Saturday, March 20, 2010

Tastes like AIDS.


Actually, the chocolate wasn't half bad.

Parenting Fail.

Problem?


I didn't think so.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

On the Road...

To Chile!

Yes reader; the time has come for us to leave Argentina behind and move on to Chile. This post will focus on the pictures taken on the mythical 25 hour quest from BA to Santiago.


From Mendoza to the border up in the Andes.




















Cristo Redentor Tunnel, the main land connection between Santiago and the Argentine city of Mendoza.



On the Chilean Side.




All up in the ANDES y'all!!!!!



To say that the drive down from the Andes was scary would be to say that there a lot of people in China; perhaps not descriptive enough.

Pictures of the post-arrival will come soon. Stay tuned...

Monday, March 8, 2010

Buenos Aires Gay Pride

I'd like to start this post by making perfectly clear that I love New York City and it's gay scene more than I do Buenos Aires'. Now, since I had only been to NYC Pride before, I will be drawing many comparisons between the two through out the post. Also, where in many U.S. states and/or cities, pride is held over an entire weekend (one day for the fair, the other for the parade), BA only has the one. The scene in BA, though very much about clubbing and culturally accepted, is not particularly an open one and there isn't as much of an everyday sense of community as there is in NYC. That said, Buenos Aires Gay Pride was possibly one of the most moving, fun and authentically joyous experiences of my entire life.


So, upon our arrival at Plaza de Mayo, where the Pride Fair was held, we realized just how many homos actually live in Buenos Aires. This truly felt like a Pride Fair. This had none of the over-commercialization and unnecessary sexual explicitness of NYC or SF's Prides; though not to say it was not fun or prudish. It was actually, very low key, artisanal, family friendly and on message. Booths were set up for a myriad of advocacy groups, a constant message of equality was chanted from the make-shift stage in front of the Casa Rosada and there was even a mini-music festival that took place on the afore mentioned stage which truly showcased the message of diversity and openness.






When I say that diversity was showcased, i don't just refer to the variety of attendees which included bears, twinks, trannies, lipstick and extremely butch lesbians, drag queens, students, families and allies; I also refer, very specifically, to the concert. The four acts that performed were a wonderfully fun electronic duo (in the vein of Depeche Mode and Yaz), a small acoustic indie band, a reggae rapper named Miss Bolivia and a popular Argentine Cumbia group that nobody really cared about, but were still representing for those few who did.



Miss Bolivia, possibly the best and most fun of the performers, brought the house down. A tiny woman in a tube top and short shorts and the greatest dreads you've ever seen, Miss Boliva proved to be a powerhouse by using, instead of instrumentation, a DJ who made masterful use of his Macbook, mixed with fun and socially aware lyrics in songs which she dedicated to the Argentine oligarchy and street Paco (Argentina's version of crack) dealers, and a slew of guest performers, friends and audience participation.


I'm very thankful to have been able to share such a wonderful experience with some of my closest BA friends.


With Leonor, my little Peruvian princess.


Leonor with my best (and only) faggoty BA friend, Walter. Ain't he cute?


Jennie can never go without a mention.


And then the group + Walter's unidentified lady friends.

No pride parade / fair can be talked about or photographed without dedicating a very special spot and mention to those individuals who make the event as fun and colorful as it is: Drag Queens and Trannies. By far, the most beautiful gay ladies at the party.



Gurl's got wings!!!






After the fair, the parade started. It was certainly different than any parade I had ever attended and was so chaotic, I could hardly photograph it. It's important to note that there were no sponsors but gay bars and other gay owned or openly pro gay businesses (not very many). This is due partly to the ravingly anti-corporation Argentine attitude and to the still pervasive stigma against people of the LGBT community. As much as Argentines may tout how open and forward their society is, I knew only one Argentine gay who was fully out. Though in defense of the Argentines, there was not one single protester in sight. No crazies telling us we were sick or that we would burn in Hell. When I expressed surprise at the lack of hateful agitators, all my local friends expressed shock as to why I would even expect something like that at this kind of event. When I pressed the point even further, I learned that they had never heard the term 'hate crime' or seen / heard any actual catcalling or instigation of any kind.


The most adorable 'fake-dyke' couple in the world.


Notice that we're standing in the middle of Avenida 9 de Julio (the largest avenue in the world) and the Obelisco is glowing in the background. This shit was official!



The parade, itself, was even more fun than the fair, but I managed to photograph less of it because I was too busy dancing with gigantic crowds of people and gawking at flawless trannies and sexy go-go boys; so I'm sure you understand. The parade ran from Plaza de Mayo, all along down Avenida de Mayo, and ended in Plaza del Congreso, where a big party (again with live music, food, drink and plenty of marijuana) erupted and was still going strong at 10:30 when we decided to go home and freshen-up before heading out to a just as long night at the club to properly conclude our Gay Pride festivities.


I do have to say, though, that the queen who does the Evita look in the NYC Pride, blows any of the Argentine Evitas out of the water. Props to her.






In the end, I'm very happy and proud that I was able to come away with such an actual sense of pride from this event. I think that the main difference between a Gay Pride in Latin America and one in Europe or the U.S., is that the meaning is very different. Where in the U.S. and Europe Pride tends to focus more on sponsors, politics and sexual preferences, Pride in Latin America focuses on coming out of obscurity and demanding right and decent treatment. It truly is about doing something, on this one day, that you can't do on any other day of the year. Publicly stepping out as yourself, not necessarily exposing yourself, but not hiding, and not having to worry about what your family or co-workers may think or say. Social acceptance comes second to personal acceptance.

I feel that this particular Pride was more meaningful to me than all of my previous ones put together. This time 'Pride' had a context and a message: Be proud of who you are. Be proud of what you want. Be aware that there is always a community and a home out there.

And with that community we jumped, we screamed and we belonged.