the author macheando at D'Planet in Guadalajara

If you are a queer woman, go to Guadalajara!!! And if you want to party it up at GDL’s only “macha” bar, go to D’Planet Bar! After being in 8 Mexican cities over a period of 4 months, I observed more queer women out and proud in GDL than anywhere else. D’Planet recently opened in early 2010 and everyone needs to support it to keep it around. The owner is named Marlou and she is friendly, accomodating and all around awesome! My girlfriend and I were staying in GDL for the month of February (10′) and we had some friends from Brooklyn, NY visit us. The four of us were so psyched to go to a dyke bar together in Mexico. We walked into D’Planet on a Thursday night and were immediately greeted and HUGGED by the bi-lingual owner, Marlou.

Now, that’s a warm welcome! We told her we were looking for food around the neighborhood but couldn’t find any and preferred to eat something before we started drinking. She told us not to worry and that she would find us food. She took our vegetarian orders and ran to the nearest restaurant and brought us all back dinner! We couldn’t believe the hospitality around here! We had a blast dancing, hanging out and playing pool.

Marlou said the most happening nights are usually Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Of course everyone is welcome here but the main clientele are queer women. And I am sure you have figured out what the bar is named after, so for an added bonus, you can take your picture in front of the huge L Word poster by the pool table!

Check out D’Planet online at www.gaygdl.com for more pics and events at the bar.

D’Planet;  Bélgica #643 on the corner of Niños Héroes in Colonia Americana, Guadalajara

It was an unmarked black door at 502 Díaz. That’s what they call it, Club 502 but there is no name outside (it’s right across from La Resistencia).

I celebrated my 31st birthday there and I had a blast (I was drunk and so happy to be around gay people that nothing else really mattered at the moment). The club is your standard gay dance club with 90′s decor, lights and smoke, cheesy dance music, lots of drunk dancing, sketchy bathrooms, and strong drinks. The cocktails are cheap and mojito’s are delicious.

The downsides to the club are two major ones….1.it’s about 90% men (we were really missing the machas!) and 2. apparently no “transvestism” is allowed (we saw this on a sign in the bar).

Note from Macha Mexico: Shame on club 502 for its apparently transphobic policy! We would love to hear from readers about other bars in the city of Oaxaca, especially those that are inclusive of all members of our community. Please email if you want to write reviews of other clubs!

Lesbian March*

For about four years (as I can recall)  this march has been celebrated as an alternative to the larger Gay Pride march in June that some consider more a carnival than a political protest. The motos of this march organized entirely by women are “Say no to the marketing of sexual diversity”; “Stop violent acts of the church, schools, medical science, family and political parties against women’s bodies”; “Stop feminicide all over the country”; “Against obligatory heterosexuality”, and “Stop total subordination of women in the world”.

In the past years, this march has been criticized because of the organizers’ reluctance to allow men’s participation–notwithstanding their political affiliation or good intentions. Apparently, this year things will change since men will be allowed to walk, although behind the main group.

Lesbian March,  from Zócalo to Monumento a la Revolución, 4 pm. If you want more information click here.

Chick’s Party

Never been there, but it advertises itself as “the best party for girls”. It offers an aerial dance show, go-go dancers, and a comfortable area to smoke and “make friends”. Karaoke from 7 to 9 pm and a couple of DJ’s will be playing the rest of the night. If you think this is not enough they also have valet parking….! My guess is that the scene would be similar to that of Lipstck, but you’ll have to find out.

Chick’s Party, Av. Chapultepec 456, near metro Sevilla. Cover: 80 pesos.

Rock Femenino

If you are looking for a more relaxed experience Foro Alicia is a great option. For more than ten years this legendary venue has been known as one of the few spaces in Mexico City where new groups of all musical genres can reach a quite diverse audience: rock, hip-hop, ska, rockabilly, cumbia, surf… you name it. This time, Los Leopardos (rockabilly), Black Violettes (rock) and famous Ultrasonicas will be playing. The last group features Ali Gua Gua, who also sings with our loved Kumbia Queers. This is definitely a great opportunity to dive within the alternative music scene of DF.

Rock Femenino, Multiforo Alicia, Av. Cuauhtémoc 91-A, Col. Roma, Tel. 55112100, Cover: 70 pesos.

*Thanks Catron for sharing this info with us.

The Clit Party is back again, with DJ May Crown spinning playful and sexy techno for the ladies to dance to this Thursday in the Condesa.

The party offers itself as an alternative to Lipstick, but caters to a similar crowd: twenty and thirty-somethings, middle class, femme-of-center. Being in the Condesa, however, expect a slightly more hipster vibe than at Lipstick. I’m sure electronic music aficionados can identify with much greater accuracy the sub-genres of techno that May Crown spins, but I’ll just describe it as pure ponchis-ponchis, the onomatopoeic descriptor used frequently in Mexico to describe any electronic dance beat.

