WHAT IT MEANS TO BE LATINO AND QUEER

To be Latino today is to be diverse. Latinos come in different shapes, sizes, sexual orientations, colors and backgrounds, so it’s no longer feasible to maintain old stereotypes of Latinos as a whole. Today’s culture is far more accepting of these differences and has opened a brand-new dialogue as to what it means to be Latino in the 21st century.

Queer identities have always been present in Latin communities but have only been recognized up until recently. To no one’s surprise, the delay in queer inclusion within Latin communities can be attributed to deeply rooted homophobia and toxic masculinity, more formally known amongst Latinos as “Machismo” This has a lot to do with Catholic influence on Latin communities. Though ever threatening, it has left queer Latin activist undeterred. The queer and Latin community have made many strides in recent times. So, let’s take it back to where it all started.

In the summer of 1969, a series of brutal riots and demonstrations occurred. These riots were led by trans women of color against the NYPD for their vicious attacks against the LGBT community. These riots are what triggered the following Gay Rights Movements, so it begs the question… who are we to thank? Countless people, of course. No movement can be attributed to one person, as it would erase the efforts of those who have put their lives on the line for said movement. But if we are to recognize at least one person, it would most definitely be Ms. Sylvia Rivera, transgender rights activist and self-proclaimed drag queen.

She was rumored to have thrown one of the first Molotov cocktails during the riots but was this was later debunked in a 2001 interview. All gossip aside, Rivera did become a leading voice of a revolution. She continued her activism up until her death in 2002. She paved the way for many queer Latinos (queer people in general) despite having the odds stacked against her.

In modern times, being queer and being Latino still has its ups and downs. It has become more celebrated within the LBGTQ+ community, notably creating new terms to represent gender non-conforming people of Latin American descent, “Latinx”, as they call it. It is an alternate of Latino or Latina and caters to those who don’t identify with being male or female. It is a gender-neutral term, which is hard to come by in the Spanish language, being that almost all words are influenced by gender. It’s renowned.

What’s unfortunate though, is that violence against queer Latinos is still never-ending. Despite the progress made and the amount of representation queer Latinos have now, they are still heavily targeted, and it is estimated in 2014 that LGBTQ+ people are the most likely targets of hate crimes in America, vast majority of those killed were black or Latino transgender people.

Sources:

Being Latinx & LGBTQ: An Introduction

Queer, Punk And Latin: A Discussion About Sexual Identity

It Doesn’t Matter Who Threw the First Brick at Stonewall

L.G.B.T. People Are More Likely to Be Targets

of Hate Crimes Than Any Other Minority Group