Elvis Crespo, Granda Entertainment and the Latino LGBT community

 Last month Granda Entertainment announced a series of performances by merengue music singer Elvis Crespo at different LGBT-related venues throughout the United States.

The singer hit it big in 1999 with his first two singles as a solo artist - "Suavemente" and "Tu Sonrisa" - which spent weeks at the top of Billboard's Hot Latin Tracks chart.

"Suavemente", the album, earned the Billboard 'Best Male/Tropical Salsa Album of the Year' honor and was nominated for 'Best Tropical Latin Performance' at the Grammy Awards.

The two songs also became huge dance-floor staples at Latino gay bars in New York and Miami and still can be heard blasting from the speakers from time to time twelve years after they were released.

In December Elvis Crespo released "Indestructible" - his 8th solo album - and launched a video for the single "Hey, Dude".  It's safe to say, though, that he's never managed to match the early success of those first two hits.  Instead, in the last few years, he's been busier confronting allegations of marital infidelity as well as a headline-grabbing 2009 allegation of public masturbation on a civil passenger flight.

And now comes his new LGBT venue tour.

In some ways, it makes a lot of sense for Elvis Crespo to engage his Latino LGBT fans in the United States.  It is a devoted fan-base and the costs of performing at gay venues far outstrip putting together a full touring schedule.

Granda Entertainment is also arguably the place to go. Over the years they have mastered the art of pulling together these kind of tours for former Latino pop stars hoping to revive their careers.  They include Mexican singer Gloria Trevi, who saw her music career reborn after she toured gay bars in the major urban markets in the United States, and - less successfully - Karyme Lozano who wanted to promote a salsa music album after years of performing as an actress in Mexican telenovelas. In 2008, as part of her Granda Entertainment-sponsored LGBT venue tour, Lozano was named as the Queen of the 2008 San Francisco Pride Parade. Two years later she was prominently featured as an anti-marriage equality ally by homophobic institutions such as the National Organization for Marriage.

I do get that this is a business venture and I do believe that - beyond the obvious commercial interests - Crespo does have a sincere interest in reaching out and supporting his LGBT fans.

But I was also incredibly bothered by the way the tour was promoted: The original press release was titled "Elvis Crespo to tour in support of the LGBT community" (italics mine) and media followed blindly. "Elvis Crespo sings in support of the LGBT community" said Puerto Rico's Primera Hora; "Elvis Crespo announces a tour in support of the LGBT community in the United States" said Yahoo News Mexico.

Excuse me? In "support" of the Latino LGBT community? In what way? Are proceeds going to any Latino LGBT charities? Is Elvis Crespo standing up for marriage equality in the same way that Gloria Trevi uploaded a video against passage of Prop. 8 in California? And isn't this actually the other way around? Aren't you asking the Latino LGBT community to spend their hard-earned money to support Elvis Crespo's singing career?

And yet, I realized my anger turned on the way that the press release had been phased rather than on what anyone else in this world might have picked up from it - so I let it go... until it actually became an issue.

On April 6th, on the eve of the first performance, Crespo was scheduled to appear at the top rated Spanish-language radio station in Chicago - La Kalle 106.7 FM - to promote his tour.  By all accounts, the singer showed up at the Univision-owned radio station but left before he had said a single word. As Primera Hora reported, Crespo alleged he simply chose to stand up an leave the studio when he was not allowed to express his support for the LGBT community.

The next day, on his Twitter account he wrote "Disappointed that there is homophobia in communication media in the 21st Century: Indestructible LGBT Tour" and linked up to several media accounts reporting he had walked out of the radio studio.

Granda Entertainment sent out a press release titled "Elvis Crespo cancels Chicago radio interview for not being allowed to support LGBT community". And Spanish-language media gladly "reported" on the incident without asking for any additional details.

Sources tell me that the whole thing stemmed from a misunderstanding between Crespo and the radio station that had to do with not observing exclusive promotional rights instead of homophobia and a source also told The Windy City Times that "it was more of an advertising decision" than anything else.

I reached out to La Kalle 106.7 but they told me they had been told not to discuss the incident with media by Univision and to provide a Univision public relations contact number instead. I called Univision but they said there would be no on-the-record statements on the incident for now.

