LGBTQ culture in Bolivia

a group of people dancing outside. Some are wearing white shirts, white ponchos, and red skirts while others are wearing white shirts, black pants, and black hats. Some of the people are wrapped in rainbow flags
A diverse cueca in the city of La Paz.

LGBTQ culture in Bolivia consists of various arts and entertainment events in the country which focus on sexual or gender diversity or feature the participation of LGBT people.

Cinema

One of the most well known figures of LGBT cinema in Bolivia is Rodrigo Bellott, who has directed multiple movies with LGBT characters and themes. His drama Perfidia (2009) follows a gay man who arrives at a hotel in New York City and locks himself in a room after the end of a romantic relationship.[1] A decade later, Bellott directed the film Tu me manques (2019), which tells the story of a father who journeys to the United States to speak with his son's boyfriend after his son's suicide to learn more about his life.[2] The movie premiered at Outfest Film Festival, where it won best screenplay. Additionally, it was selected to represent Bolivia as their entry for the category of Best International Feature Film at the Academy Awards,[3] and for the category Best Ibero-American Film at the Goya Awards.[4]

After the success of Tu me manques, the next film Bellott directed was the horror film Buey rojo sangre (2022).[5] This film stars a gay couple that travels from the United States to Bolivia who begin to experience hallucinations after killing an ox they found injured on a highway.[6][7]

Another notable LGBTQ film from Bolivia is the comedy Las Malcogidas (2017), directed by Denisse Arancibia. Las Malcogidas follows an overweight woman with a transgender sister named Karmen who is much skinnier than her and has won the title of "Miss Trans" multiple times. According to Arancibia, one of her objectives in making the film was to challenge stereotypes that LGBT characters usually have in comedies.[8]

Since 2008, the city of La Paz has put on the Festival de Cine, Diversidad Sexual y Derechos Humanos (trans. Film Festival of Diverse Sexualities and Human Rights), whose objective is to present films which tackle topics relating to sexual diversity. Since 2015, it has been aided by the Spanish Cultural Center of La Paz.[9] Additionally, there have been LGBT film festivals in the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra as well.[10]

Literature

Early representation

One of the earliest Bolivian written references to homosexual acts appears in the book Historia de la Villa Imperial de Potosí (1705),[11] where its author, the historian Bartolomé Arzáns de Orsúa y Vela, describes some "Indian sodomites" who died after being struck by lighting as "divine punishment" for having sexual relations between men.[12]

The first work of Bolivian literature that openly addresses homosexuality was the novel Erebo (1955), by Pablo Gumiel.[12] The name Pablo Gumiel was assumed to be a pseudonym due to a lack of any easily found biographical information, but later investigation has revealed that it was the author's real name.[13] Erebo is a novel with Romantic influences that tells the story of Jacob, a gay man who is described as blond, delicate, and with artistic tendencies. In a hotel room, Jacob reads a letter to his lover about his life and the many hardships he has suffered socially due to his sexuality, from the discrimination he faced a child to the tragic death of his first love. Faced with their inability to confront social prejudices, they both decide to commit suicide at the end of the book.[14]

Another work considered foundational to LGBT literature in Bolivia is the novel Los papeles de Narciso Lima-Achá (1991),[12] by Jaime Sáenz. Originally written in the 1960s, it was published posthumously.[15] The novel tells the story of Narciso Lima Achá, a Bolivian man who travels to Nazi Germany and meets a young man named Elbruz Ulme, to whom he is attracted and quickly begins a romantic relationship with. During his stay in Germany, Narciso begins a journey of self-discovery and subsequently has relationships with other men, but Elbruz remains the most important figure in his emotional life.[16]

