In the thick of the pandemic I moved back to El Paso, Texas, on the U.S.-Mexico border, where I’d been raised, for what I thought would be a temporary stay.
I found myself being more discreet around my family in El Paso and Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, where I was born.
My favorite songs to sing were those by the iconic Mexican showman Juan Gabriel.
Juan Gabriel’s tender femininity was a radical quality in a Mexico entrenched in machismo and homophobia.
He managed to embody his Mexican roots while also exuding queerness — two ideas that were for so long at odds in our culture.
Persons:
I’d, Juan Gabriel, Juan Gabriel’s
Organizations:
Ciudad, Ciudad Juárez
Locations:
El Paso , Texas, Mexico, New York, Boston, El Paso, Ciudad Juárez, Ciudad, Mexican