Francisco X. Alarcón is one of the few openly gay Chicano poets, yet his poetry is not centered only on his gay experience but takes in similarly important vital issues such as his ethnicity and his views on femininity and equal rights. He understands that his sexual preference is marginal both in the Anglo and Chicano worlds:

I am
a nomad
in a country
of settlers
a drop
of oil
in a glass
of water[.]

Francisco Xavier Alarcón was born in Wilmington, California, on 21 February, 1954, but during his childhood he moved back and forth to Mexico, getting his education in both countries and in both languages. This bicultural education is inherent in his work and ideology. Nevertheless, one of his earliest and most painful experiences was the double discrimination he suffered as a child, being a "Pocho" (an Americanized Mexican) and a Chicano. Despite...