¡Qué Cojones!: An Exploration on Man, Borderlands, and Transcending Masculinity.

This presentation analyzes masculinity within a Latin American-Caribbean colonial context, exposing the enduring impact of historical gender norms on contemporary male identities. Analyzing colonial biases favoring male virility and the cultural legacy of the penis as a symbol of masculine honor, I argue these historical views continue to shape male behavior and expressions in Latin American-Caribbean cultures and contribute to gender violence and sexual abuse. This historical context sets the stage for employing Anzaldúa's Borderlands theoretical approach as a framework for rethinking masculinity and uncovering vulnerability and fragility as sources of male identity. Drawing from personal experience, I advocate for a new understanding of what it means to be a man transcending oppressive structures of colonialism and heteropatriarchy, paving the way for transformative religious practices. I aim to demonstrate how, within the Borderlands, men can transcend traditional conceptions of masculinity to foster unconventional and refreshing experiences with the divine