A Spanish matador in Madrid has decided to advertise a soft drink called “Gay Up” on his cape, breaking a “sacred tradition,” according to the Associated Press. Joselito Ortega plans to have the name of the “club-scene energy beverage” embroidered onto his cape.
In Spain, matadors are viewed as the ultimate masculine figure. With Ortega endorsing merchandise that is targeting gay men, he definitely has people talking. “I am a bullfighter. That is not going to change. I am going to go out into the ring as I have done until now, to risk my life, and the seven gorging wounds on my body prove it,” Ortega said. “If the gay community welcomes me as an image or symbol, that is fine.”
Jose Maria Terron, the president of the company who created “Gay Up,” and Ortega feel that advertising the energy drink would be a good way to “shake up bullfighting,” which they described as “steeped in male bravado,” according to the AP.
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