Orgullo! Celebrating Latino Pride, Vegas Style

It's only April, and Pride season is already getting off to a great start with the inaugural Orgullo Latino Las Vegas Pride, brought to you by the Southern Nevada Association of Pride, Inc. This festival will be the first to focus exclusively on Latino/as and personally, this writer hopes that other cities catch on and implement similar Prides.

The purpose of Orgullo Latino Las Vegas Pride is to "encourage and promote cultural pride by uniting the LGBT Latino organizations, community groups, schools and businesses to share Hispanic customs, culture, music, dance and traditional food. The goal is to enhance Latino LGBT cultural recognition, educate and preserve the collective past of the LGBT Latino Heritage." What an amazing vision!

I was fortunate enough to be able to chat with Jorge Garcia-Solorio, the man behind this fabulous festival, and pose a few questions regarding the event. When asked what prompted a Latino/a Pride, Solorio had this to say: "Las Vegas' Latin community has been increasing year over year and becoming very active. This past year [2014], our entertainment committee decided to dedicate a time slot specifically for Latin music and entertainment; the response to this was extremely positive and exciting. Many spectators and sponsors suggested we design a festival focused on the Latin community."

Indeed, a demographic shift is happening across the nation and those LGBT communities are no different. We are much younger and browner than we have been in previous decades. It only makes sense that this shift manifests itself in our celebrations. Mr. Solorio added, "As soon as our organization announced our plans and ideas for a Latin-focused festival, the response was overwhelming. What we heard the most was that many in the Latin Community didn't feel too welcomed at our Pride festival due to the lack of entertainment and vendors for the Latin community. We wanted all people, of every color, background, shape and size, to feel that they belong and they are welcomed."

Latino/as have survived, struggled and thrived in a nation that was and oftentimes still is, hostile to their presence. They have been some of the leading voices for social justice and recently, LGBT Latino/as have shown up in droves in the Undocuqueer movement [The Intersection of the Undocumented and Queer Movements]. LGBT Latino/as have also been amazing cultural workers producing some of the best visual art, film, literature and political theory of the 20th and 21st century.

Mr. Solorio quickly added, "Historically, Latino/as have a lot to be proud of. The community has overcome so many hurdles over the years and even more [in] the LGBT community. For many Latin countries, LGBT issues are still very taboo and not something that is talked about often. Personally, as the President of Las Vegas PRIDE and a member of the Latin community, I have experienced this first-hand. This will be a wonderful opportunity to show that we are here and here to stay. My goal is to have this festival be my legacy for many years to come."

It is vital that we as a community, celebrate the achievements, struggles and contributions of LGBT people of color and this Pride festival aims to do exactly that. It seems that there are quite a lot of people excited about the new focus on Latino/as. An estimated 3,000-5,000 people are expected and, as Solorio stated, "My goal would be to have every single Latin person in that festival, but unfortunately, we cannot shut down the city. I guess, we must let some people work, but, they can come have fun after!"

The celebration takes place at the Llama Lot, 900 Freemont Street and will consist of many exciting events. Kicking off Friday, May 1 at 6 p.m., is the night concert by Downtown Project, followed by an After Party that same night. Saturday, May 2, will continue the Orgullo Festival, opening at noon. The festival is an outdoor event showcasing celebrity entertainment, food, merchandise, activities and numerous community organizations. On Sunday, May 3, the festivities will close out with the first Pool Party of the summer season, taking place at the amazing Rumor Hotel.

For tickets and more information, visit orgullolatinolv.org