Additional works from the 1990s with LGBT characters include the novel American Visa (1994), by Juan de Recacoechea. In American Visa, the protagonist, a teacher named Mario Álvarez, moves to a hotel in La Paz and among his new neighbors is a transvestite known as Gardenia.[17] Additionally noteworthy are the stories and chronicles of Victor Huga Viscarra, who depicted homosexual and lesbian characters in his works, including Relatos de Víctor Hugo (1996), Borracho estaba pero me acuerdo (2002) and Avisos necrológicos (2005).[18]

21st century

Contemporary Bolivian authors who have addressed LGBT themes in their works include Edson Hurtado, Rosario Aquim and Albanella Chávez.[12] At the beginning of the 21st century the crime fiction novel Periférica Blvd. (2004), by Adolfo Cárdenas Franco, was published. Periférica Blvd. includes depictions of homosexual and lesbian characters and dedicates an entire chapter to drag queens.[19][12]

The 21st century was also when works with lesbian characters written by women began to emerge in Bolivian literature. One prominent example is the British author based in Bolivia, Alison Spedding, who first explored this topic in her science fiction novel, De cuando en cuando Saturnina (2004).[20] Set in the future, the novel's protagonist is a space navigator, an Indianist, and an anarcha-feminist lesbian.[21] Her following novel, Catre de fierro (2015), tells the story of a family that supports the Revolutionary Nationalist Movement around 1952. Among the characters is Delfina, a woman who begins an affair behind her husband's back with her feminist friend Lissete. This relationship later becomes more serious. The romance between the two is described in detail and explicitly by Spedding, as shown in the following quote:[20]

No hay cosa que más me guste que deslizar mis dedos entre tus labios lubricados, hundirlos en tus líquidos tibios, sentir cómo esa boca ya excitada se extiende y se aprieta como garganta ansiosa envolviendo mi mano, y cómo cuando estás por llegar al clímax te pones tan, tan estrecha...

There is nothing I like more than sliding my fingers between your lubricated lips, sinking them into your warm liquids, feeling how that already arroused mouth spreads and tightens like an eager throat enveloping my hand, and how when you are close to climaxing you become so, so tight...

Other recent works that explore lesbian love are the novels Y sin embargo... (2017), by Lourdes Reynaga, which follows the story of a mother and daughter in two timelines, the latter of whom begins a romantic relationship with a woman named Emma;[20] and Ovejas negras (2021), a novel by Adriana Suárez in which Suárez recounts her own experience coming out as a bisexual woman during her adolescence.[22]

Regarding nonfiction literature, the 2010s saw an increase in the number of investigative works and chronicles which address LGBT themes. Published in 2012, Memorias Colectivas: Miradas a la historia del movimiento TLGB en Bolivia by David Aruquipa, Paula Estenssoro Velaochaga y Pablo C. Vargas, compiles a series of articles about LGBT pioneers in Bolivia, including the folklore singer Gerardo Rosas.[23][24] Also noteworth is the writer and journalist Edson Hurtado who published multiple books about the experiences of LGBT Bolivians, particularly indigenous individuals, including Ser gay en tiempos de Evo (2011) and Indígenas homosexuales (2014), which was later republished under the title La Madonna de Sorata: Crónicas sobre indígenas homosexuales.[25][26][27][28] LGBT organizations like Maricas Bolivia have also published works, including Gay discreto busca hetero curioso (2018), in which they investigate the lives of gay men in contemporary Bolivian cities through chronicles and photographic reports.[29]

a person in a red shirt standing in front of a wall covered in different colored pictures. The pictures are arranged to make a rainbow.
Model at the Fiesta Marica exposition during Festival Cuir, 2025

Regarding poetry, notable poets include Édgar Soliz, author of Sarcoma (2018),[29] and Flavia Lima, the 2017 winner of the Yolanda Bedregal National Poetry Award.[30] Since 2018, Bolivia has been home to the Festival de Poesía Sudaka Marica-Machorra-Trava-Cuir, which gathers writers from across Latin America to present and discuss LGBT works.[31]

