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Younger generations, in particular, are driving this change. The work isn’t finished, but with growing visibility, support networks, and cultural shifts, the future is brighter and more inclusive than before. Activist groups and organizations like GALEO are working to fill this gap by centering the intersectional needs of queer Latinos.

The Trevor Project reports that 16% of Latinx LGBTQ+ youth attempted suicide in 2023, nearly a third higher than other LGBTQ+ youth. Yet within this space, many queer Latinos have found strength, community, and powerful ways to create change. Por si fuera poco, la COVID-19 ha exacerbado las diferentes crisis sanitaria, económica y social en nuestros países, en un contexto de emergencia climática.

Ante este panorama de violación a los derechos humanos básicos, los hombres gay, bisexuales, trans y hombres que tienen sexo con otros hombres (HSH) latinoamericanos nos unimos para fomar GayLatino, una red de activistas que busca crear una cultura de apoyo para que hombres gays, bisexuales y trans de Abya Yala sus familias y comunidades podamos lograr sociedades más justas e igualitarias orientadas al buen vivir.

Los activistas gays de América Latina y el Caribe unimos fuerzas

GayLatino nace en el 2015, en Brasil, cuando 60 activistas de países como Argentina, Bolivia, Brasil, Chile, Colombia, Estados Unidos, Guatemala, México, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Perú y Uruguay levantaron su voz con un propósito colectivo: contribuir a la historia del movimiento regional LGBTI+ para promover la garantía plena de los derechos humanos, incluyendo además la atención al VIH, la conquista del matrimonio igualitario y de todos los derechos para todas las personas.

Por medio de esta unión, y con la mirada puesta en la realidad que padece la comunidad en sus respectivos países, se fueron enriqueciendo las diferentes miradas y liderazgos humanos sin dejar de lado el derecho pleno al placer y al cuidado.

Author

Michelle Gonzalez

Michelle González is a writer with over 7 years of experience working on topics such as lifestyle, culture, digital, and more – just a Latina who loves cats, good books, and contributing to important conversations about her community.

Empowering Gay Latinos in New York City and Beyond: Building a Thriving and Inclusive Community.

Beyond Labels, Beyond Limits

Our Mission

The Gay Latino Collective (GLC) is a social and professional group working to build a flourishing community of gay Latinos to grow our networks, leverage our resources, and strengthen our collective power to build community, develop leadership, and support young Latinx students.

Our Vision

A world where Gay Latinos thrive in every aspect of their lives, empowered by a strong and interconnected national community that celebrates their unique cultural heritage, fosters professional success, and amplifies their collective voice for social justice.

More Than Just a Label, We're a Familia: Find Your Home at the GLC

These rates are even higher among trans and nonbinary youth, who face additional challenges navigating gendered language, social expectations, and limited representation.

These spaces provide a sense of home, offer mental health and legal support, and amplify voices that too often go unheard in both queer and Latino spheres.

Progress, Cultural Shifts, and the Importance of Representation

While challenges remain, the cultural landscape is shifting. El GRJ está compuesto en su amplia mayoría por jóvenes gay Latinos y otros activistas por la defensa de la salud y los derechos humanos en sus respectivas subregiones de América Latina y el Caribe, basados en el fuerte apoyo de nuestros miembros para llevar a cabo las metas establecidas en nuestro Plan Estratégico GayLatino 2017-2021.

Objetivos

  • Posicionar las demandas relacionadas con la salud y los derechos humanos de HSH a nivel mundial
  • roporcionar un foro para una mayor colaboración y apoyo a los defensores que trabajan en temas relacionados con la salud de HSH y derechos humanos
  • Fortalecer los esfuerzos de la programación existente de HSH y proporcionar apoyo a estos esfuerzos cuando sea apropiado
  • Apoyar y facilitar un compromiso más amplio entre las redes de HSH y los defensores de los jóvenes a nivel regional y mundial
  • Apoyar las asociaciones entre jóvenes y adultos y los diálogos intergeneracionales a nivel nacional, regional y mundial.
  • Servir como un punto de comunicación primordial para los miembros del GRJ y el secretariado de GayLatino

Actividades (campañas, iniciativas, las actividades que vamos a desarrollar en estos meses)

El GRJ asesora y coordina el trabajo de GayLatino en materia de juventudes, la defensa de la autonomía de los jóvenes gay Latinos dentro de la respuesta regional y global al VIH mediante el desarrollo de habilidades, trabajo en redes de colaboración y la participación activa en los procesos de toma de decisiones que afectan a jóvenes gays, bisexuales y otros.

Algunas actividades ya realizadas:

Participación en:

  • Civil Society Hearing - United Nation Headquarters.

Latino Queerness: Navigating Identity, Family, and a Changing Culture

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Being queer and Latino is a layered experience, involving culture and resilience, but also stigma and silence. For queer youth, these values can become both a source of comfort and conflict.

LGBTQ+ Latino youth are more likely to experience depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation compared to their non-Latino peers.

Red GayLatino

Red por la igualdad de derechos

¿Qué es GayLatino?

Durante siglos el patriarcado, el machismo, el colonialismo y el racismo han vulnerado a los hombres gays, bisexuales y trans "latinos".

That silence, even when well-intended, can be isolating and harmful.

Racism and Intersectionality

Outside the Latino community, queer Latinos face another challenge: racism. When communities remain silent about queerness, the message often received is that being LGBTQ+ is something to hide, fix, or fear.

2022 polling from Axios shows that a growing number of Latinos, especially U.S.-born youth, support LGBTQ+ rights and are comfortable around queer individuals. A 2023 Trevor Project report showed that “60% of Latinx LGBTQ young people reported that someone tried to convince them to change their sexual orientation or gender identity, with 39% indicating that this pressure came from a parent or caregiver.”

Stigma and Mental Health

The weight of cultural expectations and silence can have serious consequences.

Family ties are deep, but so is the fear of rejection.

gay latinos

Within broader LGBTQ+ spaces, where whiteness is often centered, Latinos can feel marginalized, stereotyped, or invisible. Here’s a closer look at what queerness looks like in the Latino community: its challenges, cultural shifts, and the path forward.

Growing Up Queer and Latino: Complex Challenges

In many Latino households, values like familismo (the idea that family comes first) and traditional gender roles shape everything from how children are raised to how adulthood is defined.

From drag performers like Valentina and activists like Bamby Salcedo to trailblazing queer Latinas in media and politics, visibility is increasing, and it’s changing minds. New York, 2016

  • Campaña regional por el Dia de la salud sexual, 2017
  • Encuentro Regional GayLatino, Rosario 2017
  • Planificación estratégica GRJ, Asunción 2018
  • Conferencia Mundial de SIDA, Amsterdam 2018
  • Conferencia Internacional sobre ciencia en VIH, México 2019
  • Campamento “Juventudes Ya!”, organizado por UNFPA LAC - México 2019

    • Actividades a realizar:

    Diagnóstico regional sobre las necesidades principales y percepciones de jovenes gay, bisexuales y HSH sobre el contexto social y político.

    Every queer Latino who comes out, finds community, advocates for change, or simply chooses to live authentically is helping redefine what it means to be both queer and Latino. For many, this has meant building their own spaces through grassroots organizations, cultural centers, and online communities where they don’t have to choose between their ethnic and queer identities.

    This creates a complicated dynamic where queer Latinos may not feel fully seen or supported in either community. A 2019 report from the Trevor Project showed that “LGBTQ youth who report having at least one accepting adult were 40% less likely to report a suicide attempt.” Families that once struggled with acceptance are learning, sometimes through education, sometimes through love, that affirming a child’s identity doesn’t mean rejecting tradition.