SG Huerta is a queer Chicane writer from Dallas. They are the author of the poetry chapbooks The Things We Bring with Us (Headmistress Press 2021) and Last Stop (Defunkt Magazine 2023). Their work has appeared in Split Lip Magazine, Infrarrealista Review, and elsewhere. They live in Texas with their partner and two cats. Find them at sghuertawriting.com or on Twitter @sg_poetry.

Dali Valentino is a Nonbinary Trans Masc, Mexican Puerto Rican Illustrator and costumer. Seeking work to team up with BIPOC creators and authors to make work of Trans Joy. Their art can be found on Instagram or Twitter under: @Azul_Vaquero_Art.

unraveling latine tender transness: behind dali valentino’s viral vaquero costume

interviewed by sg huerta

How did you get started with creating art? I know you work in a bunch of different mediums.

I’ve been into art since I was a little kid and I never stopped. Growing up poor, my Abuelita used supplies from the dollar tree; we made things out of paper from baskets to frames. She sewed blouses, skirts to aprons with lace and embroidery. She taught me that I could make anything out of everyday materials. That stuck with me—I like making things. Creating original designs is very new to me; in the world of cosplay, everything is fanart. I’ve been focusing on the Trans Mexican art I want to see in the world. The light bulb went off: “Holy shit! I can make that myself!” I did not expect the first thing I made to actually skyrocket. Apparently I’m not the only one who wanted more of this.

Wait, that was the first original design you made?.

Yes! Surprisingly enough, I’ve sewn over 120 cosplays, but when it came to doing an original design, nothing. This is the first one that I was like, I'm gonna do the same things I do with costumes, but actually bring my OWN concept to life. It was a whole new level of self fulfillment I’ve never reached before.

I definitely do want to talk about the Tender Trans Cowboy costume because I actually saw the tweet circulating and thought, “This is the coolest thing ever” before we even connected! Do you want to talk about the creative process for that?

There was not a lot of representation growing up, especially for Trans Latine cultures. It broke my heart. In my childhood, because of assimilation, I drew a lot of white characters, and realized, “Why am I doing this? Why am I not representing my own people?” I'm just gonna have to do it myself like I do with everything else.

The irony is, I never really cared for the Western genre until I started seeing queer musicians and then I wondered, “Why aren’t there more?” When I started researching it, there’s a handful of published books out there talking about how vaqueros are the original cowboys. How so many Indigenous, Mexicans, and POC in general were such a big part of the Western culture in the US. They were demonized quickly and characterized as the “bad guy” from racist stereotypes because of a famous cowboy Western show that went on tour across the country.

Western aesthetics, brands, and lifestiles have been whitewashed for so long. How much a part of [Western culture] is from people of color that was just taken. Like “chaps” are from “chaparreras,” and “lassos” from “lazo,” a lot of stuff was just mispronunciations of how to pronounce it in Spanish. My grandparents were rancheros from Mexico so it’s like this culture that I could have been a part of and I could have learned is separated to me because of the aspect of being queer and assimilation in the US.

I did an art show in Seattle last year at Friday Afternoon Tea for Hispanic Heritage Month. My theme focused on Latine Trans Joy and Queer Euphoria. The first piece I did was a trans masc farmer posing next to some sunflowers and it clicked immediately. That started this big snowball effect and became my muse. I needed to be the Tender Trans Cowboy.

Is there anything specifically about vaquero culture you try to highlight in your work?

During the pandemic and presenting male in the workplace, my Mexican male coworkers embraced me with open arms while women were suddenly hostile. It was a shock from what I grew up with. My uncles rarely showed affection, never cried, were never tender, would never express their feelings. Toxic Maschismo has prevented men from having communities for so long. My theme is to embrace that tenderness that is desperately needed here. It’s what irritated me when some people tried to pick apart the wording for the back of my costume. No, I chose tender first. I want it to be known that masculine presenting people can be tender.

When you search up “vaquero men’s clothing,” “cowboy clothing,” “Mexican men's clothing,” it’s always muted. Why aren’t we more colorful? Men and masculine folks deserve to be more expressive, so a lot of [making the costume] was to combat toxic masculinity. To be flamboyant and proud.

I intend to work with a lot of POC friends and not involve any white people with it. I want to show that there’s so much more of us out there that are queer and trans and trying to embrace our culture. I have so many trans masc folks who are rejected by the cis men in their family, and we have to define manliness. That’s what being trans is, finding the aspects of your gender that you didn’t grow up with. Transforming masculinity and making it your own. This outfit is the start of a series, a project highlighting the power of self representation while taking back Western culture.

Do you have any other thoughts on the lack of Latine and trans masc rep?

Social media will focus solely on the skinny conventionally attractive white people in the LGBT world. For BIPOC it’s painfully clear how much we aren’t appreciated. We want to be seen, adored, feel hot in our body. While the general public wants to erase our very existence or fetishize us. Somehow through it all we are starting to find each other. We deserve to take up the spotlight. We will survive and we will thrive.

That’s the amazing thing of [the costume] going viral. I found a lot of people and artists who I looked up to following me now. It made my day to be seen back by the people I adored. To be seen in my fullest self and recognized, acknowledged for it as amazing.

I think that’s probably why you went viral, because I remember seeing that before we connected and thinking, oh my gosh, this is the thing I’ve been wanting to see but didn’t know it. I think it’s a beautiful thing.

I’m often asked why I write, and I feel like I don’t have a good answer other than the fact that I can’t not do it, so I’m just curious how survival plays into your process for art and for costumes.

I’ve been in survival mode for so long. In college I had to drop out because of homophobia from my family. I had no systems of support anymore. I was completely alone. I’m a very social person and made a lot of friends at events. I’m an open book and people would ask me about my family, and I would mention I was cut out for being queer. So many quickly said they’re my family now. People outside the LGBT community don’t realize how common queer kids not being accepted by their family is until they meet one. I would just be open about that, I had no shame in it, because, well, I’m happy. I was so depressed when I wasn’t open and now I’m really fucking happy. I just needed help. We need community more now than ever. Having support systems in person is so fucking vital to our survival.

Thanks to my friends commissioning me for art I was able to get by. Creating is just a part of my mental health. I can’t imagine my life without it. I have an amazing support system of friends who enjoy my art and helped me survive.

What fuels your work now?

I started thinking about where I want my art to go, what I will be proud of in 10 or 20 years from now. I want to create visual novel games. I want to make art for book covers and work with trans authors. I want to do illustrations for YA books, I want to make a graphic novel. I have a lot bubbling in my mind and if you follow my socials, you’ll get to see what I’m up to.

Costumes are another extension of my art. I want to focus on the love and effort that goes into a lot of the vaquero world. I want to be able to integrate my Mexican pride into everything I do.

I’ve had a few people ask, “Oh, can I draw this outfit with this character?” I reply with I need you to understand that this is a very personal costume. This is a part of me, a celebration of who I am.

Our queer culture is there, it’s just been swept under the rug and not talked about because of homophobia and transphobia. We’ve always existed, and I hope with my work I can bring to light more history of us proudly being ourselves. I hope I can inspire other BIPOC and trans Latine folks to feel seen and loved.