Music

One of the major pioneers of Bolivian LGBT music was the openly gay folk singer Gerardo Rosas, who started his career singing and dancing at chicha bars in Sucre in the mid-20th century, in a style that became known as "zapateo chuquisaqueño." Towards the end of the 1960s, he reached enough fame to record three albums with the Capital record label, additionally he became a well known figure on folk music radio stations.[23][24] Other popular LGBT musicians of the 20th century were Jaime del Río, author of the popular cueca "Mi pena,"[32] and the Chinas Morenas, the name given to transvestite gay men who danced in glamorous costumes during folk festivals, such as the Carnaval de Oruro and the Fiesta del Gran Poder.[33]

In 2018, the singer Luis Gamarra, student of the Berklee College of Music and contestant in the reality television competition show American Idol, publically announced his homosexuality.[34]

Radio and television

The first LGBT radio program in Bolivia was created in 2004 by the Galán Family and was transmitted until 2007 on Radio Wayna Tambo, in El Alto.[35] In 2010, Radio Deseo premiered the program Soy marica, y qué, which consisted of six broadcasts that covered various topics relating to sexual diversity.[36] The same group that created Soy marica, y qué also created the program Nación Marica a few years later, which was transmitted by Radio Líder and followed a format of LGBT news, music, and interviews.[37] Another LGBT radio program was Escenarios Trans, released in 2015 on Radio Wayna Tambo and had the objective of positioning itself as a representative of the social demands of LGBT groups.[35]

In regards to television, in 2012 Bolivia TV premiered the program Transformando, which was considered the first LGBT national television program and was led by activists París Galán and David Aruquipa.[38]

Drag culture

Cross-dressing and drag queen culture has roots in marginalized cultures and subcultures of large cities, especially LGBTQ+ communities. The involvement of drag queens and cross-dressers in Bolivia has a prominent place in cultural events like game shows, parades, festivals, art exhibits, and photography, like at pride celebrations in Bolivia.[39]

In Bolivia, cross-dressing has been a part of popular culture since precolonial times,[40] influenced by various forms of art and theater including carnivals.[41] Regardless, cross-dressing culture and drag queens have faced discrimination for many years, having been considered a marginal phenomenon. In the 1960s and 1970s, the figure of the China Morena first appeared. The China Morena is a provocative character performed by homosexuals. This character has been labeled a trailblazer for transgender participation in popular dances. The inspiration for the China Morena is credited to La Negrita, a character created by Carlos Espinoza, also known as Ofelia or the Great Ofelia, who inspired the aesthetic of the stars of the era.[33][42] Regarding the history of the aesthetics of the China Morena, LGBT journalist and activist, David Aruquipa said:

Entonces las medias de red, las botas largas hasta los muslos, los corsés, las mangas anchas tipo mariposa, los cancanes, los volados, las pelucas y los peinados bombé, los canelones y el maquillaje fuerte y profundo no sólo ocultaron la masculinidad biológica sino y sobre todo fueron los materiales para transformarse en un personaje único, bello y seductor. De este modo, el estilismo fue el instrumento que revolucionó y creó a este personaje que se llamaría desde entonces la China Morena.

So the fishnet stockings, the big thigh-high boots, the corsets, the wide butterfly sleeves, the petticoats, the ruffles, the wigs and beehives, the corkscrew curls, and the heavy and intense makeup were not only ways to conceal masculine biology but all were also material ways to transform into a unique, beautiful, and seductive person. In this way, the styling was instrumental in revolutionizing and making this character who was named the China Morena from then on.

