Con Mucho Amor
Con Mucho Amor, a segment of Vibe Weekend 2025, supported by Future Front Texas and Downtown Austin Alliance, was a one-night celebration of queer coming of age surrounded by both old friends and new, gathered and connected through dance, ceremony, performances of Quinceañera traditions, and queer archival research.
We hope the activation serves as an example of the world-making that Southern queer communities foster especially amidst the ongoing inhumane anti-immigrant and anti-LGBTQ+ legislation across the country, and as a testament to the resilience, joy, and softness of Southern BIPOC queer people.
A Queer Quinceañera…
Photos
Downtown Austin Alliance (Top Slideshow)
Jasmine Porter (Middle)
Cowboy Fury (Bottom)
Thank you.
"What was your favorite part of the night?" my spouse interrupts me as I list the ways I could have improved the event.
Per usual, she forces me to slow down and think about my accomplishments. "When Lavender cried immediately after we left the dance floor from doing the waltz. I looked back to see all the Quinceñeres in their crowns coming in to hug each other and the crowd was behind them, cheering."
I want to thank you for giving me that moment through your participation in Con Mucho Amor. Donations, volunteers, grants, resources, and photo submissions, all from the community made this possible.
To the queer folks who were there, especially BIPOC queer folks, I hope Con Mucho Amor was the ritual you needed to be proud of how you have carried your body from childhood into adulthood. I hope it gives you a sense of connection and reminds you how many people truly value you.
To our allies, I hope witnessing queer joy reminds you how much we need you in this moment, to speak up when we're not there. Your words are more resonant against transphobia and homophobia than ours, unfortunately.
In the words of our speaker, Alexandra Nichole Salazar, who sent me this text after the event. "[Con Mucho Amor] is part of the queer archive now, an added trace of our existence they want to erase ".
Thank you for that.
You can find more information on all the folks (you!) who made this possible below. Follow each other, hire each other, support each other.
Con Mucho Amor was made possible by arts organizations, city initiatives, and the labor of queer folks. I would love to see it happen again, but will first need to find serious funding to ensure all queer BIPOC artists are paid a living wage. If you know anyone who is moved by this work and would like to fund another version of Con Mucho Amor, email me at bobbypudrido@gmail.com
Solovino and Alexis Lepore holding their look alike Bratz dolls outfitted by Emily Gilardi. Photo by CowboyFury
Con Mucho Amor,
Bobby Pudrido
Partners/ Padrines
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Bobby Pudrido
PRODUCER/ CHAMBELAN
Bobby is a Texan-born and raised transgender drag king who started performance art in parallel to his medical and social transition. After moving to Austin in 2008, he realized his lack of connection with the local queer community was part of a systemic issue of racial capitalism, cis-heteropatriarchy, and of gentrification in Austin. His performances and events aim to carve out autonomous spaces of resistant joy for Black and brown Southern queer folks.
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Lucky333 Cakes
CAKE DESIGNER
Xtina from Lucky333 Cakes is a 956 born and raised cake artist that bakes for the queer community in Austin. Her designs are inspired by photos, poems, and feelings.
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Felipe The Florist
FLORIST
I'm Felipe Garcia, also known as Felipe the Florist, and I specialize in creating stunning floral designs for weddings and other memorable events. My goal is to add a unique touch to your special occasion with beautiful flowers, making your day truly unforgettable.
As a proud member of the LGBTQ community with over 20 years of experience in floral design, I am confident in my ability to bring nearly any vision you have to life. Please don't hesitate to call or message me to discuss your floral needs.
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Emily Gilardi
COSTUMES & DECOR
Emily Jean Gilardi (Vibes and Decor) - Emily is a professional Costume Designer with 17 years worth of design credits from ZACH Theatre, Austin Shakespeare, Present Company and The Museum of Human Achievement. She is also a professional maker of artisan soaps. Check out what she is up to at the link below!
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Alexandra Nichole Salazar
SPEAKER
Alexandra Nichole Salazar is a Chicana lesbian from Pharr, Texas. She is the creator and host of Jotxs y Recuerdos, a podcast and archive dedicated to preserving LGBTQ+ stories, histories, and spaces from the borderlands.
Salazar is a PhD candidate in the Mexican American and Latina/o Studies program at the University of Texas at Austin. Her research focuses on queer archives of the Rio Grande Valley. She is not only interested in queer border archives but also what we can learn from queer border networks, iconographies, and geographies.
She also played a key role in opening Museo 956, the first civil rights museum in the Rio Grande Valley. In addition, Salazar is involved in several collectives and projects focused on decolonial education and archiving, including Malflora Collective, Frutas del Valle, Sandovalian Semillero Collective, Save the San Juan Hotel Collective, and Mapping Violence.
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Gacho Marx
EMCEE
Gacho Marx is La Voz de Los Mentirosos. Your favorite tío gay, who idolizes his mother, and loves pulga fashion.
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Horrorchata
DJ
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Yvonna F. Mei
DAMA
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Lavender Thug
DAMA
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Ruby Knight
DAMA
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Alexis Lepore
DAMA
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Dante Picante
CHAMBELAN
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Solovino
CHAMBELAN
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Flex Brojas
CHAMBELAN
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O'mari Dior
CHOREOGRAPHER
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Veterans for Equality
A trans-led non-profit organization that provides overwatch services and peaceful protection for marginalized communities.
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Zach Goldman from Drunkluck
A/V Team
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Supporters
The teams at Future Front Texas and Downtown Austin Alliance for the funding, guidance, rehearsal space, and general human support as I navigated being an inaugural awardee of Vibe Weekend.
Haunted - Lead Stagehand/Bouquet
Tiny Taurus - Stagehand
Kaidan - Stagehand
Tessa - Stagehand
Brigitte Bandit - Dress Loan
Christian - Dress Loan
Perra Normál - Dress Loan
Cowboy Fury - Photographer
Tony Posas - Videographer
Carlos Nevarez - Cinematographer
Erasmo - ASL Interpreter
Isabel - ASL Interpreter
Rude Mechanics -Loft Rehearsal Studio
Tito’s Vodka - Sponsor