AB Soto Invites Denver Queers to Be “Gayer, Prouder, Outer”

AB Soto is crushing hard on Harvey Milk. You might remember his sequins and feathers from 2015’s Mr Soto, an album that reveled in camp and whose music video “Cha Cha Bitch” explored  iconic Mexican and Mexican American looks from vaquero to charro to Aztec.

Visibility, Part 1, AB’s latest album, which dropped in late May, is still rooted in Latino experience and Spanish language (“Desnudate” may literally have you taking off your clothes on the dance floor), but the album’s also informed by a strong dose of gay liberation. “Every gay person must come out,” Milk demands in the opening track, and his speeches are threaded throughout, mixed in with a dance beat.

Why is the fierce, playful, East-LA-born performer drawn to the first openly gay political leader?  “Growing up, I didn’t have any role models on TV or around me,” AB explained.

“As I came out and owned my queerness, I started researching gay history. I was always fascinated with the Castro era, Harvey Milk, the Cockettes, the AIDS epidemic. Harvey Milk was one of the first people that I connected with. I felt that he was for the people, that he was a hero to me.”

And AB’s call for visibility seems all the more relevant now. The sparkles from Obergefell v. Hodges seem to have dimmed as states chip away at civil liberties, proposing 131 anti-LGBT laws in 2017 alone. “It’s almost kinda scary,” AB Soto noted, “that some of the speeches that Harvey gave are the same speeches that could be given right now. Homophobia is reversing. It’s no time to get comfortable.”

“We’re a little bit more on TV, a little bit more in society, but are we becoming more visible, or are people more comfortable? We need to be gayer, prouder, outer. Put your phones down, go out to the clubs, go out to Pride.”

In fact, Denverites will have the chance to be “gayer, prouder, outer” on Sunday, June 17, when AB Soto performs at PrideFest, his first appearance in the Mile High City. OUT FRONT spoke with him more about his new album, his muses, his politics, and his upcoming show.

If you were stranded with queer heroes on a deserted island, who would you pick?

In a perfect world, I would probably pick Harvey Milk, Pedro Zamora, Tom of Finland, Sylvester, Leigh Bowery—artists from the past whom I could sit down with and pick their brain and whom I could just dance with.

What looks can Denver expect from you at Pridefest?

They can expect ALL the looks. There’s a lot of costume changes. It’s going to be a full set. I’ll be doing all my hits and some new music. It’ll be a good show.

Who are the songs on Visibility, Part 1 for?

It’s for the gay community, and it has something for everyone. A lot of older people will appreciate and identify with the Harvey Milk threads. The Latin community will definitely embrace it. I make music that feels authentic to me. I think that when you do stuff that you love, other people are bound to love it.

Your albums engage with Latino experience. How do queer identities and Latino identities intersect for you?

What I like to do with my music is go into these genres of music that aren’t as gay-accepting. My first album was rap, which I grew up with. My second album was more experimental, club kid, playing around with femininity and pronouns. The last album — Mr. Soto — was me going home and going back to my Latin roots, having a voice within the Latin community, in Latin house, waking up the stereotypes and machismo within Latin culture.

Within the gay Latino community, there’s a lot of discrimination. Even gay brothers and sisters are discriminating against each other. “I’m gay and Latino, but I’m not femme.” What is this about?  That’s machismo residue, which is the next fight. Ok, now we’re out and proud, we’re Latino and proud, but machismo needs to be tackled, and the stereotype of what a gay Latino should look like is the next topic.

Some people have the courage to say “I’m gay,” but not that “I’m femme.” Maybe they’ll see me owning my gayness and my Latinidad and that will inspire them.

What was your first encounter with a queer album or artist?

I don’t remember having a queer artist experience. I do, however, remember listening to a lot of house music. One album that comes to mind is Dlite’s Dew Drops in the Garden. Although I think they were straight, they were open in terms of music.

Growing up in East LA, I was always fascinated with fashion and art. It always called me. I remember buying their album and thinking “What is this?” I didn’t even know how to categorize it at that time. The fashion was so fierce, and their sound was everywhere. That was the first musical experience that affected me.

Why is queer visibility important now?

How is it not important? Whether it’s celebrating your queerness, Latinidad, whatever it is — come out. Speak your truth. I can’t speak that for each individual. Live your truth; live in your truth. As long as you’re being authentic, the rest will follow.

What do you hope people will take from Visibility, Part 1?

People need to remember the fight we started a long time ago and hear these words again. I don’t like to be to preachy about things. But I like to get people thinking.

Someone out there needs encouragement. Maybe you need to come out to your parents. Maybe you need to be reminded to hope. Maybe you need to go out and march. Maybe you need to come out as a gay artist. Maybe it will help you want to know more about Harvey Milk and open a book. It’s just a way of planting a seed.

That, and I love a good dance beat. I’m a dancer. I love music. I wanted to put together a batch of music that inspires you and make you have fun on the dance floor.