A pansexual bullfighter? Hardly surprising.

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Spain’s LGBT matador: 'More will come out because of me'

Spain's first openly LGBT matador believes more bullfighters will come out, after revealing he is pansexual.

"There have always been gay people in bullfighting, but they didn't say anything," says Mario Alcalde.

I meet the 31-year-old on a remote farm near the Portuguese border, where he is having a practice session for one of Spain's most notable, and notorious, traditions.

Dressed in a small black waistcoat and skin-tight grey trousers, he looks every inch the bullfighter.

But Mario Alcalde also works full-time as a baggage handler at Madrid-Barajas Airport and lives with his family. Bullfighting only pays big bucks for an elite few.

He's now embracing a boost to his profile after telling Spanish newspaper El Mundo he is pansexual - someone who is attracted to another, regardless of their sex or gender.

It was a spontaneous decision to come out, he says. Not even his family knew.

"The idea came to me… artists are very spontaneous. It came from my heart."

The matador as an artist is an established idea within the bullfighting community. Supporters see events as a noble contest where man is pitted against beast.

But this is a blood sport, banned in most countries. It has even been outlawed in parts of Spain.

Its fierce critics, of which there are many, say it's a cruel, prolonged and sadistic spectacle in which a bull typically has no chance of survival.

It's a cultural segment of old Spain, where flamboyance meets machismo, and associated far more with Spanish conservatism than the contemporary gay scene.

"I thought there was going to be a feeling against it but people are accepting it and in the best way possible," says Mario.

He puts the fact that he's Spain's first out LGBT matador down to perceptions that bullfighters came "from the countryside" rather than "more globalised" cities.

Now he hopes to establish a "Peña", or meeting place, for supporters of bullfighting in the heart of Madrid's LGBT+ community of Chueca.

"Perfect!" says Antonio in the Chueca's main square, right by a metro sign decorated with the LGBT rainbow flag.

"I'm glad he has come out. This will take the 'machos', as we call them, down a peg or two."

Married couple Juan and Juan are also pleased to hear that a matador has come out, but don't quite see eye to eye on the broader issue.

"I've been to the bulls as a kid and I like it and I know what the event means," says Juan.

His husband is less of a fan. "I'm not saying they can't set up a bullfighting gay place, I just don't think it fits the area. The whole bullfighting thing is very conservative."

His views are echoed by a table of younger LGBT+ people who are far less forgiving of a tradition that has dwindled in popularity.

"The issue with bullfighting is that we confuse an animal and lead it to death in a tragic way," says Maria. "Bullfighting is sustained because it's a tradition. If this idea were new, I doubt it would be approved."

Alongside her, Fran sees something of a contradiction in being a bullfighting supporter as well as being part of the LGBT community, although ultimately "everyone is free to have their own beliefs".

Bullfighting audience numbers have been in decline for decades

Despite an an uptick after the Covid pandemic, notably driven by younger people, Spanish culture ministry statistics show that just under 2% of the population went to a bullfight in the 2021-2022 season.

Mario Alcalde strongly resists the suggestion that his passion is increasingly irrelevant and out of step with modern sensibilities.

"There is no decline," he says, adding: "Society's sensibilities do not fit the reality of life."

"Wanting to cover up death is wanting to cover up everything. In order to truly live you have to know that you are going to die."

For today's training, Mario faces a young cow as he holds a pink cape and weaves around the ring before sometimes running to get behind a walled barrier for safety.

The animals today aren't killed but they are injured by a man on horseback who uses what appears to be a type of pike pole.

By the end of the session Mario's trousers are stained by blood that is not his own.

Despite repeated challenges about the inherent violence towards animals that bullfighting involves, he's defiant to the last.

"If I had to live another life, I wouldn't mind being a brave bull and dying like a brave bull."

It's a staunch, traditional defence of an activity that Mario Alcalde now aims to modernise and diversify, while opponents hope it is a fading shadow of Spain's past - regardless of a matador's sexuality.

Source: BBC News 

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Comments

Sir Joseph said…
Hi Graham,

I didn´t know what pansexual means. I have never heard about it. It seems that pansexual is “someone who is attracted to another, regardless of his sex o gender”, according to this article what quotes the Mundo. I look it up in the dictionary (RAE) and I can see that is “someone who feels sexual attraction to anyone and object”. It surprises me, because could be someone there who feels sexual attraction to a stone, for instance. Then, my brain is not able to understand it.

For the BBC News it is “hardly surprising”, but I don´t know why, although I suppose that it is because he is bullfighter. They said that “It´s a cultural segment of old Spain, where flamboyance meets machismo, and associated far more with Spanish conservatism”, but I remind the BBC that Spain (old and conservatism too) recognized
Collective LGBT+ several years before United Kingdom and other countries of the EU. It´s possible that Spain was the first country or one of the first countries that did the first steps to recognize LGTB+.

See you.
Saturday, 16 March, 2024
Graham said…
Hello José,

The BBC's headline is: Spain’s LGBT matador: 'More will come out because of me'. I give the titles to every post. I chose "A pansexual bullfighter? Hardly surprising?". It's hilarious how bullfighters see themselves as macho types. Most of them have camp mannerisms and they speak with an effeminate voice. And on top of that, they all wear colourful tights - just like those macho ballet dancers.

Bisexuals and even pansexuals exist but many men prefer to use these terms instead of homosexual. Mario said of coming out: "The idea came to me… artists are very spontaneous. It came from my heart." Just like they see themselves as manly, bullfighters dare to call themselves artists. How pathetic! Maybe Mario would earn a better living as a comedian. He has discovered that he won't reach the top of his profession so he thinks that by (half) coming out, he'll make a fortune.

I am glad that you are proud of the fact that Spain was among the first countries to legalise same-sex marriage - thanks to the government of Zapatero. Rajoy opposed the new law and the PP went to the Constitutional Court to try to repeal it. Civil partnerships for same-sex couples in the UK were legalised in 2005. It was David Cameron's Conservative government which legislated for gay marriage.


I didn't know what pansexual meant. I had never heard of it. It seems that pansexual is “someone who is attracted to another, regardless of their sex or gender”, according to this article which quotes the Mundo. I looked it up in the dictionary (RAE) and I can see that is “someone who feels sexual attraction to anyone or any object”. It surprises me that someone could feel sexual attraction to a stone, for instance. My brain is not able to understand this.

For the BBC News it is “hardly surprising”, but I don´t know why, although I suppose that it is because he is bullfighter. They said that “It´s a cultural segment of old Spain, where flamboyance meets machismo, and associated far more with Spanish conservatism”, but I remind the BBC that Spain (old and conservatism too) recognized
Collective LGBT+ several years before United Kingdom and other countries of the EU. It´s possible that Spain was the first country or one of the first countries that did the first steps to recognize LGTB+.


Saturday, 30 March, 2024
Graham said…
Woops! I didn't correct the last paragraph.

For the BBC News it is “hardly surprising”, but I don´t know why, although I suppose that it is because he is bullfighter. They said that “It´s a cultural segment of old Spain, where flamboyance meets machismo, and associated far more with Spanish conservatism”, but I remind the BBC that Spain (old and conservatism too) recognised LGBT+ rights several years before the United Kingdom and other countries of the EU. It is possible that Spain was the first country or one of the first countries that took the first steps to allow gay marriage.
Saturday, 30 March, 2024
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