Cristina E. Martinez

Last updated

Cristina E. Martinez (born November 12, 1961, in San Angelo, Texas) is a nationally recognized community activist, business owner and non-profit volunteer and the CEO of Mad Clik, Inc., a corporation in Texas. Openly lesbian, [1] she is the owner and publisher of Gay & Lesbian Rainbow Pages, [2] President of "MD Marketing & Advertising", [3] and co-owner of Rainbow Graphics, a graphic design firm whose focus is to produce effective ad campaigns that cater to and target the LGBT community.

She serves on the boards of the following organizations: UNID@S, a Latin@ GLBT non-profit national group, Houston Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, GALLO, Gay And Lesbian Latin Organization which she co-founded, Houston Black Tie Dinner, Inc., Executive and Professional Association of Houston EPAH, ICOH, Imperial Court of Houston and several other organizations in which she serves as a volunteer. She is also a member of HRC (Human Rights Campaign) as well as a Federal Club Member. [4]

In April 2008 she founded the San Antonio LGBT Chamber of Commerce [5] The success of her directory has made her a household name in Texas and many articles and stories have been written about her and her publications. Logo TV did a story about her on their show US of Ant regarding her decision to bring home and adopt a 16-year-old mixed race teen who found himself homeless after his family discovered he was gay. Her multiple businesses have received several awards from organizations and other businesses. Most of her awards are for her directories, Gay & Lesbian Rainbow Pages and for her contributions as a business and as an individual to several non-profit organizations in Texas. For 8 of her 10 years in business she has been named "Female Business Woman of the Year" by OutSmart Magazine readers in Houston, Texas. [6]

In September 2008 she was nominated by the WNBA Houston Comets and State Farm Insurance as a finalist for the Houston's Most Inspiring Hispanic Woman and won the award. In December 2008 she entered a national business competition for women called Count Me In, Make Mine a Million where she was chosen as a finalist and then as the winner.

In 2015, she created Laca Agency, where she assists people with their insurance and tax needs choosing to focus on the needs of the LGBT community. In 2016 she co-founded Brighter Future Foundation, an organization that helps smaller non-profits reach their financial goals. Currently, her focus is in helping raise funds to create Houston's LGBT Museum by doing the Timeless History gala, a yearly black-tie event where the focus is on "Preserving the past for our future". Also in 2016 she founded Latino LGBTQ Gay Pride better known as Orgullo (Pride). Tired of there being no representation of Latinos in the annual gay pride event, she decided to create an organization that will produce a yearly Festival Del Orgullo (Pride Festival) for all LGBTQ Latinos and allies in the community.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBTQ Victory Fund</span> United States political action committee

LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, commonly shortened to Victory Fund, is an American political action committee dedicated to increasing the number of out LGBTQ+ public officials in the United States. Victory Fund is the largest LGBTQ+ political action committee in the United States and one of the nation's largest non-connected PACs.

Pedro Julio Serrano is an openly gay and HIV+ human rights activist and president of Puerto Rico Para Todes, a non-profit LGBTQ+ and social justice advocacy organization founded in 2003. He is a former advisor to former New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark Viverito and to former San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz. He also served, for more than three years, as executive director of Programa Vida and Clínica Transalud of the Municipality of San Juan. He now works as Director of Public Affairs at Waves Ahead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tucson Gay Museum</span> Museum in Tucson, Arizona

The Tucson Gay Museum maintains an extensive collection of archival materials, artifacts and graphic arts relating to the history of LGBT people in the United States, with a focus on the LGBT communities of Tucson, Arizona and Phoenix, Arizona. It became a member of the Arizona LGBTQIA+ Archives in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Libraries and the LGBT community</span> Library services to the LGBT community

In the post-Stonewall era, the role of libraries in providing information and services to LGBTQ individuals has been a topic of discussion among library professionals. Libraries can often play an important role for LGBTQ individuals looking to find information about coming out, health, and family topics, as well as leisure reading. In the past 50 years, advocate organizations for LGBTQ content in libraries have emerged, and numerous theorists have discussed various aspects of LGBTQ library service including privacy concerns, programming, collection development considerations and librarian/staff education needs, as well as special services for juvenile and teen patrons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT culture in Houston</span>

Houston has a large and diverse LGBT population and is home to the 4th largest gay pride parade in the nation. Houston has the largest LGBT population of any city in the state of Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT culture in Metro Detroit</span>

The LGBT community in Metro Detroit is centered in Ferndale, Michigan, as of 2007. As of 1997, many LGBT people live in Ferndale, Pleasant Ridge, and Royal Oak. Model D stated in 2007 that there are populations of gays and lesbians in some Detroit neighborhoods such as East English Village, Indian Village, Lafayette Park, and Woodbridge and that the concentration of gay bars in Detroit is "decentralized".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT culture in New York City</span>

New York City has been described as the gay capital of the world and the central node of the LGBTQ+ sociopolitical ecosystem, and is home to one of the world's largest LGBTQ populations and the most prominent. Brian Silverman, the author of Frommer's New York City from $90 a Day, wrote the city has "one of the world's largest, loudest, and most powerful LGBT communities", and "Gay and lesbian culture is as much a part of New York's basic identity as yellow cabs, high-rise buildings, and Broadway theatre". LGBT travel guide Queer in the World states, "The fabulosity of Gay New York is unrivaled on Earth, and queer culture seeps into every corner of its five boroughs". LGBT advocate and entertainer Madonna stated metaphorically, "Anyways, not only is New York City the best place in the world because of the queer people here. Let me tell you something, if you can make it here, then you must be queer."

