The Pride Center will be putting on a free production of “La Vida Loca” on Oct. 4 at 6 p.m. in the Tillie Lewis Theatre as part of Latinx Heritage Month at Delta College.
Latinx Heritage Month celebrates the lives of Latinx individuals through events held on campus and this show is no different. However, it also celebrates the LGBT community.
The one-man show is described as an “apolitical in-your-face odyssey” following the life of a gay Mexican immigrant living in California.
“We are putting on this event to share a story that is often left out of mainstream Latino cultures and stories and mainstream LGBTQ+ cultures and stories. It is to say ‘Yo existo/I exist!’” said Pride Center advisor Ricky Guiterrez-Maldonado in an email correspondence.
Creator Carlos-Manuel Chavarria’s creation speaks on his own experiences through monologue, occasionally breaking the fourth wall and using Spanish slang according to Contra Costa College’s The Advocate.
The show acknowledges the intersection of race and sexuality, a topic that’s often ignored.
“It’s important to highlight the intersection of being Latina, Latino, Latinx, and LGBTQ+ because this community offers a rich history and perspective… LGBTQ+ Latina/o/x peoples exist at this intersection, at this border, and often are the bridge builders that connect communities and bring people together. This goes for a lot of LGBTQ+ people of color. Our identities cannot be parsed out. We exist as both and often our sense of being Latina/o/x is influenced by our sense of being LGBTQ+. These identities influence each other, are tied together, and cannot be separated or ignored,” said Guiterrez-Maldonado.
The show tackles the discrimination and prejudices faced by Latinx people, LGBT people, and immigrants.
“The show demonstrates the experiences, both the struggles and joys, of being Latino and gay, as well as being undocumented and an immigrant…LGBTQ+ people of color, immigrants, and undocumented people face a myriad of systems that are relentlessly oppressing them from various angles. This theory demands that we look at these overlapping systems to really understand the circumstances and cultures of Latina/o/x LGBTQ+ people,” said Guiterrez-Maldonado.
The show points out the struggles faced by these overlapping systems, but also honors overcoming those struggles through it’s “comical, serious, and confrontational approach,” according to the Delta website.
The event, co-sponsored by the Cultural Awareness Program, is open to the public.
To learn more about the Pride Center and the events they will be hosting throughout the semester, visit them in Shima 108 or go to their Facebook and Instagram, @SJDCPrideCenter.
