Poetry by Jason Soto

I appreciate the way

This world turned her back on you too

Sucked the air out of each lung w/o asking

Left you for dead, queer, immigrant child

I never really ran away from my pain

It just got caught somewhere in my esophagus

Lost beneath the cords of survival

We’ve known each other for years

Died and came back twice

Just to appreciate the way you look up at the moon

And hold me like down like gravity

You’ve set me on fire

- Infinity; Seeing love in dark places

*

So much pain between siblings

For mistakes of our parents

B/c of things they could not shield us from

Absent birthdays

Broken promises

Tired working class souls

The irreconcilability of it all

We cannot be afraid to salt each other’s wounds

Always shared the same nakedness outside the womb

The same scars and traumas too

This was always ”tough love”

For brighter days and fatter paychecks

Always mourning, always grateful

- Always Full; Immigrant Parents

*

Inside of me there is a desert

Broken in half by man

In it, an oasis grows

Cactus bear fruit

The snake and eagle spirits battle

For my love

For my survival

It is here for you too

If you can look past the rotting plants

There is a spring you can drink from

My love you can indulge

But the second you drink without permission

Beware for the puma will bare its teeth

And taste your flesh in compensation

- Drink me, Dare you

Our class, full of energy, and lots of love
Latina/o Sexualities Presente y Para Siempre!
June 9, 2014

Final Project Artist Statement by student Daniela Nunez

I created these images because I, like Sandra Cisneros, Luz Calvo, and Alma Lopez wanted images that represent the “real” Latina. The one major image Latinas have growing up is the Virgen de Guadalupe. While she is a loved role model, she represents an extreme, something that seems unrealistic for many girls and women to strive for.

The first image is of my mom and nana. I wanted to depict them because they are the strongest women I know. They are my role models, and if I could do half as much in my lifetime as they have, I will be well off. This photograph is very simple, because they live very simply.

The second image is of my roommate Maria. She is one of my role models as well. She moved here from Ecuador when she was in elementary school. She is draping the Ecuadorian flag to represent her home country, and has a San Francisco hat for her second home.

Conchita Wurst - Rise Like a Phoenix (Austria) 2014 LIVE Eurovision Grand Final

Powered by http://www.eurovision.tv Austria: Conchita Wurst - Rise Like a Phoenix live at the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 Grand Final

Eurovision is a yearly competition that has each participating nation nominate a song to be performed on live television by one of its artists. These performances are then voted on and a winner is chosen. This year’s controversial winner was drag character and Austrian singer Conchita Wurst aka Thomas Neuwirth who presents himself as very feminine and well made-up except for that he also sports a full beard. It is interesting to note that the name “Conchita Wurst” probably non-coincidentally, can be interpreted as meaning: small vagina penis, from the Spanish slang- concha and the German, Wurst- meaning sausage or penis. I would like to relate this video to the class readings History of Sexuality by Michelle Foucault and Tacit Subjects by Carlos Decena. In particular, I think that Neuwirth’s decision to perform as his drag character on the international stage clearly lines up with Foucault’s repressive hypothesis, i.e. I don’t believe Foucault would have advocated such an open expression (on the world stage) of this non-normative sexuality. Even though doing so might be liberating for Neuwirth, the decision will come with the extra policing and social backlash we’ve spoken about in detail in class. I believe that through his ensemble Neuwirth is expressing his sexuality and is perhaps saying that to some extent he believes he is both male and female, that he finds aspects of both appeal to him. He presents a queer body that is neither strictly male, nor female, but rather both. As you can see in the video, the performance, despite winning the competition, has earned far more thumbs down on Youtube than thumbs up. Additionally, the comments section is full of condemning, shocked and homophobic comments. As far as Tacit Subjects is concerned, I believe that Neuwirth could have had something to lose by making this statement- choosing to portray himself in the way he has. Despite being Austrian, he is ethnically Turkish. Turkish communities, similarly to Mexican and Cuban communities, are not inherently homophobic, however they are not generally accepting or open to the idea of homosexuality/transexuality. Homosexuality is definitely not mainstream or condoned in their society which is generally speaking on the more conservative side. –by Kal Petkov

While googling some of Alma Lopez’s pieces, I came across this picture of Mary Magdalene and the Virgin of Guadalupe kissing which sparked my interest. This piece is by Alex Donis, a Guatemalan queer artist from Los Angeles.

