In honor of cinco de mayo, here’s a heartwarming story of women who dare to play mariachi music in Los Angeles. Though, we will defer to our more Latino readers to verify that these are, in fact, mariachis. And women. Because, you know, we’re too White to know.

“My teacher told me I couldn’t play guitarrón because it was too heavy and that it would bother my stomach and if I ever planned to have kids in the future … some really bullshit excuse,” Carmen Hernandez says in the documentary Compañeras.

We like Carmen because she knows how to throw a curse around. That and sleeping with a lot of women will prove that she’s just as capable as any male musician.

“When you look at the trumpet and the guitarrón, those are male instruments right there. You’re not encouraged to learn those when you’re just coming up,” her bandmate Karla Tovar agrees.

We thought male instruments were the remote control and the hand lotion. But, once again, we’re too White too know so read about mariachis and women and L.A. from someone who’s actually seen all those things in real life here.

The Queens [Los Angeles City Beat]