The iconic LGBTQ+ bookstore Somos Voces, the largest LGBTQ+ bookstore in Mexico and Latin America, is celebrating Pride month in style after eight months of inactivity and an arduous battle to overcome the crisis sowed by COVID-19.

"For an independent bookstore to be closed for eight months is almost a declaration of final closure, of disappearance and extinction, in Mexico City eight bookstores have closed, some of them old bookstores, others [were] independent bookstores similar to Somos Voces," said Ernesto Reséndiz, one of the managers.

The store features novels, poetry, children's stories, gender studies, social sciences and queer literature, full of gay, lesbian and trans voices, and iconic figures of Mexican LGBTQ+ culture, such as Salvador Novo, Nancy Cárdenas and Luis Zapata stand out.

The space is a bookstore, but also functions as a café and cultural forum, where events such as book presentations, film screenings, and hold book club meetings are also hosted.

"It is the largest in Latin America because it is the one that has been maintained for 12 years of intensive and hard work, and it is also a space that, because of the titles it offers and the physical dimensions, in size it is the largest."

For Somos Voces, the celebration of Pride Month has meant a return to activities: a reading by gay poet Orlando Mondragón with mezcal, a screening of films about HIV, and a stand-up comedy show.

The space has established itself as a reference point for the LGBTQ+ community during the pandemic, as they acted against structural discrimination during confinement and the lack of safe places for recreation.

It hosts activist groups that promote diversity in different areas, such as Opción Bisexual and Divu AC. Those who run the space, as well as those who come to it for different reasons, hope that the return to activity will allow them to stay afloat and recover from this difficult season.