A History of the Rio Grande Valley's LGBTQIA+ Community

The Museum of South Texas History welcomes community historian Gabriel Sánchez to the Sunday Speaker Series presentation, “Resistance and Resilience: A History of the Rio Grande Valley’s LGBTQIA+ Community."

This presentation explores the evolution of the Valley's LGBTQIA+ community based primarily on original research and extensive oral history interviews with people from the Rio Grande Valley representing different generations and identities.

Some of the topics will feature some of the earliest documented examples of gender variance on both sides of the border before exploring the evolution of a visible LGBTQ+ community in the 1960s, the history of some of the earliest queer and trans spaces and the growth of a local drag culture in the 1970s, community responses to the AIDS crisis in the 1980s, the development of activist groups in the late 80s and early 90s, student and youth activism in the 1990s and early 2000s, and other important spaces, people, and events that impacted the community. The presenter will also share images and items from a collection that includes pictures, artifacts, clothing, publications, letters, fliers and artwork.

Sánchez is a native of the Rio Grande Valley. They have a bachelor’s degree in American Studies and Sociology from Marlboro College. For the past several years, Sánchez has been researching, documenting, sharing and writing about the LGBTQIA+ history of the Rio Grande borderlands. Currently, Sánchez is co-directing “Pansy Pachanga,” a documentary on the history and evolution of the Valley's LGBTQIA+ community in addition to curating a digital collection on Instagram (@pansypachanga) highlighting this history.

This program is made possible by the generous support from the Carmen C. Guerra Endowment. Mrs. Guerra was committed to educational causes in the Rio Grande Valley. This named endowment was created by her family to honor her memory and to continue providing educational opportunities for the community.

More information: https://mosthistory.org/events/sunday-speaker-series-lgbtqia-2023/