Preciosa Night: How Eden and Jay Treviño created a refuge for the queer Latinx community

 Pop-up dance party Preciosa Night always has lines that extend out the front door and down the street. The popular queer Latinx "perreo" was co-created by wives Eden and Jay Treviño after the couple recognized the need for a space specifically tailored to queer women and Latinx communities.

Preciosa events often showcase local talent, including drag performers and burlesque dancers. Most recently they took over the main stage at LA Pride for a two-hour set which included performances by Johnny Gentleman, Leandra Rose, King Phantom, Mariachi Arcoiris, QueerChata and others. Audience members were visibly excited to be part of the larger Preciosa family, as their popularity has increased over the years.

Although Preciosa Night is rooted in Los Angeles, the impact has transcended the local community. In recent years the dance party has toured to places like San Diego, Oakland, New York City, San Francisco and even Miami. 

Since the launch of Preciosa Night in 2022, it has amassed almost 13,000 followers on Instagram in addition to the 153,000 followers on Eden and Jay’s relationship page (@edenxjay). The success of Preciosa can partly be attributed to the trust community members have built for the couple, who are a cherished example of a healthy and loving queer femme relationship. 

Despite living highly publicized lives, Eden and Jay make it a point to hold moments of private intimacy amongst themselves. In December of 2020, they decided to exchange vows in secret and eloped. Their small ceremony included only a photographer to capture the special moment. They later went on to celebrate their nuptials in July 2023 with family and friends at a wedding ceremony in Oaxaca, Mexico, where same-sex marriage has only been legal since October 2019.

Outside of the brand they’ve built together, Eden and Jay remain just as passionate about each other in person. Jay, a tomboy extrovert, exudes a vibrant energy and is brimming with excitement and big ideas. She possesses an outgoing nature and is seemingly eager to embrace new adventures. Conversely, Eden’s disposition is noticeably calm, composed and marked by a thoughtful approach and meticulous attention to detail. Their respective qualities complement each other effectively, making them a formidable team.

According to the duo, they knew from the start of their relationship that they wanted to create something special together. Jay, who describes herself as a “dreamer,” was the one who originally pitched the idea of Preciosa to Eden. Even when they were first shopping the idea around to other party promoters, Jay said that they were discouraged from making it a "Latino"-specific queer event. They were told, "Don't make it a Latin event, it will never do well."

Eden mentioned that, despite being cautious, she loves Jay's passion for big projects. She finds joy in the challenge of turning ideas into reality and believes in encouraging her partner to dream. Eden stated, "I love putting puzzle pieces together."

The first official Preciosa Night took place on May 21, 2022, at Bar Franca, located near downtown Los Angeles. The couple was unsure about the expected number of attendees, so they chose to hold the free event during the weekend of Eden’s birthday in hopes that more people would attend.

“I wasn't sure what the night was going to look like,” said Jay, “all I knew was I wanted performers and I wanted great music. Those were the key elements.” 

Although they had advertised Preciosa Night on TikTok with relative success, it was still being determined whether the views would translate to attendees. At 9 p.m., right as the event started, Jay and Eden were shocked to discover that there was a line wrapped around the block. The bar was so packed that night that the drag performers were forced to dance on the bar during their set. 

After the success of the initial event, Eden and Jay hit the ground running. It was not all glitz and glamor as the first year was a huge learning curve for them. One of the main reasons many queer BIPOC-led parties fail to take off is the unsustainable cost of running recurring events. 

“There's so much money that goes into running an event that people don’t necessarily think about,” said Jay. “There’s a charge to use the bar, a minimum we have to reach every single night, and ticket cancellations you have to deal with.” 

The couple said that they fronted a lot of the costs of Preciosa from their savings for the first several months, even with the relative success in attendance. Instead of crumbling under the pressure, Eden and Jay leaned into the lessons and tribulations. 

“We learned a lot the first year, for sure. We made mistakes,” said Eden, “but as long as we have the data to learn from it, we won’t make the same mistake twice.”

For Jay, there was a lot of personal motivation in wanting Preciosa to be a success. Growing up she was heavily influenced by the queer nightlife culture in Los Angeles but longed for a space that catered to queer people of color and lesbians like herself.

She recalls frequenting a now-shuttered gay club, Arena Ktown, which hosted special nights for queer youth aged sixteen and above. The experiences and connections formed in that inclusive space played a pivotal role in laying the groundwork for the concept that eventually inspired the creation of Preciosa Night. 

During her teenage years, Jay struggled to conceal her lesbian identity from her conservative Catholic mother. Jay inadvertently outed herself during a family gathering where her mother was making homophobic remarks towards another family member.

“I had a cousin who was also gay,” said Jay of the incident, “I just ended up outing myself, because I felt like I couldn't sit there and watch someone get called all these horrible names and not say anything.” 

Jay’s brave intentions cost her; the next day her mother put her on a plane and sent her to Guatemala to live with her father. She was instructed not to return until she was "straight." 

Despite her mother's attempts, Jay's identity as a lesbian remained unchanged. Her time in Guatemala allowed her to reflect and made her appreciate LGBTQIA+ spaces where she could be herself without any conditions. Instead, these challenging moments began planting seeds for what would later become the inspiration for Preciosa Night.

Eden, on the other hand, didn't “come out” until later in life. She stated that growing up in San Jose, she didn't have many examples of queerness. "I didn't have a lot of gay family or friends, at least not that were out or open," she said. "It was just a very straight world that I didn't realize I was living in."

It was during a breakup with a college boyfriend that Eden began to reconcile with her bisexuality. In the aftermath of the split, Eden reached out to a gay classmate who she was friends with at the time and crashed on her futon. Heartbroken and confused, Eden recalls that an episode of the “L Word” was playing in the background.

She mentioned that at the time, she had no idea what the show was, but she saw a scene where one of the characters, Carmen, was dancing naked in the kitchen. It was one of the first times she had ever seen a depiction of a queer Latina in the media, and she immediately became obsessed with the show. After her friend left for the class she stayed at the apartment and binged through every season that was available on DVD at the time. 

“It just clicked for me,” said Eden, “It was hard to envision the iPhone before it was invented, right? But once you know what something looks like it becomes possible.”

While “coming out” has been distinctly different for Eden and Jay, their journeys encapsulate the importance of representation for queer Latinos and the space that Preciosa Night creates. The couple has openly shared their experiences of meeting numerous individuals who have personally approached them to express how Preciosa Night has significantly impacted their lives, particularly for those who remain closeted, by choice or otherwise. 

In regions where anti-LGBTQ laws are prevalent, such as Texas and Florida, celebrating queer identity takes on a profound significance. In those places Preciosa Night becomes a crucial space of sanctuary that can potentially be life-saving for queer Latinx individuals. This responsibility is not taken lightly by Jay and Eden who recognize the importance of this celebration.

Even as the couple manage other personal aspects of their life, such as their IVF journey and searching for a new home, they continue to expand Preciosa Night. The purpose of Preciosa Night has evolved beyond simply hosting parties. It now involves the thoughtful curation of a secure and supportive environment for queer Latinos and other LGBTQIA+ individuals of color. 

“This is bigger than us,” said Jay.