By: Carolina Romero
Seduction alone is radically opposed
to anatomy as destiny.
—Jean Baudrillard
All the words in the world could not answer the question “What is a muxe?” Not in the way Nelson Morales’ lens does, anyway. We can look at the beauty of sexual diversity in Latin America through this lens not as judging observers, but as astonished observers. The photographer from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec – from Unión Hidalgo, Oaxaca to be more precise- spoke to us with absolute sensitivity about the discovery and creation of these photographs.
«When I discovered and accepted my sexuality, the first thing I thought was that I didn’t want to be like a woman, that is, to look like a woman and go for female roles. I started photographing my culture, parties, customs and Tehuanas, women dressed in colorful traditional clothing. [This look was made famous by Frida Kahlo, who chose to base her style of clothing on the women from this region even though she was a Mexico City native]. I was later asked to take some pictures for the muxes. At first, I hesitated a lot to do them because I didn’t want to socialize with them. However, I said yes and I liked the result so I decided to continue photographing them».
Muxes have become increasingly known as the trans community gains attention from the public. In short, muxes are people who dress as the opposite gender from which they were assigned at birth. What’s most interesting about it is that they are particular to the Zapotec culture in Mexico, where this “third gender” has been widely accepted for ages. Muxes tend not to face discrimination as trans people do in Western societies, or worse, more Westernized regions in Mexico that are still staunchly conservative.
Morales describes the process of working with muxes genuinely taking an interest in their lives, going to their houses, attending their parties, going out with them. This project began to spontaneously generate acceptance within him. He was meeting models while discovering himself. These are his stories:
«Dubrasca, she is a woman from my town, very smiling, very flirtatious. She sells tamales in the streets. She also does hair, makeup, and choreography for quinceañeras.»
«Shaula is a kindergarten teacher. She only dresses for the holidays because they don’t allow her to wear long hair to school. Although some of her students call her ” teacher,” that day she was queen of her town.»
«Sharon is a primary school teacher and beauty queen in Oaxaca, originally from Salina Cruz, Oaxaca.»
«Fabiola is a waitress. She began dressing as a woman at age 11. Her dream was to be queen of the muxe festival, which she achieved two years ago. In this portrait, she shows me how to put on makeup and look pretty».
«Paulina has a degree in business management. Her mother never liked her dressing as a woman so she did it secretly. After many years, she got her mother to accept her as she is and began walking the streets of the town free and happy».
«La Paca and Salomé are best friends. They chose this setting themselves, a banana plantation near Tehuantepec, from which they are originally. Salomé admires Frida Kahlo and wanted to recreate one of her iconic paintings.»
“Bethsua is from Ixtepec, a city where many Central American migrants arrive when making their way across Mexico and into the United States. A Guatemalan guy became her boyfriend during his stay there.”
The photographer stresses the exemplary tolerance and coexistence set by muxes and their communities, in which muxes are known as the third gender. However, as for his photographic project in the Colombian Amazon with the Ticuna trans community, which is very similar to the muxes, the struggle for respect is raging on. “Tribal leaders think they shouldn’t be like that. They consider it an aberration,” he says.
That is why Morales’ goal remains clear and strong: to bring to the foreground what others try to hide. He is currently in Charlotte, North Carolina, working with the Latinos and African-Americans from the LGBT+ community, where he explores other sides of diversity on the continent.
«These communities are a clear example of the struggle for visibility and diversity. There is still a lot of homophobia and intolerance everywhere and it is a matter of every activist, artist, muxe, etc., fighting from each of their trenches.» Nelson is clear in his answer: he opposes labels. To him, transgender, transvestites and transsexuals “are people just like anyone else, only with a different preference.”
His work in photography and his life are deeply linked. They are inseparable. He himself explains that «until I was 17 I lived in my town, Unión Hidalgo. I later went to study in the city of Oaxaca, and then I went to live in Mexico City. I reconciled and reconnected with my culture through photography. I go to my town at least once a month to take a photo with my muxe community. I go there to enjoy my mother’s food, attend festivals, Oaxacan town celebrations known as “velas,” cantinas… To me, it is like food, taking energy and feeling proud of being a Zapotec.»
The photographs of Nelson Morales, some of which he posts on his Instagram account, never cease to amaze us. They’re beautiful, but they also imply an endless effort to find respect the rights that are inalienable from the LGBT+ community. This is the clearest manifestation of the strength and energy with which new ways of understanding the world are already rising before our eyes.
Read more:
Latino Celebrities Wear Black T-Shirts In Support Of Dreamers
Celebrate Mexican Culture In Full Glam With This Serape Look
Merriam-Webster Adds ‘They’ As A Nonbinary Pronoun In Vast New Dictionary Update
