Talking with Association of Latino Men for Action ( ALMA ) Board President Julio Rodriguez about the upcoming 'Runway ALMA: All Decked and Out' event on Oct. 12 is almost like watching a kid at Christmas. There's an undeniable gleam in Rodriguez's eyes as he excitedly talked about what attendees can expect at the fundraiser.
'People can expect a lot of great-looking people,' Rodriguez said. 'Last year's event was sold out. What was nice was the mix of gay, straight, women, men [ and ] all ages and colors—and not just on the runway. You can also expect some hot fashions; [ for example, ] Carla Rivera puts the Asian and Latin influences in her men's clothing. [ The three designers spotlighted this year are Rivera [ coming in from Thailand ] , Horatio Nieto and James De Colon. ] '
The idea for the event formed three years ago, according to Rodriguez, thanks to a certain TV show. 'Some volunteers who worked on our fundraising activities were watching Project Runway, and we got into a discussion about what aspects of that show were good—and we liked that the gay men were open and out,' Rodriguez said. 'It was good to have a show that not only had people who were out and proud, but gave another dimension to the gay community. Obviously, fashion is not a stretch, but the idea that we were professional and were being taken seriously.'
'We hadn't done something where we highlighted the creative and business aspects of our community, so we thought it'd be interested where we highlighted the contributions of gay and straight Latino designers,' Rodriguez added. 'At the same time, we want to [ convey ] that people shouldn't just think of New York or L.A. or even the gay mainstream community as leaders in fashion. In fact, many Latinos are leaders in fashion, and some are right here in Chicago.'
However, this year's event differs from last year's inaugural fundraiser in several ways, including the name. 'Last year's event was called Project ALMA,' Rodriguez said. 'This year, we decided we wanted to continue the same theme, but we thought we'd honor people in our community who are personalities who represent public life. The idea is that Runway ALMA would [ honor ] leaders in fashion and in the community.'
This year's honorees are NBC-5 reporter Alex Perez ( a 2007 Windy City Times 30 Under 30 award recipient ) and J.P. Calderon, who is probably best known for his appearances on the reality shows Survivor: Cook Islands and The Janice Dickerson Modeling Agency. 'Calderon took a risk and came out on The Janice Dickerson Show,' Rodriguez said. 'We think that one thing Alex and J.P. do is create the public face of a different segment of the gay community—the Latino men's community.'
'Unfortunately, more often than not, the Latino male community is seen as secondary,' Rodriguez added. 'I look at a lot of mainstream gay shows, and our community is still as represented by the busboy or the sidekick boyfriend, and there's no real depth to those characters. We hope that people begin to see our community through people like Alex and J.P., who are recognized in the media and the public world for their contributions. Plus, the fact that they are gay and Latino creates visibility for our community, so that when people say 'gay,' they won't just think white and the subportions of white. Men of color are often seen as erotic, exotic or threatening.'
'ALMA's mission, from the beginning, has been about expanding people's definition of what a gay, bisexual or questioning man is,' Rodriguez continued. 'It's not the guy on Halsted Street who comes from Iowa or Michigan; they may be coming from Mexico, Puerto Rico or Guatemala. They may not even speak English, but they're as much [ a part ] of Chicago's gay community as anyone else. It's interesting: If Latinos are the fastest-growing [ demographic ] in Chicago's general population, then there are probably more gay Latinos than whites or anyone else; it's something we need to think about.'
'Runway ALMA: All Decked and Out' will take place Fri., Oct. 12 at Germania Place, 108 W. Germania ( at Clark Street and North Avenue ) , at 7 p.m. ( The VIP reception is 6-7 p.m. ) For tickets, which are $50-$100, call ALMA at 773-661-0926 or visit www.almachicago.org . People can also make checks out to ALMA and mail them to the Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted, Chicago, IL 60657.
Windy City Media Group is among the sponsors of the event.
