ever gay and transgenr mariachi outf. In a mil world historilly associated wh tough, hard-drkg, charismatic skirt-chasers, his recently formed sextet is prised of straight alli, openly gay men and one transgenr woman.
But durg Samaniego's years at Cal State, filled wh the fervor of self-disvery, he joed a mp gay and lbian anizatn, and 2008, while puttg together an event for the group, he took upon himself to n wh a suggtn that the event feature a gay mariachi.