Even as the Pride season winds down in North America, it’s well underway in our twin to the south.
Ask which city is the gay capital of Latin America and watch the Lee Press-On Nails come out. The Mexicans will say Puerto Vallarta, the Brazilians will tout Rio. So, as to avoid trampling on anybody’s nationalistic toes, I’m going to be safe and say that when it comes to Argentina specifically, no other city is more gay than Buenos Aires.
Unlike a lot of other Prides that go for a week (New York) or even a month (Dublin), Pride in “BA” means cramming everything into one day in the form of a huge parade, the Marcha de Orgullo. Staring at 3 PM with a fair and by 6 PM, things are revving to go—that’s right, this is an evening thing. That the party falls on the first Saturday in November is uniquely Argentine: Instead of celebrating Stonewall, whose June date falls smack in the middle of the South American winter, the people of Buenos Aires, called Porteños, celebrate the 1969 founding of their country’s first gay organization. Things end — officially — at the main stage in Plaza Congreso, where music bands and artists revel in the limelight.
Unofficially, the party lives on in gayborhoods like Recoleta, Palermo, and San Telmo. Clubs like Glam, Amerika, Sitges, and Big One (no subtlety there) are notorious, but those are just four of a laundry list of places to go and get funky. Keep in mind that Buenos Aires is not only the gay capital of the country, it is the actual capital of the country and Argentina’s largest. Trust me when I say there are things to do, Pride or no Pride, and a little North-South diplomacy, however one does it, ain’t no crime.
Oh, and a little advice: This being Argentina, it might behoove you to learn a few dance moves aside from the general hip-thrust. Being a go-go boy is not going to cut it in BA. I remember seeing two Argentines, who did not know each other or even knew the other existed, jump into a perfectly executed tango like it was second nature. It is true words that women love men who know how to dance; men like men who know how to dance, too. Particularly in this city.
In the world of Gay Pride, Argentina is more important than you would think: The country was the first in Latin American to allow same-sex marriage nationwide, and the second in North or South America to allow it (Canada beat it to the punch). Migrating south to show a little support wouldn’t be a bad thing.
For more information, go to: www.marchadelorgullo.org.ar. Steele Luxury Travel has special discounted economy and business class airfare to Argentina and destinations beyond. E-mail [email protected]for a fare quote!
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