Mariachi music is one of Mexico’s most beloved forms of music. It’s also among the most traditional. After coming out as a gay man, Carlos Samaniego found that he was not welcome in many Mariachi groups. So he decided to buck tradition and form his own-Mariachi Arcoiris de Los Angeles, the world’s first LGBTQ Mariachi group. “I decided to create Mariachi Arcoiris so that other musicians like myself, within the LGBTQ community, can come together and perform Mariachi music in a safe place,” said Carlos Samaniego, founder of Mariachi Arcoiris.