While Donis grew up Catholic, he always resented the Church’s homophobic tendencies. His lived experiences inspired him to create a space to manifest what usually gets seen as forbidden or ‘dangerous’ desires. It is through his art that he succeeds in creating these spaces that would otherwise get displaced and ignored by the public sphere.

Like Alma Lopez, Donis’ piece, Mary Magdalene and The Virgin of Guadalupe from his My Cathedral collection, uses alternative modes of cultural production to create a space for queer desire and sexuality. Like Alma, Donis also uses symbols, in this case two biblical women who would normally be seen as opposites; one representing virginity and purity, while the other symbolizes sexual impurity.  By using these clashing symbols, Donis challenges the taboo of sexuality as presented by the Church and hopes to invoke in all a desire to dig deep into one’s own sexuality and desire.

Overall, Donis and other artists that we have learned about in class search to break paradigms that are hierarchical and repressive through different art forms. 

–Sandy Garcia

Clips from novela Mas Sabe El Diablo~

I chose the “The Laughing Track,” by Crookers in attempting to articulate how the nation state produces fear for trans women of color but also how their sexual attractions as trans women of color  are mediated by the nation state..

by AJM

Trans Latina and of Color Sexual Subjectvities: "Askari González's MWC Oakland Performance"

Askari Gonzalez articulates her desires as a trans woman that are bound within the very structures of white supremacy and racialized gendered violence. She articulates a different kind of Latina and of Color sexual Subjectivity that challenges heteropatriarchical sexual attraction that often marks trans women as “only being able to love and be loved by men.” Askari articulates her desires for other feminine and trans* feminine bodies, which challenges trans sexual discourse that is invested in ideas of normative belonging and loving.~

- A.J.M

"Lean Like a Chola" Response by Antonio Garcia

Official music video from Lean Like a Chola © 2011 Carmen Lokz

Professor Hernandez’s article “Miss, You Look Like a Bratz Doll”: On Chonga Girls and Sexual-Aesthetic Excess, reminded of the YouTube video, “Lean Like a Chola” which parodies the song “Lean Like a Cholo” by Down AKA Kilo. I thought it might be something the rest of the class might enjoy via the blog. This song, like “Chongalicious,” presents the chola as a spectacle that is different from the rest of society’s women. Like the chonga, the chola’s “firme” attitude is adored and enjoyed by those who do not share her socioeconomic status and situation. She is perceived as a confident and self-empowered woman who does not take shit from anybody. However, the chola is simultaneously repudiated for her devious and uncultured behavior, and the manner in which she emulates Mexican American women to the rest of the world. She is the symbol of deviance and one that does not fulfill the hegemonic expectations of what a woman in the United States should act or appear like. The chola is the “other” which must be policed andnsecluded from the rest of society.

Punk-Women of Color-Feminism

If Alice Bag’s visit to our class interested you in the intersections between punk, feminism, and antiracism, check out this interview with feminist scholar and punk Mimi Thi Nguyen.

–Prof Hernandez

I found this image of Laverne Cox online and it reminded me of our recent coversations about the appropriation of religious imagery by artists like Alma Lopez and Yolanda Lopez.

–Prof Hernandez

A friend of mine posted this hilarious meme of the iconic Mexican actress Maria Felix, being fierce in old age (I also included a classic photo of her). It made me think about the role film plays in constructing and expressing Latin@ sexualities, and how early Mexican film played a part in the formation of Alice Bag’s identity.