Still, it's pretty obvious that La Kalle106.7 has felt the sting of the media reports claiming they are homophobic.  This week they have prominently Ricky Martin on their home page as the out gay singer takes his new tour to Chicago (see screen capture above).

In the meantime, last weekend Elvis Crespo continued his LGBT venue tour and performed at Miami Beach Gay Pride.  At the stop, he was interviewed by a reporter for Azteca America and asked to comment on the Chicago radio station incident. Surprisingly, Crespo evaded the question several times and told the reporter it was time to leave the incident behind.

Then I found out that Crespo had been invited to sit in as a guest host on the 2-hour afternoon gossip show "Escándalo TV" that aired yesterday on the Univision-owned Telefutura network... So I set up my DVR to tape it.  Sigh.

I have to say that Crespo was charming, funny and seemingly thrilled at getting the exposure. He also was was a better man than most for enduring jokes at his expense from the other hosts based on past controversies, including the alleged masturbation incident on a commercial flight.

BUT - I also have to say he spent all of five minutes talking about his LGBT-related tour and actually giggled as one of the regular hosts showed a Photo-Shopped image of Madonna kissing Britney Spears at the 2003 VMA awards with Juliet Cabrera superimposed in the middle as a gag example of the "racy" pictures that had surfaced lately about the recently booted Univision beauty show contestant (Google if you must).

And then the actual moment when my jaw dropped.

Half way through the show, "Escandalo TV" linked up to a live video feed from the studios of La Kalle 106.7 FM in Chicago providing a perfect chance for Crespo to confront the radio station for the homophobic treatment he alleged he had experienced.

Not so fast.

• "Mau" Mauricio Mejia (La Kalle 106.7): "Elvis, we love you here at La Kalle, very much so, and we hope you visit soon."
• Elvis Crespo: "I know, I know, believe me, I know."
• Me thinking silently: WTF?

So there are a couple of scenarios here:

• As [separate?] sources for this blog and The Windy City Times have said, this was all a misunderstanding in which the radio station felt Crespo had broken an exclusivity deal and the singer thought he was being silenced for his support of 'teh geyz', in which case things seem to have been resolved behind the scenes. Or;
• Crespo was right all along and left the radio station as a principled supporter of the LGBT cause (italics still all mine) who couldn't stand being banned from defending 'teh geyz' on the radio, in which case he seems to have caved in to the pressure of getting exposure of Univision-related venues.

Personally, I have a feeling that the truth lies closer to the first scenario than the second one.

I would have no issue whatsoever if the tour had been sold just as a way for a former pop music idol to connect with his LGBT fans, never mind that said idol waited all these years to speak up about LGBT issues.  But Granda Entertainment made it a point to sell the tour as a way to "support" the Latino LGBT community and I'm not sure this quite rises to that level.

In true Granda Entertainment fashion, Elvis Crespo has disclosed that he will be accepting the King of the San Francisco Pride Parade honor on June 26th - just like Gloria Trevi and Karyme Lozano accepted the Queen of the San Francisco Pride Parades in years past.

I know it's a business. But sometimes I wish the Latino LGBT community would stand up and demand that we are not sold out quite as cheaply as that.

The coming out of Ricky Martin: Reactions

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Discrimination (GLAAD) has released a statement on Ricky Martin's coming out.  It's a statement from Jarret T. Barrios, the agency's Executive Director:

When someone like Ricky Martin comes out, hundreds of millions of people now have a cultural connection with an artist, a celebrity and, perhaps most importantly, a father who happens to be gay; His decision to model this kind of openness and honesty can lead to greater acceptance for countless gay people in U.S., in Latin America and worldwide.

Yay!

In the meantime, I did take a gentle swipe at GLAAD's language usage policies when it came to Ricky Martin describing himself as "homosexual" in my previous post.  That's because I have long held that the usage of the word "homosexual" is common-place in Latin America: When people use it, they don't intend it to have a negative connotation.

The word "homosexual" is certainly there in the Spanish-language version of his coming out statement and was probably left intact when someone translated it for the English-language statement to Spanish. They probably didn't know that it wasn't kosher to leave it there (I must confess I sometimes translate 'homosexual' to 'gay' when I do translations from Spanish language articles just as I translate 'travesti' to 'transgender').

But, as the news broke on Twitterlandia - and elsewhere - I was struck by a certainly understandable divide.

