Nancy Cárdenas began as a radio announcer at the age of 20 years, then became a stage actress. In the 1950s she participated in the reading program, Poesía en Voz Alta ("Poetry Out Loud"), directed by Héctor Mendoza.[1]
In the 1960s she switched to writing. She published her first one-act play, El cántaro seco (The Empty Pitcher),[3] and began a career as a journalist for various magazines and on the culture pages of various newspapers.[1]
In 1970 she worked as a theater director on El efecto de los rayos gamma sobre las caléndulas (The Effect of Gamma Rays on Marigolds), which won the Association of Theatre Critics Prize.[3][4] She directed several successful plays, displaying certain political implications. She also wrote, along with Carlos Monsiváis, a documentary film, México de mis amores, and directed it herself in 1979.[4]
From 1980 she devoted her time to writing plays and poetry. She died in Mexico City[1] on March 23, 1994, of breast cancer.[5]
Sexuality
At age 39, Cárdenas became the first publicly declared lesbian in Mexico[4] when she revealed her sexuality on the TV show 24 horas, hosted by Jacobo Zabludovsky, during an interview about the firing of a gay employee.[1][3] In the 1970s, she pioneered the gay liberation movement in Mexico, elaborating on the subject in several television interviews.
A center for gay and lesbian activities was named in her honor: the Nancy Cárdenas Latin American and Mexican Lesbian Documentation and Historical Archives Center (CDAHL).[3]
Works
Film
México de mis amores (1979) (direction and photography – director with Carlos Monsiváis)[7]
^"Human Rights and Activism in Latin America". Global Encyclopedia of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) History. Vol. 2. Charles Scribner's Sons. 2019.
