Anyone that has ever traveled to México knows that silence is golden: Welcome to México – Silence is Prohibited.
You get loud peseros (small buses) with their glass pipe mufflers, a loud bell for the trash pick up, a whistle from the man that sharpens knives, a guy selling rico tamales oaxacaños and then the loud speaker sitting on top of a car or truck selling or making announcements.
The other day, here in San Luis de la Paz, Guanajuato, a small town of 49,000 people, we happened to get behind a blazer that had a couple of those big loud speakers making an announcement; this announcement was different from those I often hear – it wasn’t an announcement for a store opening or a politician wanting to get out the vote – this was an announcement for: Ms. San Luis de la Paz 2011 – a drag show.
Gringos often hear how dangerous it is to be openly gay in México. But here in a small town, not a big city like México City, was a carload of drag queens making public announcements for their annual Nuestra Belleza Gay 2011 pageant. As the blazer approached people on the streets the drag queens would get out of their car and pass out flyers to their event. No one was afraid.
click photo above to see pics of the event Nuestra Belleza Gay 2011 – San Luis de la Paz, GTO
This is the fifth year the gay community has put on the pageant. All six contestants and their supporters will meet at this small town’s main bus station and caravan to Bar One, where the pageant will be held.
Love it: these guys are OUT, PROUD and SCREAMING.
I wrote a column about my visit to San Luis. The article, Small-town gay life, was published in the Dallas Voice.
The post OUT, PROUD and LOUD – San Luis de la Paz, GTO appeared first on Jesus Chairez.