Vives Q: Somos Orlando, Somos Queer, y Somos Latinx

Dear Community: The tragedy on the early morning of June 12 at Pulse Nightclub's "Latin Night" in Orlando, Florida, where 49 LGBTQA people were killed and over 50 wounded, the majority Puerto Rican, Mexican, Salvadorean, undocumented - has left us with heavy hearts. We started Vives Q in La Villita (Little Village) four years ago because we saw a need for Latinx LGBTQ youth and adults to come together in an all-ages venue that was in the heart of a Latinx community. We created a space where our history could come alive by inviting movement trailblazers to tell their personal stories of politicization, resilience, and love and set a stage where we could celebrate our Latinidad through spoken word, music, drag, and art. It was groundbreaking. It still is. We offer you this space to celebrate our queer Latinidad by honoring the voices of two trans leaders and the lives lost in Orlando, FL through words, dance, music, and performance. Now more than ever – we believe Vives Q could be a community catalyst for healing. We invite you to join us for an evening of Latinx LGBTQ storytelling and performance. Vives Q is free and open to the public. RSVP ON EVENTBRITE TO ATTEND JULY 5 NOW: http://www.eventbrite.com/o/vives-q-8110514952 With Pride Vives Q Eric Amaya Christopher Avalos Viv Delgadillo Antonio Elizondo* Emmanuel Garcia* Jessica Katia Daniel David Mendez Ilene Palacios Jose "Cheche" Turrubiartez *Founding Member If you would like to read (a poem) or perform (drag, music, sing), sign up here: http://bit.ly/1TNLfNB :::::::::::::::::::::SPECIAL GUESTS::::::::::::::::::::: Maritxa Vidal, a Cuban immigrant who lives in Chicago, has dedicated the last 45 years of her life to fighting for society’s most vulnerable members, especially victims of the disease and stigma of HIV/AIDS. Maritxa has worked for the Puerto Rican Cultural Center-VIDA/SIDA (located in the heart of the Puerto Rican/Latino community of Humboldt Park since 1997) for over 15 years. She provides bilingual and culturally sensitive HIV/AIDS education, counseling, and testing in the city of Chicago and 11 surrounding suburbs. In addition to working to eradicate the HIV/AIDS epidemic, Maritxa is also deeply committed to fighting for the rights of the LGBTQIA community, especially her transgender sisters and those who are undocumented. Presently, Maritxa is an Executive Board member for the TransLatina Coalition and a Co-Chair for its Chicago Chapter. The TransLatina Coalition is a national association to increase equality for TransLatinas, including undocumented TransLatinas, in the USA and Puerto Rico. Franky Piña is a writer, graphic designer, and videographer. In January 2015, at the age of 47, he reconciled with himself and accepted his gender identity. He openly began his gender transition from cis male to trans/queer. Currently, he is the editorial manager of the online magazine El BeiSMan. And before that, he has co-founded several past and present cultural and literary magazines in Chicago: Fe de erratas, zorros y erizos, Tropel and Contratiempo. He is the co-author of the book Rudy Lozano: His Life, His People (1991). Piña was featured in Voces en el viento: Nuevas ficciones desde Chicago (1999). He functioned both as editor and publisher of Marcos Raya: Fetishizing the Imaginary (2004), The Art of Gabriel Villa (2007), René Arceo: Between the Instinctive and the Rational (2010), Sculpture by Alfonso Piloto Nieves Ruiz (2014). Vives Q is an independent cultural arts project committed to creating an LGBTQ movement building experience through art, music, spoken word, dance, and oral history that enables intergenerational dialogue across multiple identities and communities. There are three opportunities to attend Vives Q this Summer 2016. Vives Q is the First Tuesday of each month. Tuesday, July 5, 2016, from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM Tuesday, August 2, 2016, from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM Tuesday, September 6, 2016, from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM Share Vives Q: #VivesQ via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can also share by using the Vives Q tag on Tumblr. ____________________________________________________________ Interested in Performing visit: http://bit.ly/1TNLfNB Have questions about Vives Q: First Tuesdays? Contact Vives Q at: vivesq.chicago@gmail.com ____________________________________________________________ Follow us on social media for different exclusive content and future updates: Facebook: https://facebook.com/vivesq Twitter: https://twitter.com/vivesq Instagram: https://instagram.com/vivesq Website: https://vivesq.org/