NYC’s First-Ever Latino LGBTQ Festival Kicks Off Today

Over the course of 12 days, New York City’s Latino community will have its first LGBTQ Festival. That means the more than 100,000 LGBTQ Latinos in the city can head to the Julia de Burgos Latino Cultural Center (JDBC) – 1680 Lexington Ave. – from today until May 22 for photo exhibits, workshops, panel discussions, and theater performances as part of FUERZAfest. There’ll also be film screenings of Viva, Mala Mala, Liz en Septiembre, and the New York premiere of Romeo y Romeo – directed by Luis Caballero and produced by OITNB‘s Selenis Leyva.

FuerzaFest’s photography exhibit will follow the plight of the LGBTQ community from the 1990s to today. The stacked week will close with a performance from famed drag artist Barbra Herr, who will perform I’m Still Herr! – a one-woman cabaret.

“We’re so excited to bring FUERZAfest to JDBC, said Jose Calderón, President of the Hispanic Federation, in a press release. “As part of our firm commitment to civil rights, we have a history of championing LGBTQ rights and, in particular, combating homophobia within the Latino community. FUERZAfest will build on these efforts through the arts in a one-of-a-kind festival.”

Here are a few things to be on the lookout for: