Party Crews in da House!
A look at LA's QV party crew scene and
why so many young people are rushing to join them.
by qvStaff Roldán
 Most young QV and straight Latinos who live
in Southern California are familiar with party crews. These are
groups of young men and women who get together to throw backyard
house parties, socialize, and have fun in an environment free
from the violence associated with gangs.
In the beginning, party
crews consisted of mainly straight members. However, in the last
five years over a dozen "QV" party crews, bearing
names like the 69 Boyz, the Rascals, the Loc's, and the Hood
Ratz, have sprung up in the Los Angeles area. These young QV
men and lesbians are now throwing their own parties, known in
the QV scene as "T-parties," which attract many younger
QV and bisexual Latinos-some as young as 15 years old.
According to its members,
QV party crews provide a unique opportunity for young people,
especially those who may be struggling with their sexual orientation,
to meet others and develop a support network.
"Where else are young
people going to go to feel accepted?" asks Henry Rodriguez
(aka Glitterboy), who is the head of the Piel Morenas party crew.
"There aren't many clubs or places where you can find a
large group of young QV people socializing and having fun. We
live in a city where there are a lot of QV people, but not everyone
gets the chance to hang out together."
"All of us know how
it is when you first come out-it's hard," explains Frank,
one of the heads of the Hood Ratz party crew. "It's easier
when you have friends who are supportive. Party crews provide
an environment for QV people to come in and feel accepted."
Joseph Garcia (aka Trajic),
who is the head of the crew 4U2NV, says, "We consider (party
crews) support for anyone who is just barely coming out. We try
to give them the support that we didn't have."
Crews usually start as
small circles of QV friends that simply grow into a party crew.
Later on, individuals seeking to join a crew usually approach
their favorite crew and ask to join. Each crew varies in its
induction practices. Frankie says that for the Hood Ratz, "We
put them in front of the entire crew and we ask them a series
questions about what they can do for us and why they want to
be in our crew." If all the current members approve, the
new person is allowed to join.
Generally speaking, individuals
who join party crews are people who are looking for things to
do while at the same time making themselves known in the Latino "scene."
Smiley, a member of the
Hood Ratz, explains, "Everyone knows who I am because I'm
in the Hood Ratz. People recognize me. I'll be driving and people
will say hi. Being exposed to the party crew life has helped
me out a lot-to be out and to be known."
Some crew members are students,
either in high school or college. Glitterboy says his Piel Morenas
members are all either in college or they're working and that
they mainly just want to hang out with people similar to themselves,
and at the same time, escape from their studies-similar to what
fraternities offer college students.
Hood Ratz leader Frankie
boasts, "We have members ranging from a law officer, to
a nurse, to a manager."
 On
the whole, crews have quite a diverse membership. The Hood Ratz,
for example, not only have Latino GLBT members, they also have
members of other races and even straight members!
Hood Ratz co-leader Mario explains, "At first, you had to
be QV or bisexual, but later my brother got in and he's straight.
That was the first straight guy."
Mario's brother is 20-year-old
Richard, one of the Hood Ratz' few straight male members. He
joined about a year ago. He says, "I'm here to support my
brother. I party with them, we have fun together, and they have
never done me wrong. We have a lot of respect for each other."
Tennia (aka Princess) was
the Hood Ratz' first female member. The 22-year-old bisexual
Latina first got involved because her cousins were in it. Today,
she says, "They are like my first family. They take care
of me and they help me out. I look at them as my brothers. I've
got 30 little brothers!"
Princess takes pride in
being part of such a diverse group. "I don't think it's
right for people to put other people down for what they are-color,
race, QV, lesbian or whatever. I don't like it when I see people
hurting them or talking bad to them. I stand up. I'm like one
of the guys."
Though primarily Latino,
the Hood Ratz also has a few African-American members. Woody,
age 19, was the first black Hood Rat. Woody says, "They
(the Hood Ratz) were all my friends, and I thought I might as
well join them. I kick it with them every day. I go to their
houses. I know all their parents and stuff."