Throughout Dallas–Fort Worth, there is a large lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. Since 2005, DFW has constituted one of the largest LGBT communities in Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rainbow capitalism</span> Capitalist appropriation and assimilation of sexual diversity

Rainbow capitalism is the involvement of capitalism, corporatism, and consumerism in appropriating and profiting from the LGBT movement. It developed in the 20th and 21st centuries as the LGBT community became more accepted in society and developed sufficient purchasing power, known as pink money. Early rainbow capitalism was limited to gay bars and gay bathhouses, though it expanded to most industries by the early-21st century.

Chastity D. Kirven, known as C. D. Kirven is a community organizer, human rights activist, writer, artist, filmmaker, comic book creator, feminist and outspoken LGBT rights activist. Kirven spoke at the Supreme Court during the oral arguments for the Defense of Marriage Act and Proposition 8 on March 27, 2013, which was attended by over 10,000 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montrose Center</span> LGBT health organization in Houston, Texas

The Montrose Center is an LGBTQ community center located in Houston, Texas, in the United States. The organization provides an array of programs and services for the LGBTQ community, including mental and behavioral health, anti-violence services, support groups, specialized services for youth, seniors, and those living with HIV, community meeting space, and it now operates the nation's largest LGBTQ-affirming, affordable, senior living center in the nation, the Law Harrington Senior Living Center. It is a member of the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs. It is in Neartown (Montrose).

Austin, Texas has one of the most prominent and active LGBT populations in the United States. Austin was acclaimed by The Advocate in 2012 as part of its Gayest Cities in America, and was recognized by Travel and Leisure as one of America's Best Cities for Gay Travel. Much of Austin's gay nightlife scene is clustered around 4th Street. LGBT activism groups Atticus Circle and Equality Texas are headquartered in Austin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International LGBTQ+ Travel Association</span>

The International LGBTQ+ Travel Association is an association of tourism businesses that welcome the LGBTQ+ community. As of 2016, the association had member businesses in about 80 countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queens Pride Parade</span>

The Queens Pride Parade and Multicultural Festival is the second oldest and second-largest pride parade in New York City. It is held annually in the neighborhood of Jackson Heights, located in the New York City borough of Queens. The parade was founded by Daniel Dromm and Maritza Martinez to raise the visibility of the LGBTQ community in Queens and memorialize Jackson Heights resident Julio Rivera. Queens also serves as the largest transgender hub in the Western hemisphere and is the most ethnically diverse urban area in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT culture in Baltimore</span>

LGBT culture in Baltimore, Maryland is an important part of the culture of Baltimore, as well as being a focal point for the wider LGBT community in the Baltimore metropolitan area. Mount Vernon, known as Baltimore's gay village, is the central hub of the city's lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Critical pride</span>

Critical pride is the name of several annual protest demonstrations of LGBT people held in Madrid and several other Spanish cities. The organizers of critical pride demonstrations present them as an alternative to the original pride parades and festivals, which they consider depoliticized and institutionalized.

Rhode Island Pride is an LGBT organization that serves the Rhode Island LGBTQ community, most notably holding its annual PrideFest in June. The organization traces its roots to the 1976 march, in which 75 individuals protested the city's refusal of a permit to host an official march. Today, Rhode Island Pride is one of the largest and most active LGBTQ organizations in Rhode Island, hosting community events and offering resources to Rhode Island's LGBTQ population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edificio Comunidad de Orgullo Gay de Puerto Rico</span> United States historic place

The Gay Pride Community Building, also known as Casa Orgullo, is a historic site and former LGBT community center located in Río Piedras Pueblo in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

References

  1. Unid@s announces its first Board of Directors, 2007-01-29, retrieved 2007-10-06
  2. "Gay & Lesbian Rainbow Pages". Archived from the original on 2014-05-16. Retrieved 2018-09-17.
  3. MD Marketing & Advertising [ permanent dead link ]
  4. "Cristina E. Martinez". 2016-10-27. Retrieved 2019-08-15.
  5. "At this protest, gay activists eat out but not at Chick-fil-A". QSanAntonio. Retrieved 2013-11-01.
  6. "Cristina E. Martinez". 2016-10-27. Retrieved 2019-08-15.