Pablo Montero’s Brother, Javier, Is Out, Proud And Has Mad Makeup Skillz

Pablo Montero’s brother, Javier, is speaking candidly about being a queer, gay man who loves dressing up like a ladyperson. 

Javier, now 42, says he first knew he was gay when he was around 10 years old, but felt uncomfortable about it until he met other gay people in college. He began dressing in wigs and women’s clothing around age 14, and says he felt (rightly so, we’re guessing) repressed by the machista culture in which he grew up, so he always kept this particular proclivity hidden. He recalls sneaking into the bathroom with makeup borrowed from his aunts. He thought, at the time, that he was the only person who had ever felt compelled to do this until he met like-minded people who hopefully introduced him to MAC and got his situation sorted out. 

Javier said coming out to his family was difficult, and that his parents and siblings refused to accept that he was gay at first, telling him he was sick and that his feelings were shameful. He says they’ve since come around and are generally respectful and supportive. 

When asked by TVnotas if he’s ever considered getting breast implants, Javier seemed vaguely horrified and explained that he’s happy being a man and merely dresses like a woman as a form of artistic expression - not because he would like to be one. 

Interestingly, he says that, while he’s one been intimate with a woman once, he is attracted to feminine beauty and doesn’t discount the possibility that he might someday want to have a child with a woman who accepts and understands him. We’re not totally sure how well this possibility flied with Javier’s boyfriend of one year, whom he plans on marrying by year’s end. 

Anyway: Hey! We’re glad a Spanish-language tabloid presented a queer person’s story and life experiences in a forthright manner.

We’ve often spoken about the lack of visible (and well-known) GLBT Latinos, so we’re glad that Javier feels comfortable sharing his story and putting a (well made-up) face to an experience many may find threatening or mysterious. 

We also kind of love that were like, hey! He sort of looks like his sister:

While we’re glad that Javier is proud and open, it would also be nice for other Latino gay men who aren’t necessarily femme to also step and share their stories. Whither the Latino bears? The suburban gay dads? The post-op trans people with happy families? Come on out. We have cookies!

Soy orgullosamente gay [TVnotas, print version]