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Photo essay: Gowns, tiaras and tiempo de vals at Queerceañera

A performer at a drag show
“A quince is kind of a privilege to have,” says Queerceañera emcee Salina EsTitties, also a competitor on the 15th season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”
(Juli Perez / For De Los)
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LGBTQ+ community members and allies filled the Los Angeles LGBT Center in Hollywood Friday night for its inaugural Queerceañera.

The celebration was an inclusive take on the coming-of-age quinceañera tradition throughout Latin America and the United States, which are often regarded as out-of-reach status symbols, especially for queer people.

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“A quince is kind of a privilege to have. You have to have a lot of money to put [one] on,” said the event’s emcee, Salina EsTitties, who competed on the 15th season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”

“For a safe space like [the center] to do this... I feel like this is so important. Why haven’t we done it sooner?”

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A performer in drag stands on stage
The emcee welcomes Queerceañera guests inside the Renberg Theatre at the Los Angeles LGBT Center in Hollywood.
(Juli Perez / For De Los)
Two performers on stage call go out for audience members who dressed up to come forward.
Emcee Salina EsTitties, left, escorts guest Jose Vasquez on stage as she calls for audience members who dressed up to come forward.
(Juli Perez / For De Los)

Guests began the night with a quince-style cocktail hour and mixer in the courtyard. Many arrived in formal wear to celebrate the quinceñeras they never had.

Benji Guerrero poses in a colorful short dress and cowboy hat
Benji Guerrero, 34, of Oxnard, poses in a colorful short dress and cowboy hat — an outfit they envisioned for their own quinceañera.
(Juli Perez / For De Los)
Cruz poses for a photo wearing a green dress in front of a glitter backdrop
Dressed in a green tulle gown, Cruz, 41, celebrates the opportunity they never had. “We feel comfortable in our own skin. It’s just like this beautiful joy.”
(Juli Perez / For De Los)

For many Latinx queer people, events and spaces like the ones the LGBT Center provides are some of the only places where they can feel free from judgment.

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“This is family,” said Andreaka Rivera, who works for the center. “It means everything to be able to come into a space like this and be able to just be authentically you and loved and have that combined with your culture.”

Jose Vasquez proudly wears a traditional quincenera dress
Jose Vasquez proudly wears a traditional quinceañera dress, complete with a tiara.
(Juli Perez / For De Los)
A couple waits in line outside the Los Angeles LGBT Center's Queercenera
Adam Vasquez, 43, and Trino Garcia, 38, who went viral on TikTok this year for their couple photoshoot, wait in line to check into the event.
(Juli Perez / For De Los)

“I think it’s so important for us as a community to support one other. To galvanize, connect, celebrate and expand our queer joy,” said attendee Sir Christopher Saint, a Los Angeles native.

Sir Christopher Saint poses in a pink tule dress
Sir Christopher Saint, 34, of Los Angeles, celebrates queer joy in a pink gown, baseball cap and sunglasses.
(Juli Perez / For De Los)

For “Drag Race México” host Valentina, getting to experience that joy on her own time and her own terms is key.

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“You extend yourself to allow the queer joy of the things you didn’t get to accomplish in your adolescence, in your childhood, and you wear it with honor now,” said Valentina, who will embark on a yearlong ambassadorship with the center to uplift and support outreach within the Latinx community.

“The queer community allowed me to find myself. To find my talents outside my home where I couldn’t feel like I was myself.”

The southeast L.A. native was honored at the event along with singer and star of Netflix’s “Glamorous” Miss Benny.

Valentina and Miss Benny engage in a keynote conversation
Valentina, left, and Miss Benny engage in a keynote conversation inside the Renberg Theatre.
(Juli Perez / For De Los)

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Valentina accepts her honoree award

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Miss Benny accepts her honoree award

1. Valentina accepts her honoree award at the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Queerceañera. (Juli Perez/For De Los) 2. Miss Benny walks off after accepting her honoree award. (Juli Perez/For De Los)

Having grown up in a conservative community in Texas, Miss Benny described how she lacked examples of queer representation. “I remember the first time I saw a happy queer person was through the internet... What that did for me is it gave me an outlet to sort of find moments of queer joy and validation I wasn’t getting at home,” she said.

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The co-host of ‘Drag Race Mexico’ sat down with columnist Suzy Exposito to discuss her illustrious television career, her Chicana pride and the freedom of being nonbinary.

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The night included a baile sorpresa by emcee EsTitties, who was joined by dancers from Queerchata. The MC then further captivated the audience with a solo drag performance.

Salina EsTitties and Queerchata dancers treat the audience to a baile sorpresa.
(Juli Perez / For De Los)
Queerchata dancers perform a baile sorpresa
Dancers Bex Nitti and Michael Peña of Queerchata perform on stage. Queerchata is a Latinx dance team that hosts dance classes for queer community members.
(Juli Perez / For De Los)

Guests took to the dance floor for a tiempo de vals dancing hour to enjoy themselves in liberation and celebration.

“It’s called ‘the center’ for a reason. El centro. This is where we gather. This is where community happens,” said the center’s director of communications Oliver DelGado. “But most importantly, this is where we come to be ourselves,”

Guests dance on the crowded dance floor
Guests take to the crowded dance floor at the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Queerceañera in Hollywood.
(Juli Perez / For De Los)
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