In celebration of Latinx Heritage Month and LGBTQA History Month, the University of Idaho’s LGBTQA Office and Office of Multicultural Affairs will show the film “Chavela” Tuesday.
The free event celebrates LGBTQA History Month, held in October, and Latinx Heritage Month, held between Sept. 15 and Oct. 15. The film will begin 7 p.m. in the Borah Theater, and will introduce viewers to the revolutionary figure’s story.
“(Chavela) is a great film to show the connection between ethnicity and sexual orientation,” said AlejandraGonzalez, multicultural program coordinator for OMA. “(Chavela Vargas) broke gender norms in a country with conservative gender norms and broke barriers in the Mexican music industry.”
Chavela was a lesbian Ranchera artist, she said. It was uncommon for women to become prominent in the Ranchera industry and even more uncommon for them to unapologetically acknowledge their sexuality.
“As she got older, she stopped making music,” Gonzalez said. “I wanted to introduce her to the younger generation who knows less about her.”
When Chavela covered popular Ranchera songs written by men, she would not change the pronouns in the song, so it would sound like she was singing about a man, Gonzalez said. She wrote for and sang to women.
“It’s important that we celebrate individuals from all racial and ethnic backgrounds,” said Julia Keleher, director of the LGBTQA Office. “When we don’t acknowledge the diversity of heritage within the LGBTQA community, we are erasing those we don’t celebrate from our community.”
Keleher said she believes in the importance of providing space within the LGBTQA community for people from a variety of backgrounds, and showing people from these backgrounds have made an impact within the LGBTQA community.
The celebration of events such as LGBTQA History Month and Latinx Heritage Month are critical to ensuring the world will not forget the history and culture of these groups, Gonzalez said.
“These aren’t conversations we typically have throughout the year,” she said. “Usually the conversations are about rights and what work is being done. The contribution (of minority groups) to society is overlooked in the US.”
Both Gonzalez and Keleher said they agree upon the importance of showing appreciation for the portions of cultures less acknowledged within the US.
“Chavela” looks to provide a way for people to learn about the intersection of both minority groups, Gonzales said.
“I want people to know Chavela’s story,” Gonzalez said. “Many younger students within the Latinx community haven’t heard of her because people avoided highlighting her importance. It is important to show that there are revolutionary figures and people that have been fighting these gender norms and societal expectations for a long time.”
Both Gonzalez and Keleher said they agreed upon the importance of celebrating these communities more than one month out of the year.
“We need to get individuals talking about things from an intersectional lens,” said Keleher. “We need to talk about identities and think about diverse ethnic backgrounds all year round… I hope students learn about Chavela’s life, legacy, and impact and see how LGBTQA people fit into Mexican culture.”
Gonzalez and Keleher said they encourage students to contact the either office if they need help finding organizations or events that they would find interesting.
“We are always in need of volunteers to help with events,” Gonzalez said. “Engage in conversations on campus and in the community. Show that you appreciate the work that activists in minority groups are doing. Stand up and be allies, do something about it.”