There were those in the United States who only knew the singer for his "Living La Vida Loca" cross-over attempts and his vagueness about his sexuality over the years. For the most part, today, they were dismissive and quick to say that it was too late for him to come out. Not a comprehensive survey here by any means, but they included openly gay US Representative Jared Polis, and bloggers like DListed and AmericaBlogGay,

On the other hand, there were those of us Latinos who knew that Ricky Martin had never defined himself by his cross-over attempts or had lost any stature in Latin America just because he had failed to sustain his cross-over moment in the United States.  Those of us who knew about his longstanding efforts to eradicate child abuse throughout the world (click on: The Ricky Martin Foundation).  Those of us who, like everyone else, suspected he was gay but didn't think he would ever come out. Those of us who thought that he would nevertheless make a huge impact if he ever did. Particularly among queer youth who looked up to him and were struggling to come to terms with their sexuality.

So, let me go against the grain and congratulate Ricky Martin for coming out today. I, too, would have liked it to have happened sooner, but I do not feel I can properly express just how huge this is when it comes to Latin America.

For proof of the immediate impact, you might want to go to the outpouring of support from fellow stars that followed Ricky's coming out announcement on Twitter.

Those include:

• Mexican singer Christian Chavez, who might as well be called the first Latino super-star to come out. On his Twitter account he wrote "Ricky Martin, I am so proud of you. Wow! United, things will change! With liberty! With love! Out with face masks! Let's love each other as we are."
• Colombian singer Juanes who Tweeted "all my respect and love for you Ricky, you are a gentleman"
• Venezuelan singer Ricardo Montaner who Tweeted "the Ricky Martin of yesterday is the same Ricky Martin of always. And he is my friend!"
• Mexican singer - and longtime ally Gloria Trevi -who Tweeted "Ricky Martin, illuminated and with a sincere heart."
• Spanish singer Alejandro Sanz, long rumored to be gay himself, who Tweeted "a strong embrace and all my friendship for Ricky Martin. You are loved and respected. So good that you are at peace with yourself. Kiss your babies" (you might know Alejandro from this Shakira video).
• Desperate Housewives' Eva Longoria, who just Tweeted "You are inspiring and beautiful, I love you so much!"
• And the amazing (and most popular current Puerto Rican artist) René Pérez Joglar, also known as Calle 13's "El Residente" who Tweeted "Ricky Martin: Being a man doesn't have to do with your sexual preference, but with the honesty with which you sustain your words" and "Ricky Martin is much more of a man than many a man who says they are a man."
• And, OMfuckin'G, even Veronica Castro - who would not go lesbian for a Mexican TV show - deems is necessary to jump into the fray and say "You are a wonderful human being and an unstoppable artist; My support for you in everything you do, I send you a kiss."

And just by those, tonight, you will have an inkling of just how many barriers Ricky Martin broke tonight. Yes, it might have come late in his career. Yes, you might make light of it if you want. But, in some ways, the earth moved today in Latin America when it comes to LGBT rights.

Related:

• Ricky Martin comes out - Oriol's POZ Blog, March 30, 2010

The gays MADE Eduardo Verastegui, in return he stabs them in the back

With the presidential election just days away, the other nerve-wracking waiting game for the gays is seeing if attempts to ban same-sex marriages rights in California (Proposition 8), Florida (Proposition 2) and Arizona (Proposition 102) pass muster on Tuesday - with a very real chance of defeating all three (please click on each link and find out more and, if possible, donate).

Although the campaigns to defeat the discriminatory initiatives in AZ and FL must feel relegated to the sidelines as they look at the mammoth battle taking place in CA, it must be said that a California loss will be devastating to efforts to build a future where same-sex couples are not discriminated in the United States based on who they love. If passed, California would also become the first state to strip away marriage rights already granted to its state residents (couples who have gotten married would not lose their marriage status but unmarried partners and future partners would not be able to have access to them).

The extreme right-wing certainly understands that it's the battle to end all battles when it comes to the issue and have been acting accordingly treating it as if it were Armageddon itself or the final End of Days battle (a poll released yesterday shows a 49% to 44% lead for "No on 8" which is good but that lead might evaporate come election day).

Tonight, the Associated Press has the latest ("Anxious eyes on California gay marriage vote").