— David Aruquipa Pérez, La China Morena. Memoria histórica travesti [42]

In 1975, the tradition of the China Morena was banned under the military dictatorship of Hugo Banzer Suárez, but it later reappeared.[42]

an older person standing in front of a doorway to a crowded room. They are wearing a red jacket, a yellow sweater, and a red undershirt as well as multiple Eiffel Tower charms
LGBT activist and trailblazing drag queen, París Galán in 2019

Since the 1990s, there has been growing acceptance and visibility of the cross-dressing and drag communities in Bolivia.[43] These years coincided with the appearance of the Galán Family, which was an important force in the fight for acceptance and recognition of cross-dressing culture and drag queens in Bolivia. The Galán Family is described as "an aesthetic revolution" for their impact on the art and society of Bolivia.[41][42] Their art and performances have been critically acclaimed and attract a diverse audience. Additionally, they have created a platform for dialogue and reflection about topics of gender and diversity in Bolivia, challenging traditionally held gender stereotypes.[41]

Among the most well known members of the Galán Family are David Aruquipa, París Galán and Andrés Mallo, who are considered pioneers of the drag queen scene in the country. David Aruquipa is a Bolivian cross-dressing activist and performer known for his work as the leader of the Galán Family. París Galán is a Bolivian drag queen known for her impact on the cross-dressing scene in Bolivia and for her participation in numerous parades and events in Bolivia and abroad.[44]

