Paquita La Del Barrio's US tour and her thoughts on Ricky Martin

No, that's not Paquita La Del Barrio in the video. It's takopez28 on Youtube interpreting one of the Mexican legend's newest singles, "Chiquito" ["Tiny"]. Lyrics:

Now that I spent time with you / poor vain little macho / I already saw you in underwear and was able to discover
that in reality you have nothing / but nothing of nothing / nothing to boast about
now that you can tell me / if what my eyes saw / it only made me laugh
I expected a couple of arms / muscular and strong / and they ended up being tiny bones
I expected such a strong body / just like that of an endowed athlete's / and it ended up being like a chicken's tiny neck
You have a tiny foot / you have tiny eyes / you have a tiny heel / in the end, everything tiny!
Are you listening to me, worthless man? / Nature was so ungrateful with you! ...and it goes from there.

With lyrics like that you might understand why Paquita La Del Barrio's songs were and are so popular at Latino gay bars and among Latino drag-queen performers.

But among English-speaking gays in the United States, her name might not be recognized for her songs but, instead, for saying back in March she preferred if a child died rather than see a gay couple adopt the orphan even if she was OK with gays getting married (video).

As you would expect, her comments briefly lit up the gay blogospehere here in the United States as well as the gossip shows on Spanish-language television.  Drag queens from the Atlantis gay bar in Queens, New York, even took off their Paquita wigs and trampled on them, refusing to ever sing another Paquita song.


Within days, Paquita announced that she would perform and appear at a gay bar in Mexico owned by one of her personal friends and would hold a press conference to apologize to her gay fans.  That apology amounted to the singer reiterating her love for her gay fans, a statement that she never meant to hurt them, comments that she'd been so hurt by the outrage she'd thought about committing suicide, but not a word about taking back what she said about preferring that children die rather than they be adopted by gays (in another interview she simply said that it's what she was brought up to believe).

As scandals do, I'm not sure the "apology" did anything to change anyone's mind about her initial comments, but it quickly receded from media.  The latest flare-up was on May 5th when Paquita appeared on Azteca America and begged media to leave her alone.

New United States tour: I was surprised, though, when I found out on that same date that Paquita would be embarking in a new mini-tour through the United States along with Mexican singer Jenni Rivera, another darling of Latino gay bars in the United States and, as far as I can tell, pretty gay friendly as well.

It's not a huge tour, but singers like Paquita do depend on income they can get from venues in the United States.  It actually got underway last night at Hidalgo Texas, and hits another six venues through June 26th (San Antonio, El Paso and Houston in Texas, Rosemont in Illinois and Denver in Colorado).

Ricky Martin: Of course, between Paquita's initial comments about gays adopting children, someone famously known for adopting two kids on his own, has come out as being gay. I'm talking, of course, about Ricky Martin.  And, considering she has yet to directly apologize for her comments on adoption, you might think Paquita would want Ricky Martin's sons dead.

Well, you'd be wrong. Maybe.

She doesn't say so directly but it turns out Paquita is glad Ricky Martin came out. And I am quoting:

Thank God Ricky Martin came out of the closet, if that makes him happier, since people should seek what gives peace to their soul. Perhaps he felt there was something to feel ashamed about, although, in reality, he should not have felt badly. I've said it, people have to try to be happy and be at peace. That's what I try to do with my music.

Hm, OK. that quote still comes across as uncomfortable when it comes to gay issues but is it a step in the right direction?  As for her comments about adoption, she still continues to use one of her previous excuses: That it was a bad gossip journalist who ambushed her and that she was caught "unprepared". Uh-huh. It had nothing to do with the connection between her brain's synapses and her mouth at all.

Still a long way to go, Paquita. A long way to go.