Perhaps the best way to capture the feel of this scene is to leave you with the following footage from a recent Clit Party that the promoters published on youtube:

Clit Party: Electro Pop Love; Thursday, January 21st, 9pm; Nuevo Leon 67, Colonia Condesa

El Imperial; 293 Álvaro Obregón, at the corner of Oaxaca; Colonia Condesa

Burlesquimeras attack again. This time, they will celebrate their second anniversary at a little venue in Colonia Condesa. This burlesque group was created a couple of years ago as the result of the first neo-burlesque workshop that performer Old Ma Femme taught during the summer of 2007. If you’ve been following the sexy troupe since then, you will get to see some of the founders of the group–as well as fresh new dancers with interesting ideas. And, if you are curious about Mexican queer burlesque, this is the right place to be.

Viva Burlesque! Segundo Aniversario de Burlesquimeras, August 29th, 2009, I Love Myself, Saltillo 134, Col. Condesa, Chilpancingo metrobus and subway stations.

Photo: Emilio Rapp

A year ago, three guys decided to open a bar for queer people who wanted to have fun, chill out, and dance to all kind of music in a place where the decoration would be inspired by the purest quirky pink.  What the three guys had in mind regarding the location was Centro Histórico, a neighborhood that has evolved over the last ten years from being an abandoned, dark, poor area of Mexico City to a lively, buzzling, welcoming place for youngsters–both on night and day.

Ironically, the opening of the Salón Marrakech took place during a series of raids in the Zona Rosa in order to control drugs and teenagers drinking inside bars. These were the times when the local government issued the controversial smoke ban in bars and restaurants, as well as the use of the alcoholímetro trying to control the nightlife in the Distrito Federal. And yet, twelve months later, the now famous Marrakech has proved to be part of a shifting nightlife in Mexico City where young people look for places where having a good time is a priority.

Next Thursday, Salón Marrakech will be celebrating its first anniversary with the motto “no cover and a lot of fun”. No wonder, that this will be best time to celebrate the night in the gayest street of the Centro Histórico.  I am sure that the party will last all night, and even someone will suggest an after party.

Salón Marrakech First Anniversary , República de Cuba no. 18, (a block from Eje Central), Col. Centro. No cover.

So, if you’re looking for a fun party tonight, swing by the Marrakech and wish Islanida happy birthday. Tell her Macha Mexico sent you!

Marrakech Salon; Republica de Cuba 18 (between Eje Central and Bolivar), Centro Historico; from 8pm until late; free entrance.

Then, tomorrow night, if you are not too exhausted from tonight’s festivities, head over to Dada X for a tribute to the Cramps. This legendary psychobilly band unexpectedly lost it’s lead singer this past February, the straight-but-campy Lux Interior. Tonight’s tribute celebrates both the music and the sexuality that made the Cramps notorious, featuring the music of Carroñeros and a show by Mexico City’s own burlesque troop, Burlesquimeras.

Dada X; Bolívar 31, 2do. piso, Centro Histórico, from 9 pm, until late; 30 pesos.

One of my favorite lesbian venues in Mexico City, Cabaretito VIP, has reopened after a long closure, bring back their lesbian night on Thursdays for us machas. Cabaretito VIP holds a special place in my heart; it was the location of the first dyke party I went to in Mexico City and was the home of Second Annual Festival Lesbico in November of 2006, my first broad exposure to the growing DF lesbian culture.

Caberetito VIP was closed for over a year, one of the many clubs in Tito Vasconcelos’ “Cabaretito” chain to end up with a CLAUSURADO sticker posted across the door. Walking down Londres, in the heart of the Zona Rosa, it was sad to walk by the gated patio in front of the club, the hedges the ran from the street to the club dry and dead from neglect. In the walk-way, which two years before was filled with festival-goers and tables from local GLBT organizations, was dark and littered with garbage thrown in from the street. With such contrasting memories of the place, I’m pleased to report that VIP has reopened. My sources tell me there have been parties there since mid-March.

The crowd at “Jueves Lesbico” at VIP is one of the few placed in Mexico City where I’ve seen a more visible butch/femme culture, although it certainly doesn’t dominate the space, which hosts a mix of women of all gender expressions. There are passing-butches, their go-go dancing high femme girlfriends, and plenty of young women with jeans, ponytails, and baseball caps. The crowd is generally younger and more middle/working-class than the ladies at Lipstick, with a little less snobbery and a few more bar fights too. Watch out if you dance with someone’s girlfriend by accident; these machas don’t fuck around!

Cover is free and the space reflects a low-cost decor. The music is a mix of faggy house music, remixed English and Spanish pop hits, and occasional grupero songs sprinkled in. Beers are cheap, but other drinks are small and disproportionately expensive. Expect a crowded dance floor on a good night, lots of young tipsy women, and no toilet paper in the bathroom. I recommend Caberetito VIP as a low-pressure place to go people watching or dancing with a group of friends.

Tonight, promoter Martha Cuevas has brought in aerial dancer Draco Art and is billing the event as a circus themed night. I saw this female aerial dancer perform at the Festival Lesbico and recommend checking her out as she flips and spins suspended above a crowd of spellbound machas.

Cabaretito VIP; Londres 104, Zona Rosa, Insurgentes Metro and Metrobus station. No cover.