RuPaul’s Drag Race México Host Valentina & Actress, Recording Artist Miss Benny Celebrate Inaugural “Queerceañera” on September 29 at Los Angeles LGBT Center
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Hosted by Drag Race alum Salina EsTitties, the celebration is an inclusive spin on the traditional quinceañera and spotlights LA’s LGBTQ+ Latinx community, and celebrates Latinx Heritage Month.
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LOS ANGELES, September 19, 2023—This year, the Los Angeles LGBT Center will commemorate Latinx History Month with its new cornerstone celebration Queerceañera, recognizing the richly diverse representation of the LGBTQ+ Latinx community of Los Angeles. Hosted by RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Salina EsTitties, the larger than life soirée will take over the Center’s Hollywood event space on Friday, Sept. 29 from 5:30–10:30PM.
Queerceañera, or Queerce (queer-seh) for short, is a community cotillion rooted in accessibility and unbridled celebration; quinceañeras are often regarded as out-of-reach status symbols, and the event breaks the rigid gender norms and structures of said celebrations.
“Queerceañera is a vivid nod to our city’s Latinx heritage—centering the community’s queer joy, love, and undeniable cultural influence,” said Los Angeles LGBT Center CEO Joe Hollendoner.
RuPaul’s Drag Race México host Valentina will be honored at the event, kicking off a year-long ambassadorship with the Center to uplift and support outreach within the Latinx community, including community programs and health services.
“Beyond the recognition by the legendary Los Angeles LGBT Center, I am thrilled to lend my voice to advocate for my Latinx community; a responsibility that fuels every facet of my artistry and activism,” said Drag Race México host, Valentina. “Beginning with Queerceañera, my involvement with the Center morphs into a year-long commitment to highlight the lifeline services provided to queer Angelenos across the city,” she added.
The event will include a stage program featuring show stopping performances by Nicaraguan-Panamanian American performer Salina EsTitties, special honoree presentations, and a keynote conversation between Mexican-American television star Valentina and Mexican-Native American entertainer, Miss Benny. The duo will be honored for their trailblazing work in entertainment as breakout, culture-shifting nonbinary and trans artists, respectively.
“I’m proud to call LA home and am honored to accept the Center’s recognition. In a year with more anti-LGBTQ legislation and specifically anti-trans bills than ever before, this is the moment to drive our intersectional communities to action,” said recording artist Miss Benny.
The evening will conclude with a post-program offering cocktails and surprise live performances in the courtyard, curated by local LGBTQ+ Latinx dance phenomenon, Queerchata.
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WHAT: Queerceañera
An inclusive take on the coming-of-age quinceañera tradition throughout Latin America and the United States that spotlights LA’s diverse queer, Latinx diasporic experiences with a wide range of activations, including a royal court featuring beloved figures in entertainment, as well as supporters and staff of the Los Angeles LGBT Center community.
WHEN:
Friday, September 29, 2023, 5:30–10:30PM
WHERE:
The Village at Ed Gould Plaza
1125 N McCadden Place
Los Angeles, CA 90038
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About the Los Angeles LGBT Center
Since 1969 the Los Angeles LGBT Center has cared for, championed, and celebrated LGBT individuals and families in Los Angeles and beyond. Today the Center’s nearly 800 employees provide services for more LGBT people than any other organization in the world, offering programs, services, and global advocacy that span four broad categories: Health, Social Services and Housing, Culture and Education, Leadership and Advocacy. We are an unstoppable force in the fight against bigotry and the struggle to build a better world; a world in which LGBT people thrive as healthy, equal, and complete members of society. Learn more at lalgbtcenter.org.