Why is it that, as a culture, we are more comfortable seeing two men holding guns than holding hands? -Ernest J. Gaines

I don’t know if the 5th annual Out in the Tropics festival (June 25th – 29th) answers this question, but its existence underscores a steady shift going on in our culture. We are (slowly) moving beyond tolerance toward full acceptance of the GLBTQ community. Same-sex marriage is now legal in 19 states, and more than half of those states legalized same-sex marriage within the last two years.

“Out in the Tropics.”

Presented by FUNDarte, Out in the Tropics is a performance festival that embraces “some of today’s most innovative and relevant GLBTQ artists.” The 2014 festival features Sean Dorsey Dance, Juan Carlos Lerida, as well as other free events, such as a bilingual poetry reading by Carlos Pintado and myself, which may (or may not) involve wigs and hula-hoops.

On Wednesday, June 25th at 6 p.m., join Carlos Pintado and me for our bilingual ‘interactive’ poetry reading and cocktail party at the fabulous Miami Beach Botanical Garden. Come casual. Come ready to celebrate. RSVP for this event at [email protected].

Next up: “Uncovered: The Diary Project” by Sean Dorsey Dance. The performance, taking place Friday, June 27 at 8:30 p.m. at The Colony Theater, is an excavation of powerful storytelling through dance. Dorsey’s work elegantly reveals and thus humanizes the lives of the GLBTQ community through a series of dances crafted around personal stories.

“Uncovered: The Diary Project.”

On Saturday June 28th at 8:30 p.m. and Sunday June 29th at 7 p.m. at the On.Stage Black Box theater at Miami Dade County Auditorium, choreographer, dancer and flamenco scholar Juan Carlos Lerida comes direct from Seville, Spain with “ToCaBa.” This provocative performance blurs the line between masculine and feminine while breaking the sacred bonds and tradition of flamenco.

Join FUNDarte for five days of performances, readings, workshops and panels by local, national and international artists. Preview the entire schedule here–and attend!