In 2022, La Paz was the headquarters of the first Gala Drag Queen Bolivia, an event that reflects the growing interest in and acceptance of cross-dressing culture and drag queen in the country.[39]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Trerotola, Diego (2009-05-22). "Perfidia y dependencia" [Perfidia and dependence]. Página/12 (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2009-05-29. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  2. ↑ "Película boliviana "Tú me manques", seleccionada en el Festival de Cine LGBT de Puerto Rico" [Bolivian movie "Tú me manques", selected for the LGBT Film Festival of Puerto Rico]. Opinión (in Spanish). 2021-11-04. Archived from the original on 2021-11-05. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  3. ↑ "Filme protagonizado por ex chico reality Benjamín Lukovski podría ganar un Oscar" [Film starring ex-reality TV star Benjamín Lukovski could win an Oscar]. La República (in Spanish). 2019-11-21. Archived from the original on 2019-11-22. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  4. ↑ ""Tu me manques" de Rodrigo Bellott, representará a Bolivia en los Premios Goya 2020" ["Tu me manques" by Rodrigo Bellott, will represent Bolivia at the 2020 Goya Awards]. Los Tiempos (in Spanish). 2019-09-13. Archived from the original on 2019-10-05. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  5. ↑ Urioste, Armando (2022-12-08). "Bienvenido Buey Rojo Sangre, el esperado filme de Bellott" [Welcome Buey Rojo Sangre, Bellott's awaited film]. Página Siete (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-02-09.
  6. ↑ Nahmod, David-Elijah (2022-11-15). "'Blood-Red Ox' - superb performances, senseless script". Bay Area Reporter. Archived from the original on 2022-11-21. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  7. ↑ De la Fuente, Anna Marie (2019-12-02). "Bolivia's Rodrigo Bellott Kicks off Genre Filmmaking with 'Blood Red Ox'". Variety. Archived from the original on 2019-12-03. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  8. ↑ Campos, Evelyn (2017-09-07). ""Las Malcogidas" dirigida por Denisse Arancibia" ["Las Malcogidas" directed by Denisse Arancibia]. Correo del Sur (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2017-10-09. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  9. ↑ "10º Festival de Cine, Diversidad Sexual y Derechos Humanos" [10th Film Festival of Diverse Sexualities and Human Rights]. Centro Cultural de España en La Paz (in Spanish). 2017. Archived from the original on 2020-09-21. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
  10. ↑ "Comienza el festival internacional de cine gay, lésbico y transexual en Bolivia" [The International Festival of Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Film in Bolivia]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 2010-05-13. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
  11. ↑ Arzans de Orsúa y Vela, Bartolomé (1705). "Historia de la Villa Imperial de Potosí" [History of the Imperial Villa of Potosí] (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 "Narrative gay boliviana comenzó ya en la Colonia" [Gay Bolivian Prose started with Colonialism]. Opinión (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2023-01-21. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  13. ↑ "Pablo Gumiel" [Pablo Gumiel]. Amistades Particulares (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2023-02-28. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  14. ↑ Foster 1994, pp. 182–184.
  15. ↑ Villena Alvarado, Marcelo. "Libros clave de la narrativa boliviana (X). La obra novelesca de Jaime Saenz (2): Los papeles de Narciso Lima-Achá" [Key Books to Bolivian Prose (X). The Fantastic Work of Jaime Saenz (2): Los papeles de Narciso Lima-Achá]. Centro Virtual Cervantes (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2026-07-07. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
  16. ↑ Foster 1994, pp. 390–393.
  17. ↑ Puma, Carlos Fernando (2013-03-14). "American Visa, frustración y conquista en La Paz" [American Visa, frustration and conquest in La Paz]. El Diario (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2023-01-31. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  18. ↑ Córdova Sánchez, Oscar (2021-09-04). "Personajes y lugares en la obra literaria de Víctor Hugo Viscarra (II)" [Characters and Places in the Works of Víctor Hugo Viscarra (II)]. Opinión (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2021-10-20. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  19. ↑ "'Periférica Blvd.', novela barroca y paródica" [‘Periférica Blvd.’, a Baroque and paradoxical novel]. La Razón (in Spanish). 2013-06-02. Archived from the original on 2023-01-31. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  20. 1 2 3 Escobar, Daniela (2019). "El sexo y la sexualidad en la literatura boliviana del siglo XX al XXI" [Sex and sexuality in Bolivian literature of the 20th and 21st centuries] (PDF). MUSEF Memorias de la RAE (in Spanish). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-10-24. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  21. ↑ Alvizuri, Verushka (2020-04-15). "Indianista, lesbiana y sin hijos" [Indianist, lesbian, and without children]. Mélanges de la Casa de Velázquez. Nouvelle série (in Spanish) (50–1): 227–244. doi:10.4000/mcv.12707. ISSN 0076-230X. Archived from the original on 2020-11-27. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  22. ↑ "Adriana comparte su salida del clóset con la literatura" [Adriana shares her coming out through literature]. Informe Exclusivo (in Spanish). 2021-09-04. Archived from the original on 2021-09-04. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  23. 1 2 Recoaro, Nicolás (2014-05-30). "Memoria historica TLGB del Altiplano: Bolivia construcciones" [Historic Memory TLGB of Altiplano: Bolivia constructions]. Página/12. Archived from the original on 2014-06-11. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
