Considering that for almost three decades Long Beach has hosted one of the world’s premiere LGBTQ[1] pride events, one might wonder what need there is for Festival Latino: Long Beach Latin Gay Pride, which takes place for the first time Saturday.
What such a wonderer may not realize is that traditionally the Latino community has been perhaps even less accepting of its LGBTQ members than the American populace at large (and that’s saying something). But the founders of Festival Gay Latino in Long Beach hope to change that.
“There is a big stigma in the Latino community, and it’s really, really, really tough to come out as a gay or lesbian person when you’re born into a Latino family,” says Angel Macias, one of the event founders. “But I think with this venue that we’re offering somewhere safe, somewhere fun, and somewhere where people can find family and feel that support and that love that they might not be getting in their home.”
According to an event press release, Festival Gay Latino, which coincides with National Hispanic Heritage Month, “will honor the traditions of the Latin community as well as empower those that attend with the ever essence of unity. The festival will showcase inspiring music and dance performances; food, general merchandise, information and vending booths; and include various games and activities for members of our community.”
Vilma Diaz (“The Diva of Cumbia”) y La Sonora will headline the day’s entertainment, which will also features performers representing, El Salvador, Brazil, Mexico, and Puerto Rico, among other countries.
Also on hand will be a Health Pavilion sponsored by St. Mary Medical Center, which “will provide education on health issues affecting the general community including the LGBTQ community. The St. Mary Breathe Easy Mobile Care Clinic will offer free respiratory screenings and the C.A.R.E. Program will provide information and education regarding HIV/AIDS. Other free screenings will include glucose screening, blood pressure checks, and BMI checks. Women will also be given the opportunity to sign up for mammograms and pap smears to be done at a later date.”
“Latinos make up 35% of Long Beach and are represented by comparable percentages in the C.A.R.E. Clinic,” says C.A.R.E. Program Director Miguel Gutierrez. “Therefore, the first Latin Gay Pride event is a great place for the C.A.R.E. Program to pass along information on HIV testing and risk reduction, along with information on our HIV specialty care and social services.”
But for the festival founders, it all comes back to enfolding the LGBTQ subcommunity within Latino culture.
“Traveling to Mexico a few times this past year, I attended a lot of the traditional festivals and the fiestas that they celebrate, and it was just such a beautiful feeling,” says Macias. “I wanted to be part of it. So if I felt that pride in our traditional fiestas…. That’s what we wanted to bring to Long Beach, too. People get homesick. So if you provide a venue where they can have their food and music from their country [of origin], [plus] their amongst the gay community, it just makes it that much better.”
Festival Latino: Long Beach Latin Gay Pride takes place Saturday, September 22, from 10AM to 10PM at Marina Green Park (386 E. Shoreline Dr., LB 90802). Admission: $15. For more information, visit LBFestivalLatino.com.