Ginger Valdez is the organizer of the PaseoBoricua Pageant of 2010 in a primarily Puerto Rican neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois. Similar to Adela Vásquez, Valdez is the connecting figure between all of the trans and queer folks in the documentary. Through her involvement in the pageant and her close interaction with the competitors, Valdez facilitates positive connections and awareness within the trans community in Humboldt Park. Valdez is a mentor for the trans and queer folks that she meets, describing her goal to organize a well-executed, respectable event for the girls. Valdez shares her experiences as a trans woman and pageant competitor, bringing humorous and encouraging energy to the room (as pictured above). Overall, Valdez is a motherly figure, creating a familial atmosphere among the girls and asking the competitors not to disrespect one another.
Fear of Rejection
Throughout ¡Cuéntamelo!,the LGBTQ+ folks shared fear of ostracization from their family. “I Am the Queen” illustrates multiple representations of family dynamics that both confirm and contradict this theme. On one hand, Ginger Valdez describes her mother being unable to understand her trans identity at the age of fourteen. Valdez points out that her father was willing to accept her as she was and finds that her situation is atypical of typical gendered parental reactions. In Julissa’s case, Lisa, her mother, initially struggled to accept her daughter’s queer identity but learned to welcome Julissa as her daughter. While this is not the case for many trans folks, I appreciated that this hopeful mother-daughter relationship was represented in the film.
Community as Survival
The documentary ends with recordings of the pageant and subsequent parade, and there are many instances of community in this final portion of the film. Bianca was robbed and unprepared to perform at the pageant, but Ginger and Jolizza helped to make sure she was dressed to compete. While Jolizza’s mother and sister still made transphobic comments, the two did show up for the pageant. Not to mention, Julissa’s entire family was there for the pageant and celebrated her win. There is an emotional moment when Julissa’s little sister cries over her win and says, “She’s so beautiful.” Altogether, I think these scenes demonstrated the networks of support that are necessary for survival in the trans community of color. As we read in ¡Cuéntamelo!, it is important that QTPOC find spaces and people (such as the PaseoBoricua Pageant) that allow them to be themselves.
“I Am the Queen” is a 2015 documentary about a pageant targeted towards transgender individuals in a Puerto Rican community in Chicago. The documentary showcases the fear of rejection, sense of community, and proud Latinx identities that we also found in
¡Cuéntamelo!.
