The Gran Varones is a legacy project that uses video and photography to tell the stories of Latino & Afro-Latino Gay, Queer and Trans men. Our stories shine light on what being “out” and “proud” means to us, our families, and our communities.
Since there really was no highlight for me in the #VPdebate, I thought I would instead share this tweet from Grindr in response to the discussion on immigration.
Instead of pointing to trauma caused by deportation, the US policies in Latin America and the rest of the world that contribute to migration, or the ways that anti-immigrant rhetoric contributes to the continued exploitation of LGBT immigrants, the (assumedly) white gay man who runs the grindr twitter account is worried about where he is going to get his next booty call if Trump deports undocumented immigrants.
Don’t be fooled into believing they see us as part of their community. For many white gay men, we are only as good as our dick size and asses. The sooner we realize that the sooner we can stop striving for their approval and create our own spaces where we support and love one another.
And if you are white gay man who rejects this type of racial fetishization, then this post isn’t about you. But I am going to need you to call out this racist BS when you come across it in the gay community. Otherwise, this post is about you.
“Once again the government has made it perfectly clear that the country’s immigrant communities are being used to play political games by politicians. Once again they have fed us the same old "hope and change” mess only to take it out from underneath us at the last minute and nonchalantly pass on the responsibility to somebody else.
At this time we cannot allow them to frame the Supreme Court’s 4-4 decision on DACA+/DAPA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans) as solely a “political” topic, this is and always has been a human rights issue that is affecting 11 Million people in this country. We are 11 Million people who for years have had to live in fear as our own government terrorizes our communities. Peace and safety have been taken away from us at the hands of a rogue ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) that continues to tear apart our families, going as far as picking up young people on their way to and from school.
Obama and his administration had the opportunity to let their humanity lead and allow our country’s immigrant communities to live in peace, instead he has chosen to go down in History as the country’s Deporter in Chief. His response to the failure of the supreme court was a cowardly one at best, instead of taking action and using the power he has he chose to pass this on to the next administration.
Para mi familia, be ready! There will be many out there who will use this as political leverage for the upcoming elections. Speaking of our lives as nothing more than a political talking point. Do not let them! Our community is a sleeping giant and it is time for us to wake up and take to the streets. If they think that the immigrant community has been vocal and visible before, they have not seen anything yet.
Let them know we are tired of being used as pawns, Let them know we are tired of their games, Let them know we are tired of being terrorized!“
in 1997, i found myself
at my first philly pride event when a tall handsome and bearded white
man approached me with a pen and clipboard. i remember rolling my eyes; i didn’t
want to sign another petition for some cause that did not directly impact my
life as teen. i was polite though and entertained him by letting him give me
his spiel about gay marriage, which is what it was called in the 90’s. when he
was done, i immediately responded with, “well, i don’t believe in
marriage”. he didn’t flinch. he nodded his head and replied, “well do
you believe in choice?” i paused then signed the petition. of course i
believe in choice, i did then i do now. it was that one interaction however
that would challenge me to explore my thoughts and beliefs about marriage. it
was that moment, with that handsome, bearded white man i asked myself, were my
beliefs independently mine or those influenced by systematic homophobia?
growing up no one ever directly told me i would never be
“allowed” to get married. i assumed by just existing and breathing that the
kind of love i dreamt about could only be expressed through sharing monthly
utility bills and other such grown up type responsibilities. i unconsciously
surrendered to that notion. loving myself and loving another brown man was
political enough for me and my mother, who up until her last breath, taught me,
told me and reminded me that my kind of love always mattered. so marriage was not something i reached for.
twenty years later, on june 26th, 2015, the
supreme court of the united states of america ruled that i now have the right
to marry. this is a historically huge
step forward for the community i have identified with since childhood.
this is worth celebrating and we should, i will, i am. young queer kids can now
grow up dreaming of expressing their love and commitment to other queers the
same way my straight peers can. no longer will law stop this life altering
expression of love. this ruling will
serve as yet another reminder of our existence in this society. how we love and
who we love matters because we are citizens of this country and deserve equal
rights.
as i celebrate this historic ruling, and I DO because it now provides my son an other youth with new possibilities of what love can do. however, i caution myself with
the words of gran varòn orlando gonzalez, “… if we have money to paint rainbows
on cross walks, then we can certainly find money to house queer youth who sleep
on those crosswalks.” i would add, “the will”, to house all the black and brown
queer youth who sleep on those crosswalks. the mainstream lgbtq civil rights
community must do more with regards to lgbtq communities who continue to be
crushed by systematic oppression. some of us do not have the luxury of
celebrating this historic moment because they are being held in immigrant
detention centers. some of us are not celebrating because we’re worrying about
we’re to sleep on the night of such a monumental decision by the supreme court
of the united states of america; and some of us will never be welcomed to
celebratory parties because of the shade of their skin and/or their gender
expression.
all those who worked so tirelessly for a chance at being
recognized by our government through the institution of marriage must now prove
black lives matter, trans lives matter, poz lives matter, all lgbtq lives matter.
we have not reached the end of the rainbow, not yet, but it still shines, stands and glimmers with hope.
on friday, april 17, 2015, gran varones creator louie a. ortiz was invited to speak at a press conference at city hall about the exclusion of latino lgbtq immigrants in the presidential immigration relief action. here is his speech:
My name is Louie A. Ortiz, creator of the Gran Varones, a multi-media project that shines light on Latino queer communities. Like many other Latino LGBTQ people in our communities, I am a parent. I am the sole provider for my son. I do not have complete legal custody of my child and someone in my shoes could be separated from their family if we are not included in the protection DACA and DAPA provides. While this presidential action will provide relief for members in our community, many will be excluded.
This Presidential action is only a first step. Any immigration benefit derived from the “traditional” idea of family, leaves out many LGBTQ people in our community whose families are frequently not recognized under the law. Policies are needed to recognize families similar to mine.
These kinds of exclusions continue to leave LGBTQ people at risk of being detained in jails that are incredibly unsafe and inhumane, particularly for transgender women who continue to be detained with men. LGBTQ Latinos are mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters and leaders in our communities. It is our commitment to advocate for wide-ranging policies that ensure that everyone is included in this protection so that families similar to mine are not torn apart. #Not1Mo
On Friday, July 11 Miguel and Vamos Juntos lead a pro-immigrant rally and march in Philadelphia. Immigration impacts #GranVarones too. For more information or to support the Latino immigration movement visit vamosjuntos.org.