The Latino vote: Despite the slight lead, it's a slight lead that might easily evaporate.

Unfortunately this has led to some generalizations on both sides of the equation that the minority vote might end up deciding the future of same-sex marriages in California with the common assumption that most blacks and Latinos will vote do deny rights to the gays.

First came fears that a strong minority showing for Barack Obama in the California voting booths might mean additional support for the marriage ban ("Obama surge confounds gay marriage"), then came indications that both sides were targeting Latino voters believing that they might be the ones to push the ban over the treshhold or keep it from passing ("Leaning on Latinos" and "Prop. 4, 8 campaigns battle fiercely for crucial Latino vote").

Let me say this: I don't have much money but I have donated to the "No on 8" campaign to support their efforts (as well as "No on 2" in FL and "No on 102" in AZ); I also know that they have attempted to make inroads among Latino communities; but I was less than thrilled by their discourse in media during these last few days on the issue of Latino voters and not too impressed by their ads targeting Latino media.

Sure, they got the stars of "Ugly Betty" to do an ad in English and and ad in Spanish. Not sure how it plays out to California Latinos and particularly those undecided or supporting Prop. 8 but to me it certainly plays up the stereotype that familia trumps everything in our lives (it may or it may not but not in that La Cosa Nostra creepy way that ends up implying all Latinos are conservative because we love La Familia - which plays right into the right wing's hands). And, secondly, I also have a feeling that Latinos who watch "Ugly Betty" on ABC are not necessarily the Latino population that needs their mind changed on Prop. 8. I mean, they probably get Justin already .

Having Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa be a lead spokesperson and supporter is much better but I have yet to see efforts to engage truly popular Spanish-language television stars or singers that might reach out to a wider Latino community. This, despite the fact that Paulina Rubio and Gloria Trevi - who are hugely popular among the Mexican and Mexican-American communities in California - came out strongly against Prop. 8 this week. They should be in ads today!

[BTW: No poll is perfect but a poll released yesterday and forwarded to me by my friend Evan Wolfson actually shows Latinos in California OPPOSING the ban 51% to 46%].

Now, I've been peppering this post with a few images that seem to have no relation to the topic at hand. Heck, if you go for that metrosexual, pouty-lip, hairless chest bimbo look, you might even still be reading this post because of him. Me? Eek! Not my type at all.

Now, watch this video of the '90's Mexican boy-band (er, man-band?) Kiero and pay attention to the guy with a wife-beater shirt and no leather jacket or - alternatively - no shirt and lotsa sweat plus all his queerrific dance moves:

 

Why it's Eduardo Verestegui! And ever since he was introduced as the Latino face of the "Yes on 8" campaign I have heard nothing but shock and disgust from most of my Spanish-speaking Latino friends throughout the country.



Part of the shock for some friends is that they assumed Verastegui was gay (a lot of them grew up watching him perform with Kiero and playing leads in popular Mexican soap operas). I mean, just by the photos and video above there's no doubt in my mind he knew exactly who his fanbase was and that it was tres-gay. So forgive some from feeling ultra-betrayed.

But those are the gays. He also has a huge female fan base (for some reason they love the bimbo pouty-lipped look too) and he certainly used it to play up his Hollywood debut in the failed attempt at cross-over success otherwise known as "Chasing Papi".

Enter his 2006 anti-abortion message movie "Bella" and his embrace of the whole US right wing enchilada (immigration issues be damned!) and lo-and-behold - he becomes a poster child for the worst right-wing policies being channeled by the McCain camp as of late (Hey! What do ya know! He endorsed McCain this week as well!).

As a matter of fact, bimbo-boy's fabulous right-wing adventure was what elicited reactions from Mexican mega-star Paulina Rubio (who called him "ignorant") and Gloria Trevi (who taped her own message urging voters to vote against the California and Florida propositions).

Let truth win on Tuesday! Vote "No on 8" if you live in California.

