Out In Town

Gloria Trevi in LA - Beyond Sex!

Los Angeles, California was a mandatory stop for Gloria Trevi on her US Gay-Nightclubs tour. The small concert took place on Hollywood’s Circus Club, a very popular Latin Night Club. Gloria is no stranger to gay crowds. She has previously been crowned queen in many Pride Parades as well as being the recipient of different expressions of gratitude from the LGBT community. Her songs and unique way to perform for the crowds has won over millions of fans. Despite her show being in length shorter than Alejandra Guzman’s performance two weeks ago, it left people pleased. Her songs took me back to the early nineties when I was still living in Mexico-D.F. However, despite the very limited amount of time spent on stage, she could not have left without singing the new anthem, of sorts, for the transgender community: Todos Me Miran (Everyone’s staring at me.) No better title could have been found for such a controversial topic. Who has not stared at a transgender girl or transgender man?

Just FYI: Transgender is not the same as Transsexual. There are many differing definitions for the terms, but a simple way to put it would be this: a transgender person is someone who is going through the process to get his/her sex changed, and a transsexual person is someone who has gone through the process, including the surgical procedures. The technicalities of why and how can be found via research, for those interested.

I know I have looked at them, not with repugnance or loathing, but with curiosity. It is difficult, even for gay people, to understand what would make a person want to go through the difficult path to change someone’s sex. However, it takes to put oneself in the other person’s shoes to try to fathom the almost unconceivable stories that they have to share. I was fortunate enough to be present at a special presentation that a group of courageous transgender girls improvised for a group of gay men. They shared the challenges and adversities they face daily. Their lives are something that the most flamboyant gay male cannot even imagine. One thing is to dress up for a gay party, for a nightclub, for a show or for Halloween. But, to show up to work dressed as a woman, do your everyday shores, not in drag, but in women’s clothes is a whole different ball game. I learned a lot that night. I am even embarrassed to say that it was the first time I saw them as people. It must be tough to know you have been born in the wrong body. I am no scientist, but if so many claim the same thing, there must be some truth to it. If I, being a gay male, have a hard time understanding the transgender community, how much harder will the heterosexual world have to fight to respect and accept them? Not much, I must sadly admit. The truth is that most people, including some gay people, do not even try to see who is behind these high-heels and woman attire. In these times sensitivity is going from a virtue to a luxury that many are not willing to afford.

Thus, even though many people thing Gloria’s song is cheesy, I applaud the fact that she even considered and made the decision to represent this courageous part of our population. And as the song says: “Everyone’s staring at me because I do what few will ever dare. Everyone’s staring at me; some with envy, but at the end, at the end, everyone’s going to love me...”

You go girl!

posted by Guerrero Azteca @ 12:10 PM