Fifteen years after being forced out of the closet, Christian Chávez is reclaiming his rightful place as a queer trailblazer.
The Mexican singer and actor, now 39, rose to fame in the mid-2000s on the Mexican telenovela Rebelde and its associated pop group RBD.
At the height of the band’s popularity in 2007, Chávez was blackmailed with photos of his secret wedding to his then-husband, who he’d married two years prior in Canada. Rather than deny the accusations, Chávez chose to come out via a letter to his friends. It was a landmark moment for LGBTQ+ representation: Chávez is regarded as one of the first high-profile Mexican celebrities to come out.
“I was the first Latin American star to talk about my sexuality even before Ricky [Martin] came out with his book,” Chávez told Queerty in a 2020 interview. “At that moment, I was not thinking about my career. I was not thinking if this is going to make it better or worse. I was in love and for me, it was about that.”
Sadly, Chávez’s career suffered in the years following his coming out. In 2008, RBD broke up, and Chavez’s work as a solo artist was being rejected by radio stations for being “gay music.” This culminated in a suicide attempt in 2013, a low point for Chávez that, luckily, he’s made a full recovery from.
“Now that I’m healed and I have so much to offer, I don’t regret everything,” Chávez recently told People. “I honestly do believe that things happen for a reason. And without that happening to me, I wouldn’t be the same. So I have this purpose now.”
That purpose has led Chávez to reignite both his acting and music careers in recent years. He’s held roles on several telenovelas, as well the Netflix series The House of Flowers and Daughter From Another Mother. Now, RBD has finally reunited after a 15-year hiatus with the release of a new single, “S.H.E.A.” The group is setting out on a sold out world tour later this year, which kicks off in El Paso, Texas on August 25.
Chávez said he’s excited to return to the group as his fully realized self now that the world is more accepting of LGBTQ+ artists.
“I’m going to be that little Christian who wanted to wear different clothing, sparkles and who wanted to be himself on stage,” he told People. “Finally, I’m going to get to be the real Christian.”
It’s a long overdue opportunity for Chávez to celebrate his true self with the band that started his career. His coming out paved the way for a generation of queer Latinx folks, and with this return to the spotlight, he’ll be able to do it all over again.
“I’m really proud to be Latino, gay, and Rebelde,” Chávez told Queerty. “RBD’s message includes no discrimination. It’s about dreaming. It’s about respect and we want to keep on sending that message to different generations for years to come. Let’s stay strong. We conquered so many things, but we still have so many others to conquer, so let’s keep working together as a community because we really need it.”
Welcome to Queerty’s Pride50. We’re celebrating the members from our community who are responsible for some of the most inspiring and extraordinary moments for LGBTQ people over the last year. See all the honorees