Related:

• Pérez Hilton lashes out at Verastegui over Proposition 8 (New York Daily News, Oct. 31, 2008)
• Mexican Soap Star shills for 'Yes on 8' (Joe.My.God, Oct. 28, 2008)
• Tell Eduardo your dreams! (Latin Gossip, Oct. 27, 2008)
• Manic Eduardo Verastegui hearts Prop. 8, McCain (Intersections)
• Perpetually nude dude has no problem with deciding other's morals (Riptide 2.0, Oct. 27, 2008)
• Eduardo Verastegui is against abortion, gays and gaybortions (Guanabee, Oct. 21, 2008)
• Spanish-language gossip show criticizes Paulina Rubio for standing up to Verastegui, Verastegui responds to Rubio's comments (Escandalo)

Pinche Cabrones! Gloria Trevi rocked NYC gay bar last night

So the fated night has come and gone and I almost missed it! For some reason I swore Gloria Trevi was making her New York City gay bar appearance on Friday but, thankfully, some friends set me right and we headed to Splash last night around 10pm to watch her perform (see above, more photos here).

It had been a while since I had been at Splash but little had changed from the last time I was there. Semi-naked bartenders serving drinks, video screens showing some gay porn (Tuesday's from what I was told are now "Latino" nights so they involved some Latino on Latino action - or maybe it was the fact that a Latino porn production company was a co-sponsor of the event). Since that's pretty much every night at Splash, I'm not sure why I was so put-off by the videos. Yes, there's a place for wholesome porn in this world, but I'm not sure it was at a Gloria Trevi concert. So, while it was good to hang out with friends who included a few lesbian and bisexual women, it was weird to have so much explicit and - dare I say it - Latinxploitation porn action in the background. Then again, even though the majority of the patrons were Latinos themselves, most certainly didn't seem to bat an eye. So it might have been just me. The live go-go boys, some wearing nothing but a sock, certainly got grabbed, canoodled and generaly manhandled by more than a few people - and not all of the manhanlders were men.

We hung out in the downstairs lounge where a DJ was playing a good mix of bachata, salsa, merengue and reggaton. It wasn't until midnight that we headed upstairs and the show didn't even get started until 1:30am after repeated false starts. In the meantime, DJ Eddie Cruz had the dance floor jumping with a mix of Kelly Clarkson's "Since You've Been Gone" and, of course, Thalia's version of that old Alaska y Dinarama standard "A Quien le Importa." The place sorta went wild over that last one and would carry on singing the chorus even as DJ Eddie Cruz dropped the sound, leading to some bewildered looks by a few non-Latino bar patrons who didn't know what had hit Splash last night or who Thalia or even Gloria Trevi were (sorta like Queerty).

Even as someone marginally associated with the event, I had a sense that things weren't that organized. My organization was approached as a co-sponsor and we suggested that sponsorship be opened to a number of Latino LGBT organizations in the city instead (thinking that the more organizations involved, the more promotion there would be). I ended up suggesting the SOMOS... Project when I was told that only one community organization could be a sponsor but then ended up seeing other organizations listed anyway (good thing: The NYC LGBT Chamber of Commerce was also listed). Nevertheless, had I known that a gay porn production company would be lead co-sponsors I would have urged community organizations not to get involved. Then again, I would have wanted the Miami-based producer to honor community by having held the event at the Queens Latino gay bars and that didn't happen either (though Lucho's and Club Atlantis were both sponsors last night as well).

Following a brief presentation which included a drag look-alike, Gloria Trevi finally took the stage and seemed thrilled to see so many people on the floor. She confessed that people had told her that there might be a small crowd for the show in New York and thanked us for proving others wrong. She launched herself into interpretations of some of her best hits - "Pelo Suelto," "Zapatos Viejos," "Con los Ojos Cerrados" - and the crowd just adored her. She looked amazing for a woman who has gone through so much though I also thik I saw hints of tiredness. Perhaps it came with the fact that it was the closing night of a mini-tour of United States gay bars. She also regaled the crowd with some salty anecdotes and a few off-color comments that shocked even a few fans.

After taking a few pictures, I literally could not stand being squeezed between so many people trying to reach the front rows so I went back to my friends and enjoyed the rest of the set. My boyfriend, the true Trevi fan in the family, said afterwards that he enjoyed the show but felt a bit sad for La Trevi. He felt that the event seemed shoddy and a bit demeaning to Trevi. He felt that if the promoters had truly wanted to honor her standing in the gay community they could have put a real band behind her instead of a recorded track and got rid of the porn cross-promotions. Not sure if the increased costs of touring with a band would have made the mini-tour an impossibility but I agree they could have done it with more class.

