Mardi Gras in Spain

[Cathy L. Anderson]

I knew that Mardi Gras here in Spain was going to be "tg-friendly" when I saw a French Maid costume in a store with a label that clearly portrayed a man wearing the outfit.

But I was still surprised to see the degree and respectability of men dressed as women during the Mardi Gras parade. Here, as in Brazil, there are various "clubs" who prepare elaborate costumes and floats. Several featured the usual things--dancing girls in scanty outfits, huge feathers, etc. Interestingly, several groups included occassional males dressed and dancing more or less exactly as the females.

Even more interesting was an entire group of about 20 men performing as women. They were posing as a female military drill team. In their perfectly tailored green outfits with short, pleated skirts, shaved legs, and identical blonde, short bobbed-hair wigs, they actually looked more like girl scouts. They looked so good that at first I thought they were gg's. They were *really* enjoying themselves as they went through their formations. The crowd enjoyed them too.

These were all likely married or otherwise "straight" men, and they were accepted as such. Though they made attractive females, nobody questioned their masculinity. This was simply Mardi Gras, and they were putting on a good show.

This seems like a great illustration of several things:

1. There are many more men with "crossdressing inclinations" than there are full-blown crossdressers.

2. In general, culture and society is prepared to accept this. In a "healthy" culture, some form of acceptable and socially constructive outlet is provided for men to express this part of themselves.

3. (more speculative). When this side of men can be expressed in a socially acceptable way, it satisfies the need better, and crossdressing doesn't become an ongoing, pervasive issue.

As I say, the third point is mere speculation. But I suspect that if I met any of these men, few if any would crossdress during the rest of the year, or be particularly troubled with such urges.

Cathy

[RikkiOfLA]

Hi Cathy,

I went to Spain during the 1950s, in the days of the Franco dictatorship. I was a kid then, and my parents were interested in retiring there. So we made two long trips and saw many interesting things.

Franco was considered a "benign" dictator, at least to my traditional, conservative parents. He suppressed a lot of things in the Spanish culture, from Mardi Gras to public drunkenness, homosexuality, wearing bathing suits off the beach, speaking or writing the Catalan language, and so on. He was very interested in controlling what he viewed as the excesses of Spanish culture. Even the food served in restaurants came under government control it seems.

So it's fascinating to see the way Spanish culture has bloomed and developed in the years since his death.

I haven't been back since, though I would like to. So next time you go, take me with you!

[Beauty]

Hi Cathy,

Wow. I never thought that kind of behavior would be seen in Spain. When I think of spaniards I only think of the macho of the most macho types of men and a very conservative lifestyle. Thank you for enlightening me.

Did you dress at all? Were there people you saw on the streets that were dressed?

Thanks again!!!

Beauty

[Violet]

Cathy: I think I probably agree with your third point, at least to an extent. It is always healthier and more fulfilling to embrace your truth of self 'in public', through socially acceptable means, than in ways considered shameful and disgusting and secretive. I'm not really sure if those ladies you saw 'never' think of CDing for the rest of the year, but I'm sure they feel a great relief at getting a chance to do it without suffering the scorn and indignation of their partners, friends, 'the man', and society in general, and probably look forward all year to next Mardi Gras.

[Cathy L. Anderson]

Rikki: Thanks for the historical context. I didn't realize Franco had suppressed so much. Yes, the culture and the excellent qualities of Spanish character are blooming again. By the way, I've been living here for nearly two years.

Beauty: Good point about the macho thing. That crossed my mind also. I've never quite understood why the Spanish have such a reputation for being macho. Personally, I see little evidence of it (as opposed to, say, Mexican culture.) In many ways it seems like a very matriarchal culture. Maybe it's because I'm in Andalucia, which is culturally different than other areas.

Violet: I think you might be right. After my original post I thought about adding the footnote: of course, all of this is my interpretation, which is no doubt extremely biased by my own 'issues'.

Cheers,

Cathy

[RikkiOfLA]

I didn't notice much machismo in Spain when I was there. Tourist guidebooks pointed out that a lot of people confuse Spanish culture with Mexican. They are, of course, quite different. Spanish people were extremely courteous and at the same time a bit formal. It was not uncommon when we asked directions, for someone to walk two or three blocks out of their way through a crowded area to show us the way.

Under Franco, I believe crossdressing was punishable by death.

There was certainly no evidence of any such thing--no Spanish equivalent of Milton Berle on the television, which only broadcast about 6 hours a day due to Franco's regulations.

Under Franco, tapas (the often elaborate Spanish appetizers) consisted of little dishes containing your choice of four exciting dishes: a handful of olives, two or three boiled shrimp, two pickled quail eggs, or two sardines. Exciting!

[Tania María López]

It is very interesting to read what americans think about my country: Franco, machismo, tapas, Mardi Gras (I think Mardi Gras is a French word and we don´t use it in Spain. I think you are talking about "Carnaval") ... and crossdressers.

Spain is not a "macho" society. Transexualism is well accepted by people. We have actresses, lawyers, politicians who are transexuals. Acording to a law now in the Spanish Parliament, male to female transexuals will be considered legally as women and can change the male name and the mention of sex in birth records. It will not be necessary a sex reassignment surgery, only a diagnosis of gender distrofia and two years under medical or psicological treatment.

Crossdressing in public is not a problem. According to the law it is not pertimited to discriminate any person who dresses or behaves as a person of the opposite sex. The problem is, as in the USA, family, friends ...

When travelling to Spain you can contact with some local groups of crossdressers. Crosdressers groups in Spain are all open to heterosexuals, homosexuals and transexuals. We haven´t big events like Holiday en femme or Diva Las Vegas. The reason may be what Cathy Anderson suggested. In Spain, you can spent a week in "Carnavales" in Cadiz or Tenerife desssed as a girl, and you will meet a lot of girls like you!. You can also go for your holidays to Sitges or Ibiza and nobody will point to you, in the hotel, the street or a restaurant, for the way you dress or act.

In Madrid and Barcelona there are a lot of friendly places to go. There is a nationwide group of crossdressers that meet in Madrid regulary for a dinner in a restaurant and socialinzing, some of them with their S.O. There are archquitects, lawyers, military, teachers or factory workers. You can visit their website here:

http://www.enportada.org

Pack your best dresses and come to Spain, you will be welcomed!

[DonnaT]

Maybe your politicians should publically make fun of ours for being so backward with respect to respecting the GLBT community, Tania, until ours start to cahnge their attitudes.