EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — The El Paso Museum of History hosted the seventh annual Family Day: Pride on Saturday, June 6.
Guests in attendance were able to find several resources and tablings from different organizations such as Centre Future, the Borderland Rainbow Center, El Paso Public Health, El Paso Sun City Pride and more.
Family Day: Pride partnered with the following Queer-owned vendors for guests to shop from:
Dos Gatitos VintageLast SupperLos Tres CochinitosOfen and TassenPrint Meikiando
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The celebration’s main attraction was the debut of a new pop-up exhibit that spotlighted the historic Noa Noa, a Juarez-based bar and nightclub that operated from the 1960s until 2004.
Quetzaly Segovia, museum curator at the El Paso Museum of History, explained the significance of Noa Noa during its time.
“The bar was known historically as a space where a lot of queer individuals sought refuge at a time when being gay or queer wasn’t really accepted by society,” Segovia said.
Mexican Singer-songwriter Juan Gabriel would often perform at the Noa Noa, leading to its popularity. Gabriel even went on to release a song titled “El Noa Noa,” bringing more attention to the nightclub in the 80s.
The exhibit showcases a collection of photos that were obtained by the El Paso Museum of History from private lender David Wilton.
“The photos were actually taken by an individual named Don Ward,” Segovia said. “What is interesting is he actually gave the photos to David Wilton, who then allowed us to have these on display. So everything that is on display happens to come from both of them.”
The photographer of the photos on display, Don Ward, owned one of El Paso’s early gay bars himself. The establishment was called the Diamond Lil Club, and it offered refuge for members of the LGBTQ+ community, similarly to the Noa Noa.
Segovia emphasized the significance of remembering the history of queer individuals, a mission the El Paso Museum of History carries out through its annual Family Day: Pride.
“It is important to highlight this history because it is something that has existed forever. This is not something new that only just came about recently,” Segovia said. “It’s important for us to showcase that here within the museum to allow people to see themselves within these spaces and to be able to talk about the importance of queer history within the borderland.”
The El Paso Museum of History has free admission and is open Wednesday through Sunday. The Noa Noa exhibit will be available for viewing from June through July. For more information, visit epmuseumofhistory.org.
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