Diana Diaz went from selling her hand-crafted leather handbags, jewelry and jackets on the street, then through her own brick-and-mortar store and more recently, and then in couture shops in Pasadena.
But that’s not what the 50-year-old, a child of Mexican immigrants, and a school counselor from Esteban Torres High School in East Los Angeles is most proud of. That would be starting The Queer Mercado in 2021, a monthly open-air market where LGBTQ+ artisans and crafters sell their goods and celebrate their authentic selves in a safe space.
On Saturday, the queer open-air market in the East L.A. Civic Center’s Belvedere Park will combine arts and crafts with a Pride Month celebration by adding live performances, drag, food vendors and local art from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
First District Supervisor Hilda Solis is sponsoring the Pride celebration, Diaz said.
It is one of the more unique Pride celebrations to hit L.A. County.
The flavor is queer and Latino, with most participants coming from their neck of the woods — East Los Angeles — a Latino-majority unincorporated community where Diaz says she’s seen a fair number of high school teens rejected by their families for being gay, bisexual or transgender. Some have been the victim of hate crimes, homophobic slurs and discrimination, she said.
“I am a school counselor and I’ve seen a lot of rejection and shame from the families,” Diaz said. At the Queer Mercado creativity from Latino and Black sellers are on display. But more than that, the atmosphere exudes a sense of family.
“We accept each other,” she explained. “This community is made up of children of immigrants and there’s a diverse culture from all over Latin America. Here we eat together. We help each other and we promote each other. We are a community.”
Gaudencio Marquez, a co-founder of the market and a gay man, brings his crochet products for sale. He learned how to crochet from the women in his family, his mother and grandmother….
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