LONG BEACH, California -- Prepare yourself for a lot of 'firsts.'
Natalia Marie Melendez is the first trans woman mariachi musician. She performs with Mariachi Arcoiris de Los Angeles, the world's first openly LGBTQ+ mariachi group.
[Ads /]
"Being that I am the only transgender female in the world that plays mariachi music, it has been difficult," Melendez said. "There is definitely a machismo culture in mariachi."
Mariachi Arcoiris de Los Angeles hopes to pave the way for LGBTQ mariachi musicians.
"It's a positive moving force in the world that has to be done," Melendez said. "Not just for us, but for generations to come."
[Ads /]
Melendez and the mariachi group performed for patrons during Long Beach Pride weekend at Hotel Maya.
Mariachi Arcoiris de Los Angeles is part of Hotel Maya's "12 Months of Maya-Achis," a monthly mariachi brunch at Fuego, its onsite Latin American fusion restaurant.