Latina trans women are celebrating the quinceañeras they've always dreamed of

A right of passage for Latina girls has become one for transgender Latina women as well, though (in some cases) this rite occurs decades later than for their cisgender sisters.

Quinceañeras, the traditional celebrations marking the coming of age of young Latin American women at 15, are gaining popularity with transgender women who missed out on the party as teenagers.

A group of six ‌trans women in their 40s and 50s, originally from Latin America, celebrated the ritual in Houston during May, at an event sponsored by the Organización Latina de Trans en Texas, a group promoting rights for LGBTQ+ people, Reuters reports.

The women dressed to impress — in the frilly and fluffy layered gowns that always mark the occasion — and navigated the room with ease in high heels that their younger counterparts may not have mastered yet.

Kassandra Rivas, 51, said ‍celebrating her quinceañera in her native state of Coahuila (on Mexico’s northern border with Texas) would have been completely alien in the culturally conservative area.

Coming out with the ritual as a woman decades later was a moment years in the making, she said.

“Something inside me held a longing to experience this moment as a girl, as a 15-year-old,” Rivas said. “I imagined myself standing before the priest in church, wearing a dress like any other woman.”

“I never thought I’d get to my 50s,” ‌said Vickymar Castrellon, who was presented in Houston with Rivas.

Castrellon said that as a teenager she’d dress up in her friends’ quinceañera gowns and dream of being the girl of honor.

“It’s a dream I’ve always had,” she said. “And I feel very happy because achieving it before I leave this world is something very beautiful for me.”

The retro celebrations aren’t just happening in the United States.

Also in May, an all-ages group of trans women gathered at a church in Mexico City’s historic distrito central to celebrate the same ritual. Mexico’s capital is an LGBTQ+ bastion in the mostly conservative country, and the first place to legalize same-sex marriage before the right was granted nationally in 2022.

“Blessed and visible!🏳️‍⚧️” read the caption on a TikTok story documenting the occasion.

“This is how a historic mass was experienced for trans women who never had their party.”

@dequemehablas_cc ¡Bendecidas y visibles! 🏳️‍⚧️ Así se vivió una misa histórica para mujeres trans que nunca tuvieron su fiesta. #trans #misa #mexico #mujer #quinceañera #fyp #viralvideos ♬ Airplane Mode – EliemiDabs

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Originally published here.