Finding Sequins in the Rubble: Archives of Jotería Memories in Los Angeles
August 17, 2023–January 28, 2024

Jotería, or queer and trans Chicanx and Latinx identity, in Los Angeles is vital to the fabric of the city, yet this community’s stories of activism, migration, labor, family, leisure, loss, desire, and love have often been erased, ignored, or minimized. Despite homophobia, transphobia, racism, pandemics, and many other forms of injustice and violence, jotería shapes the city daily, building community and unearthing love and joy, sometimes in the most unexpected of places. The archives of jotería are woven into the history of Los Angeles, found within the built environment, in fleeting moments, and in maps of memories. Documenting the past, present, and future of jotería in Los Angeles is a way of finding sequins in the rubble, of celebrating this community’s existence and sacred fabulousness.

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“Holding the Line,” May 1. 2013, Courtesy of Suyapa G. Portillo Villeda.