–Prof Hernandez

Repost: “Ni soy hombre, ni soy mujer: Soy 'Queer'

I found an article writen in Spanish called, “Ni soy hombre, ni soy mujer: Soy ‘Queer’ and I wanted to share it here on Tumblr because our class is based on Latino/a sexualities and I thought it would be important. I have writen my response in Spanish down below:

 http://www.elmundo.es/madrid/2014/05/31/538a4a3ae2704ec66c8b4578.html

En el articulo, “Ni soy hombre, ni soy mujer: Soy ‘Queer’” demuestra como ser una mujer queer tiene diferentes significados. Por ejemplo, el articulo habla como una  profesora llamada Emma G se describe ella misma diciendo, “Yo soy una mujer que lleva maquillaje y se arregla, pero no me identifico como femenina completamente, ni como lesbiana, ni como heterosexual, ni como bisexual tampoco. Busco hacer lo que quiero en cada momento, empujar los límites de la sociedad, de mí misma y experimentar, ya sea teniendo sexo con un hombre, con una mujer, con una persona intersexual, de forma monógama o polígama, sin tener etiquetas ni limitaciones externas”. Se me iso interesante aprender como las mujeres queer se identifican y como se expresan . 

by Elizabeth Flores-Arroyo

Repost: Laverne Cox is Amazing on the Cover of Time, Time’s Story Inside Not So Much

http://www.autostraddle.com/laverne-cox-is-amazing-on-the-cover-of-time-times-story-inside-not-so-much-239425/

I am a fan of the show Orange is the New Black because of its interesting plot line and funny characters. I found an article called, ”Laverne Cox is Amazing on the Cover of Time, Time’s Story Inside Not So Much,” and it displays the actress Loverne Cox on the front cover of Time. Loverne Cox is a transgender women and in the show she plays the role of Sophia Burset. The article discusses the activism Loverne Cox’s does and believes in. I found it to be very interesting and informative to know the struggles a person of color who is in the lgbtq  community encounters. I am aware that our class is focused on Latina/o Sexualities ;however, in the Latino community there are women of color who are transgender and face discrimination. 

–Elizabeth Flores-Arroyo

Reclaiming the Latina Tag, by Alice Song

I found this tumblr: http://reclaimingthelatinatag.tumblr.com. Before when you searched the “Latina” tag on Tumblr, you would see images of hypersexualized Latina women and racist caricatures. In addition, there were various photosets created by straight men who would pit Latina women against other women of color, detailing which race was attractive for which reason and why Latina women were particularly desired or not. This is evocative of the ways the mulatta was framed as simultaneously desired but also hated for her mixed heritage. The blog, created by and for Latina women, was to fight against hypersexualization and fetishization and reclaim the word Latina as a label of empowerment. Not only are there categories devoted to art, literature, science, and music, there are reading lists, political texts, and information on indigenous communities, activism, and AfroLatina as a separate descriptor. They also encourage their follows to submit selfies to flood the Latina tag with pictures of real-life Latina women. 

Aurora Guerrero on Making Mosquita y Mari & Challenging Hollywood's Lack of Diverse Stories

by Elizabeth Flores-Arroyo

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/vanessa-erazo/aurora-guerrero-on-making_b_3226548.html

After watching the film, Mosquita y Mari, I was curious in reading about the filmmaker’s inspiration. I found the article called, Aurora Guerrero on Making Mosquita y Mari & Challenging Hollywood’s Lack of Diverse Stories where Aurora Guerrero is the filmmaker. In her film, she explores Latina sexuality through the unique feelings two Latina girls encounter. As I was reading more about Aurora’s thoughts on Hollywood it was interesting to read how she describes growing up and not seeing films on Latinos. In addition, she shared about her challenges not seeing Latinos as role models,  ”It’s hard to grow up and not see yourself portrayed in realistic ways on film. From a young age I was really bothered by that. When I did see a film about Latinos I didn’t recognize my experience at all. I actually wondered if those type of Latinos really existed because I didn’t know anyone like that”. Finally, I believe that Aurora’s film Mosquita y Mari proves how there needs to be more Latina/os in the film industry . 

