LATINO PERSPECTIVE-The Los Angeles LGBT Center and the Latino Equality Alliance collaborated this month to open “Mi Centro” -- an outpost in the East LA neighborhood of Boyle Heights. This new center is located at the western edge of Boyle Heights between the LA River and the 101 freeway.
As an openly gay Latino myself and a member of the Board of Directors of Bienestar Human Services, I’ve seen up close how this type of community center provides much needed services to the Latino LGBT community. Their services are increasingly in demand.
This new “Centro” will offer sorely needed bilingual services for gay Latinos in Los Angeles’ Eastside neighborhoods, just like Bienestar Human Services is already doing in Hollywood and other parts of the city.
This is great news. Recent studies that have refuted decades’ old assumptions and assertions that Latinos are more anti-gay and less supportive of LGBT equal rights than others.
Back in 2012, Eric Rodriguez, Vice President of the NCLR, said, “Latinos, like other Americans, have come a long way in acceptance of the LGBT Community … without a doubt there is work to be done within our community to promote acceptance and tolerance.”
Well, it’s now 2015 and a lot of work has been done since then -- at least here in Los Angeles where acceptance from the LA Latino community is growing at a fast pace.
The gay community in Los Angeles is not only thriving but also spreading. It’s not just West Hollywood anymore. LGBT people are all over the city, and particularly, LGBT Latinos are finding it increasingly easier to come out to their friends and families more than ever before.
The stigma of being gay is slowly going away in the LA Latino community. A Pew Research Center poll conducted in May showed that 56% of Latinos supported same-sex marriage. In 2006, only 30% were in favor.
I believe that this is due in part to the openness that we see in all areas of LA life, such as the entertainment industry, social media, and the political scene. We now have a pool of really great visible LGBT role models in Los Angeles.
Take for example some of our local elected officials. The Los Angeles City Council has two openly gay councilmembers (Mitch O’Farrell CD13 and Mike Bonin CD11 who replaced our beloved Bill Rosendahl.) City Controller Ron Galperin is also openly gay. Having three good, openly gay local politicians adds to that visibility and growing acceptance.
{module [1177]}
Also, let’s keep in mind that since Los Angeles is a very big city with transportation problems, many community members have a hard time getting to the LGBT centers that we already have across town. This new center is a very welcome addition.
Among the groups meeting there will be the Latino Equality Alliance’s LGBTQA Youth Council, a growing group that has never had a dedicated meeting space.
Lorri L. Jean, the chief executive of the Los Angeles LGBT Center, said she hoped that having a center in Boyle Heights will embolden people to be open about their sexuality and gender identity in their own neighborhoods.
Still, local LGBT leaders say homophobia persists and the need for safe spaces for gay Latinos is great. It’s my hope that this new center will improve not only the quality of life of many LGBT Latinos in this part of our city, but that of the community at large.
(Fred Mariscal came to Los Angeles from Mexico City in 1992 to study at the University of Southern California and has been in LA ever since. He is a community leader who serves as Vice Chair of the Los Angeles Neighborhood Council Coalition and sits on the board of the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council representing Larchmont Village. He was a candidate for Los Angeles City Council in District 4. Fred writes Latino Perspective for CityWatch and can be reached at: [email protected]) Edited for CityWatch by Linda Abrams.
-cw
CityWatch
Vol 13 Issue 81
Pub: Oct 06, 2015