Aparently, they have also been behind appearances by Paulina Rubio and Lucia Mendez at gay bars in Florida and California, so - considering the crowd last night - do not be surprised if they follow.

Yey! Updates: Wilson Cruz, Laisa Reyes, No Love, La Trevi

When Rod 2.0 alerted us to stunningly low job approval ratings for President Bush in the aftermath of the hurricaine (Oct. 13, 2005), we were afraid to ask what the margin of error was. Not necessarily on the same topic, and a definitely happier alert, Rod says that he has interviewed gay Latino hottie Wilson Cruz for the next issue of Clik. We'll be looking for it in the newstands. Kudos ro Rod for landing the interview.

Regarding Colombia: Transgender Diva (Jan. 13, 2006), perhaps the most visited post in this blog, last week I actually had the opportunity to talk to Endry Cardeño (pictured above), the transgender woman who plays Laisa Reyes in the popular Colombian soap opera "Los Reyes." I had been asked to participate in a morning radio show broadcasting from Bogota on how coming out might be different in the United States than in my home country of Colombia. I knew that a good friend of mine, German Rincon - an amazing gay rights advocate and attorney - would be amongst the guests but, to my huge surprise, Endry was also invited. I took the oportunity to congratulate her on the soap and the work she was doing to bring down stereotypes about transgender people in Colombia. Yes, I can get a bit star-struck sometimes. Then again, I know people who are making their families tape "Los Reyes" so they can see it here.

Regarding A Year Without Love (Feb. 7, 2006), I have yet to see the film since it opened in New York but Gary Kramer at Gay City News gives it a rave review.

Regarding La Trevi en New York at Splash on March 7, both Syed and Elena Mary have taken me to task for daring to say that I am not a big fan of Gloria Trevi's music. She is, after all, the "Mexican Madonna!" I guess I'll have to atone for my sins at Splash when I go see her live. The night closes a mini-tour of gay bars throughout the United States. The Miami Herald filed this story on the eve of her Feb. 14th performance in Miami Beach. In the article, the tour promoter says: "The gay community has always believed in her, a lot of them understand when you're wrongly accused because of sexual behavior. When she came out of it all triumphantly it helped her."

La Trevi says: "I'm so grateful and proud [to have gay fans]. When I was in trouble, the gays didn't abandon me."

Let's see how the night at Splash goes.

La Trevi en Nueva York at Splash on March 7th

Like Yuri, that other Mexican starlett on the come-back trail, Gloria Trevi also performed at some Mexican gay bars last year. Both were crowned as "Queen of All Gays" by bar owners and club promoters who aparently didn't know - or care - that there was more than one crown. Both tried to regain their separate stature as the "Madonnas of Mexico."

Both, incidentally, also draw an almost devotional gay following throughout Latin America and in immigrant communities in this country based on their soap-like lives: Yuri fell hard from the top of her career in the late 1980's and early 1990's and released a series of religious music albums that flopped after becoming a born-again Christian, while La Trevi spent time in jail but was never charged in a sordid tale that included allegations of child abuse, conceiving a child while in a Brazilian jail and the emancipation from a Tommy Motola-like character named Sergio Andrade who went from being her manager to being her husband a-la Mariah (and more recently a-la Thalia). Yes, it's all very complicated and over-the-top and you can read all about it in this 2004 profile from the Sunday New York Times Magazine.

In January promoters announced that La Trevi would go a step further and actually do a mini-tour of United States gay bars and partnered with Miami's Unity Coalition (and GLAAD) to spearhead the promotional campaign nationally. Queerty wasn't impressed but, after seven dates, the tour will come to an end at Splash on Tuesday, March 7th. I'm not sure I like her music that much but the boyfriend is a big fan and it should be fun to see the audience's adoration. If only the promoters had chosen a Queens bar instead of Splash! Actually, come to think of it, that might have caused a fan riot!

[FULL DISCLOSURE: My organization was offered first digs at co-sponsoring the event locally but I suggested that they reach out to the SOMOS... Project instead, which fights against homophobia in the Spanish-speaking communities of New York]

• UPDATE: Pinche Cabrones! Gloria Trevi rocked NYC gay bar last night! (Wed., March 8, 2006)