Alejandro is an LA-based Trans strip club that takes place once a month, in a tiny gay downtown bar. The line-up consists of a number of performers, all of whom are united by their identities as “queer, Trans, 2spirit, and non-binary pole, strip and gogo performers”.
While the identities of the performers lie on all ends of the gender spectrum, each unique dancer possesses an astounding amount of elegance and power.
The event is coordinated by Coyote Park, a queer, 2spirit artist and filmmaker. Drawing on his own experiences, they understand the importance of platforming Trans sex workers of colour and working within the limitations of performance. They aim for Alejandro to be a space that empowers Trans sex workers, removing their identities from a cis-normative context.
Speaking to Them, Park details this further, saying: “Trans sex workers need spaces where our own desires and our experiences of desirability are something we can cultivate, mould, and move within β spaces where we aren’t only navigating or performing for others’ needs, rules, or limitations. I love that about Alejandro.”
The audience at Alejandro is not transactional. Their interactions with the performers appear more as acts of queer solidarity and community, rather than consumption. There is a sort of symbiotic relationship happening; a mutual mirroring of each audience member to the person on stage. There is, of course, a cash flow, but it represents queer joy instead of an act of possession.
The way these performances are set up centres on the Trans people who are starring in them. While they may still be performing for a crowd, they can do so while remaining loudly queer. According to Park, “having gigs, strip spaces, and other physical environments where we don’t feel like we are compromising parts of our identity is something I hope to see more of.”
Alejandro elevates the body of each performer beyond the realm of a gendered reality. They seem more ethereal than humans at points. Each month, the Trans strip club has a different theme, extending from “Gender Euphoria” to “Movie Stars”.
The change of pace each month allows a variety of different performers to express their identities in a multitude of ways. For Park, it’s a tantalising prospect: “I can play into my own fantasy of myself. I can touch my highest form. I can dance to a crowd that receives what I want to give on stage. I can be a heartthrob-tatted boy one minute and then a glamorous, long-haired siren the next.”
With no limitations on gender presentation, Alejandro extends beyond the hyper-feminine nature of its sister show, Jolene. It showcases the beauty in gender in all expressions and forms of physicality.
© 2022 GCN (Gay Community News). All rights reserved.
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