  24. 1 2 Pau, Alejandra (2017-08-27). "Una publicación se adentrará en la vida del artista gay Q'iwa Gerardo" [A publication will delve into the life of gay artist Q'iwa Gerardo]. Eju (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2017-08-27. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
  25. ↑ Baldivieso, Gina (2014-08-26). "La homosexualidad con rostro indígena es aún tabú en Bolivia" [Homosexuality with an indigenous face is a taboo in Bolivia]. Chicago Tribune (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2021-07-18. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
  26. ↑ "Hurtado pide explorar a la LGTBI de pueblos indígenas" [Hurtado asks to explore the LGBTI of indigenous communities]. Los Tiempos. 2022-08-09. Archived from the original on 2022-08-09. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
  27. ↑ "32 poetas y tres antologías de poesía se presentarán en la FIL Santa Cruz" [32 poets and three anthologies of poetry will be presented at FIL Santa Cruz]. Opinión (in Spanish). 2019-06-03. Archived from the original on 2023-01-31. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
  28. ↑ "'Ser gay en tiempos de Evo', un libro con testimonios por la diversidad sexual" ['Being gay in times of Evo,' a book with testimonies of sexual diversity]. Perú 21. 2015-10-21. Archived from the original on 2023-01-31. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  29. 1 2 Vargas, Miguel (2018-05-30). "Édgar Soliz: 'Gran parte de la historia la han escrito escritores homosexuales'" [Édgar Soliz:'A large part of history has been written by homosexual authors]. La Razón (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2022-12-04. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  30. ↑ Miranda, Mijail (2018-10-02). "César Antezana y Flavia Lima, las voces poéticas de un animal político" [César Antezana and Flavia Lima, the poetic voices of a political animal]. Muy Waso (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2023-01-31. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  31. ↑ Flores, Dayana (2022-10-16). "Movimiento Marica impulsa la poesía y hace de la Llajta centro latino de este arte" [The Marica Movement propels poetry and makes the Llajta a Latin center for art]. Opinión (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2022-10-22. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  32. ↑ Aruquipa, David (2022-02-20). "Jaime del Río: El zorzal de Chijini (I)" [Jaime del Río: the thrush of Chijini]. Opinión (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2022-03-16. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  33. 1 2 Aruquipa, David (2022-02-06). "La China Morena: una memoria travesti" [The China Morena:a transvestite memory]. Ahora El Pueblo (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2022-02-07. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
  34. ↑ "Cantante boliviano confiesa que es gay y recibe apoyo" [Bolivian singer confesses that he is gay and receives help]. Opinión (in Spanish). 2018-10-23. Archived from the original on 2023-01-30. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
  35. 1 2 "Escenarios Trans por la señal de Radio Wayna Tambo" [Trans Scenes from Radio Wayna Tambo's signal]. El Diario. 2016-10-02. Archived from the original on 2023-01-31. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
  36. ↑ "Un colectivo gay provoca desde la radio Deseo" [A gay group stirs things up on radio Deseo]. La Razón. 2010-05-17. Archived from the original on 2023-01-31. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  37. ↑ Gutiérrez, Icíar (2019-02-12). "Nación Marica: radio indígena, LGTBI y transgresora" [Nación Marica: Indigenous, LGBT, and transgressive radio]. elDiario.es (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2021-07-29. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  38. ↑ "Transformando: Primer programa gay en Bolivia" [Tranformando: The first gay program in Bolivia]. El Post Antillano (in Spanish). 2012-10-19. Archived from the original on 2023-01-31. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  39. 1 2 Fernández Huiza, Estéfani (23 August 2022). "La Paz será sede de la primera Gala Drag Queen Bolivia 2022" [La Paz will host the first Gala Drag Queen Bolivia 2022]. Periódico Digital Ahora el Pueblo (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  40. ↑ Mollinedo, Laura Álvarez; Aruquipa Pérez, David; Absi, Pascale (1 December 2016). "Trans y maricas en la «Primera cumbre Planetaria de Descolonización y Despatriarcalización» (La Paz, Bolivia, noviembre de 2015)" [Trans people and queers at the "First Planetary Summit of Decolonization and Depatriarchialization"]. Bulletin de l’Institut français d’études andines (in Spanish) (45 (3)): 419–432. doi:10.4000/bifea.8106. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  41. 1 2 3 Aruquipa Pérez, David (1 December 2016). "Placer, deseo y política: la revolución estética de La Familia Galan" [Pleasure, desire and politics: the aesthetic revolution of the Galan Family]. Bulletin de l’Institut français d’études andines (in Spanish) (45 (3)): 451–461. doi:10.4000/bifea.8098. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  42. 1 2 3 4 "Archivo Quiwa: memoria trans boliviana" [Quiwa Archive: Trans Bolivian memory]. Malva.org.ar. 10 January 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  43. ↑ "El transformismo en Bolivia, un arte con historia" [Cross-dressing in Bolivia, an art with a history]. Opinión (in Spanish). 27 June 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  44. ↑ Zeballos Gonzalez, Sara (3 July 2021). "La comunidad LGBT+ en Bolivia: una lucha por los derechos desde diferentes áreas" [The LGBT+ community in Bolivia: a fight for rights from different areas]. Opinión (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 February 2023.

Bibliography

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