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Local LGBTIQ+ community leader Carlos Plascencia migrated to Puerto Vallarta, finding not only opportunities but a city that fully embraced him and presented the perfect chance to give back.
Carlos, the Head of Sexual Diversity for the Puerto Vallarta City Council, now oversees a key public organization vital to the development, visibility, and well-being of the diverse community. His journey has been challenging, but is now yielding significant personal satisfaction.
Carlos Plascencia: From Entrepreneurship to Activism Through Connection
For the 35-year-old, a native of Guadalajara, the drive and resilience that have propelled him to succeed and seek a better life are deeply rooted in an economically challenging childhood and adolescence. This background also cultivated in him a profound empathy for the problems of others and a strong motivation to help the community.
Carlos has been working since the age of 15. He holds a degree in Communication Sciences from Universidad Enrique Díaz de León. Naturally outgoing and social, he secured his first media opportunity as a radio host for the sustainability program “Piensa Verde” on the ABK station. However, he didn’t arrive in Puerto Vallarta until he was 24, when a Guadalajara businessman offered him the general manager position for the local branch of the then-popular restaurant, Vancouver Wings Marina Vallarta.
“I had never even visited Vallarta on vacation before moving here, but it always intrigued me,” he confesses. “Like many things in my life, I had no idea how to be a manager, but I taught myself through tutorials. I’m very self-taught. I focused on delivering the best service, which quickly led me to manage all the restaurant’s branches in the area and eventually open my own business.”
His move to Puerto Vallarta was also a path of self-discovery and acceptance regarding his sexual orientation. Coming from a more conservative society where stigmas, stereotypes, and misconceptions about the gay community were frequent, he found much greater openness in the port, encountering diversity in all its colors.
Currently, in his role as an entrepreneur, Plascencia owns the bars Aloha and Shupi Shots, both located in Puerto Vallarta’s Romantic Zone. This business network, combined with his extroverted personality, allowed him to connect with numerous local business owners, politicians, activists, and members of the diverse community. These connections made him an ideal candidate to take over the City Council’s Office of Sexual Diversity following the resignation of his predecessor, Héctor “Teto” Betancourt, who stepped down citing health reasons in October 2025.
“This office is only one year old, so it’s still an evolving project,” he explains. “My first action was to call for a working group because I want to involve not just the diverse population but every person who wishes to work for this cause. I want to champion the vital role our community plays—contributing 40% of the city’s wealth—while addressing its main needs, which include security, health, education, and opportunities.”
Along with his team, Livier Rico and Anayancin Castro, Plascencia maintains an open-door policy at the office, located in Lázaro Cárdenas Park in the Romantic Zone, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Together, they provide direct support to the diverse population and connect them with authorities and professionals who can assist them with issues affecting their full life development.
Other projects Carlos has been involved in include the Vallarta Gay Pride, where he served as Public Relations Director from 2022 to 2025. Some of his key achievements were securing the participation of artist Rocío Banquells, who performed at the 2023 edition, as well as the popular group JNS, who headlined the Block Party in the 2025 edition.
“My focus was on increasing the visibility of the event, our community, and Puerto Vallarta through these recognized artists. Our Pride is the most international in Mexico and enjoys global exposure. I would like everyone to realize our importance; we are a global reference, and for this reason, the government cannot minimize our needs,” he concluded.
Carlos Plascencia has also been an active member of the Vallarta Diversity Network (Red Diversidad Vallarta) and the Diversity Council (Cabildo de la Diversidad), spaces for activism and civic participation, respectively, dedicated to promoting inclusion and equality for the LGBTIQ+ community.
This story is from the Winter 2026 issue of Out & About PV. Check out the complete print edition here.
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