Gloria Meneses (1910 – 1996) was a Uruguayan performer and activist who lived openly as travesti from 1950 until her death. Highly unusual in Latin America at the time, Meneses' life has been widely honoured in films and exhibitions.
Gloria Meneses | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1910 |
| Died | 1996 (aged 85–86) |
| Nationality | Uruguayan |
| Occupation | Performer |
| Known for | Human rights activism for the LGBT+ community |
Life
editMeneses was born in 1910. She made her social transition in 1950 and took her name from the Brazilian actress Glória Menezes.[1] Using an inheritance from an aunt to support herself, she acted in different theaters and clubs, such as Arco Iris, imitating the Argentine actress Tita Merello.[2][1] Living openly as travesti was highly unusual at the time, later earning Meneses the nickname "the mother of travestis".[3] In 1995, the Uruguayan director Aldo Garay premiered Yo, la mástremendous, where Meneses appeared with a group of other travestis from Montevideo.[4][5] Meneses died in 1996.[6]
Legacy
editIn 2010, the Montevideo Photography Center held an exhibition titled Cien años de Gloria (One Hundred Years of Glory) in tribute to their fight for the recognition of sexual diversity.[7] That same year, filmmaker Aldo Garay exhibited his work De ella La Gloria de Hércules (The Glory of Hercules), a short documentary that narrates Meneses' life, which was shown in a range of cultural spaces.[8]
In 2022, the mayor of Montevideo, Carolina Cosse, proposed renaming a street in Barrio Sur to honor Gloria Meneses, highlighting her bravery.[9][10][11][3]
In 2023, researchers Diego Sempol and Aldo Garay presented the outdoor exhibition La vida de Gloria Meneses. Memoria histórica y silencios (The Life of Gloria Meneses. Historical memory and silences) which brings together photographs of Meneses' life.[12] It is displayed in the Plaza de la Diversidad Sexual, Montevideo.[13][14]
Filmography
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "La vida de Gloria Meneses: memoria histórica y silencios". Grupo R Multimedio (in Spanish). 27 August 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
- ^ "Página/12 :: soy". www.pagina12.com.ar (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 December 2023.
- ^ a b "Calles de Montevideo: Homenaje a personalidades afrouruguayas y LGBTQ+". El Popular (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 December 2023.
- ^ "Página/12 :: soy". www.pagina12.com.ar (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 December 2023.
- ^ "Memorias de una revolución excluyente: exilio y sexopolítica en El hombre nuevo de Aldo Garay". Cine Documental (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 December 2023.
- ^ "La vida de Gloria Meneses. Memoria histórica y silencios". Centro de Fotografía de Montevideo. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
- ^ Press, U. Y. "Lanzamiento del Mes de la Diversidad". mysitename (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 December 2023.
- ^ "La Gloria de Hércules Malba". www.malba.org.ar. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
- ^ "Nombrar es reconocer". Intendencia de Montevideo. (in Spanish). 22 September 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
- ^ "¿Cuáles son las calles que Cosse quiere renombrar y a quiénes busca homenajear?". El Observador. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
- ^ "Desde la arquitectura y el urbanismo, miradas sobre el proyecto para cambiar la denominación de seis cruces céntricos". la diaria (in Spanish). 19 October 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
- ^ "Fotogalería: La vida de Gloria Meneses". Intendencia de Montevideo. (in Spanish). 24 August 2023. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
- ^ "Se inauguró la exposición "La vida de Gloria Meneses. Memoria histórica y silencios"". Portal Medios Públicos (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 December 2023.
- ^ "Montevideo es diversa". Intendencia de Montevideo. (in Spanish). 1 September 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
- ^ "Retrospectiva de Aldo Garay en la Cineteca Nac. de México". icau.mec.gub.uy. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
- ^ "El Hombre Nuevo: de niño sandinista a transexual rioplatense". La Tercera. 24 June 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
External links
edit- "La vida de Gloria Meneses. Memoria histórica y silencio" (Canal 10 Uruguay)