Slut Scholarship

The link above is for the article, “The SlutWalk Movement: A Study in Transnational Feminist Activism” by Joetta L. Carr.

I’m pretty sure my favorite lecture has been the one about slut scholars. Before I came to terms with my own sexuality and personal desires, I used the word slut negatively, putting other people (women specifically) down for having sex. I never understood that being a slut is a form of power and knowledge until I began giving into my own desires. This article is a form slut scholarship because it talks about reclaiming “slut” and understanding the word in a different way.

–Nandi Taylor

The Erasure of Maya Angelou’s Sex Work History

I just came across this article on Dr. Maya Angelou and her previous sex work history. I thought it was a really interesting read, and how she was very open about talking about her past, but the stigma about being a sex worker in our society is so strong that others decided to hide it for her and make it a secret. It reminded me a lot of the readings we did on
Xtravaganza and Del Rio.

–Rosemary Mcdonnell-Horita

Hood Life of Ballroom Legends by Jason Soto

This is the little boy from Paris is Burning (on the right) - she grew up to become the legendary Alyssa Laperla - a mother of a house and icon. She represents the youth of the ballroom generation and does so well. Look at those hands!

In relation to the testemonio we read for class on the life of Juanito Xtravaganza, I felt the need to chime in and enliven our class blog with the life of Alyssa LaPerla. As seen in Paris is Burning, she was the little boy in the film we saw in class stating the following when being asked about the ball room culture in New York, “They treat each other like sisters, or brothers, or mothers. You know, like I say ‘that’s my sista,’ because she’s gay and I’m gay too.” Furthermore, as seen at the age of 13 on the streets in the middle of the night I feel Alyssa LaPerla’s story is reflective of the kind of life queer youth of color experience as detailed through Juanito Xtravaganza in his testemonio. I would not be surprised if Alyssa and Juanito crossed paths at one point in their ballroom life being that they both belonged to the same night life. Regardless, I just though I’d share being that Alyssa grew to own the balls as a legendary fem vogue queen and mother of a house, one of the few girls still alive from the movie!

The Lives of Retired Sex Workers in Mexico City

I am really intrigued by these photos taken by Bénédicte Desrus, who has documented Casa Xochiquetzal, a home in Mexico City for (mostly) retired sex workers. They make me think about our conversations about Vanessa del Rio, Juanito Xtravaganza, and the depiction of sex work in Mosquita y Mari. But I especially think about Del Rio, especially because in Fifty Years of Slightly Slutty Behavior she is reflecting on her past as an older sex worker.

What I enjoy about the images is that you get a sense of the women’s personalities, and the story gives some detail about their lives. I’d be interested to hear what you all think about these!

–Prof Hernandez

Response to Bravo's Million Dollar Listing: New York by Milka Lara

(This short analysis will be about the 7th video down on the given link.) 

Million Dollar Listing New York is a reality television show on Bravo,which follows the lives of three real estate agents. One of these agents is Luis Ortiz, who is Puerto Rican. In this clip, Luis meets up with a client named Ian, in order to agree to sell a house. In the midst of their conversation, Ian unnecessarily asks Luis, “Aren’t you Cuban?”, to which Luis responds, “No I am Puerto Rican.” Ian then says, “Come on, same stuff”. Ian then says, “So handsome, you could be gay,” to which Luis responds, “I’m straight”. Ian then tells Luis, “Uh huh, straight to my bed.”

While the clip is less than a minute, it is packed with discourses surrounding Latinos and their sexuality. For one, conflating Cubans and Puerto Ricans is problematic, as it erases the complexities and the histories of both islands and their peoples. Additionally, bringing up comments about Luis’ sexuality assumes a fixed sexuality among Latinos. Although not shown in the clip, Ian also mentions at one point, “Come on, you have to be at least bisexual.” Ian’s incessant comments are not only a breach of Luis’ privacy (especially in a context that is supposed to be professional) but they also assume that Latinos already have a deviant sexuality. In the case of this clip, the conversation surrounding Luis’ sexuality overrides his profession and his title as a prestigious real estate agent in New York.