For Boricuas in New York, Pride didn’t start with Stonewall. It began earlier, with the fearless, flamboyant career of Johnny Rodríguez. A proud trailblazer, Rodríguez channeled Mae West and Carmen Miranda, performed in drag in the 1940s, and later released an album whose cover featured only LGBTQ+ artists. He produced and headlined a tropical, gender-bending revue—cheered on by a star-studded crowd banging on tables with drumsticks in appreciation. From the 1960s to the ’80s, El Cotorrito (The Little Parrot) was San Juan’s fabulous open secret.