* Lesbians on march, D.F., 2006. Via COMALa on Picasa.
We tried to go see Cuban female rappers Las Krudas at the Ex-Teresa on Wednesday night, but Gustavo and I were stopped at the door. No men allowed. Even feminist men, which we proclaimed ourselves to be. Friends visiting from L.A., Nefertiti and Ana, are among the hundreds of women in town for the XI Encuentro Feminista de Latinoamérica y del Caribe, and three of us tried to tag along to the nighttime cultural activity. Nuria went in. The other male and I didn't.
Initially, we felt a bit discriminated against. We went and waited it out over Black Label and tortilla at the rooftop bar of the Centro Cultural España, while some jazz trio played. When we caught up with the women after they saw Las Krudas, they were glowing, ecstatic to have experienced the energy, the "freedom" of a rare women-only social space, even temporarily. "We're discriminated against every day," we were told. "Now you know what it feels like."
The Kumbia Queers performed for the conference attendees on Thursday night. Same set-up, I'm told, no men -- except for the custodial boys. Today there is a feminist marcha in the Centro, and on Saturday, the 4th Marcha Lésbica will take place from the Zócalo to the Monumento de la Revolución. "Only women, no buses, no political parties," the marcha's site says.
* Here's a video of the one-and-only Astrid Hadad sharing her thoughts on womanhood this week at the conference. Check out the site for more info.
