film

Juchitan Queer Paradise

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Director(s)	Patricio Henriquez
Release Date	2003
Work In Progress	n
Runtime	64 min
Youth Media	n

Film Description

This is fascinating portrait of Juchitan, a small Mexican city near the Guatemalan border. Here homosexuality is fully accepted; gays are simply a third gender. If a boy shows a predisposition to homosexuality his family will rejoice and be thankful for receiving what is considered a blessing. In Juchitan a man who wants to be a woman only has to dress like a woman to be considered and treated as a woman by the entire community. The film profiles three gay people: a teacher, a hairdresser and a shop owner.

In other ways this is a truly unique society. The population of Zapotec Indians resist the homogeneous trends of globalization. While Indian languages are endangered everywhere else in the world, in Juchitan, the Zapotec language is spoken proudly at home, at municipal meetings, in poetry, song and theatre. Celebration plays a crucial role in this society. Fiestas called velas (candles) are held frequently and can last up to a week! The film concludes with the colorful fiesta, the “Vela des folles” which the gay men featured in the film organize each year.