Ziggy, another African-American
member, says he joined the Hood Ratz because, "I thought
it would be good for me. I think the Hood Ratz have a lot of
respect in the scene. Plus, they needed a black guy in the crew,
too! (laughs)"
More than just a party.
Though parties are what
QV party crews primarily do, they also do other things. The
Hood Ratz' Frank says, "We did a Thanksgiving dinner two
years ago. We also rented a restaurant with a dancefloor for
a Christmas dinner. We went to QV night at Knott's Berry Farm
and we paid for all the members. The money that we make from
our parties is for all of us."
Frank also says that crew
members are there for each other. "If one of my friends
gets kicked out of their house, I'll let them stay at my house
or get them a ride if they don't have a car," he says.
A Bad Rap?
But not everyone has a
positive view of the party crews. Critics claim that underage
drinking, drugs, unsafe sex, and violence surround the crews.
Crew leaders disagree.
Frank says that though fights do break out at parties from time
to time, seriously violent crimes are practically unheard of
as most of the crews co-exist peacefully.
And when it comes to unsafe
sex, all crew organizers take the issue seriously. Glitterboy
says, "I associate with Jovenes in Action (a Los Angeles-area
HIV education program geared towards Latino youth). Every
time I throw a party, I talk to them and they bring out a bunch
of condoms and little brochures for their organization. Johnny
Lambrose (aka Snoopy), head of Kuruption, adds that his crew
also provides condoms for everybody at the parties.
But what about when it
comes to the issue of drug use and underage drinking. 4U2NV's
Trajic reasons, "That goes on anywhere. You can't stop that."
Hood Ratz leader Frank
explains, "If I see my friends doing something they shouldn't
be doing, of course, I'll let them know. I'll look at them and
tell them, 'Hey, slow down.' But if they keep on doing it, there's
only so much I can do for a person."
The Leaders of Tomorrow
For every crew head, leadership
is the single most important skill that must be in place in order
for his crew to survive. Crew reputations and longevities are
often determined by the leadership talents possessed by the crew's
head.
"If you want your
crew to stick, you have to put a good example forth," says
Frank. "No one is going to look at a crew that causes drama
all the time. Every crew has a reputation. Some of them are good
and some are bad."
When crew members cause
problems with other crews, the responsibility of fixing the problem
falls on the leader.
"(As a leader) you
have to make the decision about whether you are going to try
to fix this person or if you are going to end him," says
Frank. "You have to talk to the person and tell him you
can't let him set an example like that."
Mr. Playboy adds, "If
someone does something wrong in the crew, then (other crews)
will look at the main head to see if he's taking care of it and
to see what he's doing about it."
The crew leader himself
must also set good examples because his actions can set the tone
for the entire crew.
"It's really hard
when they look up to you," admits Frank. "Most of them
listen to everything you say. If I do something wrong and one
of them sees it, then he'll do it. He'll turn around and tell
me, 'Well, you did it!'"
Despite the heavy responsibilities,
crew leaders enjoy the challenge of leading their respective
crews. Young new leaders like 17-year-old Mr. Playboy of Bisexual's
Finest find themselves learning a great deal about leadership.
He says, "To me, I am learning to be more responsible and
to be a leader. I'm trying to help people that are younger in
the QV scene."
"You learn so much,"
adds 4U2NV's Trajic. "Not just about throwing parties and
having fun-but knowledge in life. If you're going to be a leader,
it's not about getting drunk. You have to be ready and you have
to have a plan."
Overall, for the leaders
of the party crews, the main objective is to create what could
easily be classified as a family. Frank concludes, "A lot
of my members have been friends for years. I look up to many
of them more than I do my own family. A lot of people's families
don't understand what we're going through. Coming out of the
closet can be one of the worst feeling in your whole life. There
are a lot of kids that commit suicide because they don't know
what to do. That's what a lot of crews are trying to show: that
you can be yourself and be QV. There's no problem with it."
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