Queer Brown Voices : Personal Narratives of Latina/o LGBT Activism

In The Last Three Decades Of The Twentieth Century, Lgbt Latinas/os Faced Several Forms Of Discrimination. The Greater Latino Community Did Not Often Accept Sexual Minorities, And The Mainstream Lgbt Movement Expected Everyone, Regardless Of Their Ethnic And Racial Background, To Adhere To A Specific Set Of Priorities So As To Accommodate A “unified” Agenda. To Disrupt The Cycle Of Sexism, Racism, And Homophobia That They Experienced, Lgbt Latinas/os Organized Themselves On Local, State, And National Levels, Forming Communities In Which They Could Fight For Equal Rights While Simultaneously Staying True To Both Their Ethnic And Sexual Identities. Yet Histories Of Lgbt Activism In The 1970s, 1980s, And 1990s Often Reduce The Role That Latinas/os Played, Resulting In Misinformation, Or Ignore Their Work Entirely, Erasing Them From History. Queer Brown Voices Is The First Book Published To Counter This Trend, Documenting The Efforts Of Some Of These Lgbt Latina/o Activists. Comprising Essays And Oral History Interviews That Present The Experiences Of Fourteen Activists Across The United States And In Puerto Rico, The Book Offers A New Perspective On The History Of Lgbt Mobilization And Activism. The Activists Discuss Subjects That Shed Light Not Only On The Organizations They Helped To Create And Operate, But Also On Their Broad-ranging Experiences Of Being Racialized And Discriminated Against, Fighting For Access To Health Care During The Hiv/aids Epidemic, And Struggling For Awareness.--page 4 Of Cover. Brown Writing Queer : A Composite Of Latina/o Lgbt Activism / Salvador Vidal-ortiz -- Dancing At The Crossroads : Mulata, Mestiza, Macha, Mujer / Luz Guerra -- We Are A Part Of The History Of Texas That You Must Not Exclude! / Dennis Medina -- From The Closet To Lgbt Radio Host In Dallas / Jesús Cháirez -- An East L.a. Warrior Who Bridged The Latina/o And The Gay Worlds / Laura M. Esquivel -- A South Texas Activist In Washington, D.c., Houston, And San Antonio / Brad Veloz -- The Boy In Fear Who Became A Latino/a Lgbt Advocate In Philadelphia / David Acosta -- No Te Rajes : Don't Back Down! Daring To Be Out And Visible / Letitia Gomez -- Creating Spaces To Break The Circle Of Silence And Denial / Mona Noriega -- The Queer Roots Of The Esperanza Peace And Justice Center In San Antonio, Texas / Gloria A. Ramirez -- Latinas/os And The Aids Treatment Advocacy Movement / Moisés Agosto-rosario -- We Must Preserve Our Latina/o Lgbt History / José Gutiérrez -- All The Identities On The Table : Power, Feminism, And Lgbt Activism In Puerto Rico / Olga Orraca Paredes -- Visibility, Inclusivity, And The Fight For Lgbt Rights In New England / Wilfred W. Labiosa -- Finding A Home In Transgender Activism In San Francisco / Aleda Vázquez -- Conclusion / Uriel Quesada. Edited By Uriel Quesada, Letitia Gomez, And Salvador Vidal-ortiz. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. In the last three decades of the twentieth century, LGBT Latinas/os faced several forms of discrimination. The greater Latino community did not often accept sexual minoriteies, and the mainstream LGBT movement expected everyone, regardless of their ethnic and racial background, to adhere to a specific set of priorities so as to accommodate a "unified" agenda. To disrupt the cycle of sexism, racism, and homophobia that they experienced, LGBT Latinas/os organized themselves on local, state, and national levels, forming communities in which they could fight for equal rights while simultaneously staying true to both their ethnic and sexual identities. Yet histories of LGBT activism in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s often reduce the role that Latinas/os played, resulting in misinformation, or ignore their work entirely, erasing them from history. Queer Brown Voices is the first book published to counter this trend, documenting the efforts of some of these LGBT Latina/o activists. Comprising essays and oral history interviews that present the experiences of fourteen activists across the United States and in Puerto Rico, the book offers a new perspective on the history of LGBT mobilization and activism. The activists discuss subjects that shed light not only on the organizations they helped to create and operate but also on their broad-ranging experiences of being racialized and discriminated against, fighting for access to health care during the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and struggling for awareness. Book jacket Preface by Letitia GomezAcknowledgmentsIntroduction. Brown Writing Queer: A Composite of Latina/o LGBT Activism, by Salvador Vidal-OrtizLuz Guerra. Dancing at the Crossroads: Mulata, Mestiza, Macha, MujerDennis Medina. We Are a Part of the History of Texas That You Must Not Exclude!Jesus Chairez. From the Closet to LGBT Radio Host in DallasLaura M. Esquivel. An East L.A. Warrior Who Bridged the Latina/o and the Gay WorldsBrad Veloz. A South Texas Activist in Washington, D.C., Houston, and San AntonioDavid Acosta. The Boy in Fear Who Became a Latino/a LGBT Advocate in PhiladelphiaLetitia Gomez. No te rajes-Don't Back Down! Daring to Be Out and VisibleMona Noriega. Creating Spaces to Break the Circle of Silence and DenialGloria A. Ramirez. The Queer Roots of the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center in San Antonio, TexasMoises Agosto-Rosario. Latinas/os and the AIDS Treatment Advocacy MovementJose Gutierrez. We Must Preserve Our Latina/o LGBT HistoryOlga Orraca Paredes. All the Identities on the Table: Power, Feminism, and LGBT Activism in Puerto RicoWilfred W. Labiosa. Visibility, Inclusivity, and the Fight for LGBT Rights in New EnglandAdela Vasquez. Finding a Home in Transgender Activism in San FranciscoConclusion by Uriel QuesadaIndex "These narratives are powerful expressions of the experiences of lesbians, gay men, and trans activists from a variety of Latina/o communities. This history exists nowhere else." (Marcia M. Gallo, Assistant Professor of History, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and author of Different Daughters: A History of the Daughters of Bilitis and the Rise of the Lesbian Rights Movement) "Essays chronicling the experiences of fourteen Latina/o LGBT activists present a new perspective on the hitherto-marginalized history of their work in the last three decades of the twentieth century."--Publisher's description