Latina lesbian organizations in the United States

Last updated

Latina lesbian organizations in the United States are community based organizations that emphasize the intersection of Latina and lesbian identities. [1] [2] Generally social in nature, they emerged in response to the limited availability of spaces that spoke to their racial, gender, and sexual experiences. These groups often addressed political issues specific to their geographical locations and social/cultural/historical contexts. Nationwide organizations focused on larger national issues that impacted immigrants and LGBTQ communities.

Contents

These groups emerged in relation to other identity based groups of the civil rights era, including LGBTQ organizations, feminist organizations and Latino and Chicano empowerment groups. These movements were often responding to racism and ethnocentrism of the Women’s Movement, the male centered nature of LGBTQ groups, and homophobia in Latino organizations and the Chicano movement.

Cover image of Las Buenas Amigas, a Newsletter for Latina Lesbians, 1993. Las Buenas Amigas Newsletter.jpg
Cover image of Las Buenas Amigas, a Newsletter for Latina Lesbians, 1993.
Cover of 1983 Latina Lesbian Newsletter. Chispa y Chisme Newsletter.jpg
Cover of 1983 Latina Lesbian Newsletter.

Latina lesbian groups created and published several newsletters during the 1980s-1990s as a way to connect with other organizations. [5] These included Conmoción, Las Buenas Amigas, Esto No Tiene Nombre, and Chispa y Chisme. For example, during the early 1980s, two Latina Lesbian activists: Loly Carillo and Mariana Romo Carmona worked together to create outreach materials with hopes of gaining network connections with similar identities, and to raise awareness to social and political issues. Together they created a newspaper called Chispa y Chisme. In this newspaper, it was clear that many people within the community did not feel comfortable coming out, and expressing their authentic self, a call to action to create safe spaces without anxieties or fears of discrimination or backlash. [6]

West Coast

San Francisco Bay Area

Latina Lesbians of the East Bay was an organization within the Bay Area for Lesbian identifying Latina's. [2]

Roque Ramírez was a Salvadoran American oral historian whose work focused on documenting and advocating for LGBTQ communities in the United States. He completed his PhD. at the University of California, Berkeley, in the 1990s. His research focused on the Gay Latino strip in San Francisco during the 1980s and 1990s, analyzing it's political, social, and cultural impacts. In this research, he highlighted the contributions of organizations such as Proyecto ContraSIDA por Vida and the Gay Latino Alliance (GALA), enhancing queer Latino visibility and activism during that era. [7]


Ellas en Acción was founded in 1993. This organization was a Latina lesbian and bisexual community action group that became the first Latina Lesbian group in the U.S. to include the word "bisexual" in its name. [2]

Beginning in the 1980s and into the 1990s, the area around 16th and Mission in San Francisco was home to several gay Latino nightclubs. [8]

Proyecto ContraSIDA por Vida was a community organization that extended information about safe-sex practices. They began at Eighteenth and Dolores in the Mission District tailoring their services to the broader LGBTQ+ community. [2]

Los Angeles

Lesbianas Unidas was founded in 1981. [9] [10] The Lesbianas Unidas organization was founded shortly after the (GLLU) Gay Latinos Unidos. Gay Latinos Unidos was also founded in 1981, in Los Angeles. Six months later, the Gay Latino organization, which was originally a male-led organization, opened their space to queer Latinas. [9] Lydia Otero was the President of Gay and Lesbian Latino Unidos in 1989.

During this same time, in 1981 the AIDs pandemic was going on, which affected many members of (GLUU). AIDS impacted the whole community, including the sister organization (LU). The AIDS pandemic led to several deaths, on top of that these communities' medical health needs were not being supported nor addressed. [9] Instead, most of the government funding went towards helping other white queer organizations impacted by AIDs. [9] During this drastic time, Lydia Otero also started another organization named Bienstar, that focused specifically on AIDS prevention, advocacy, and support. [9]

Raza Womyn was a queer organization at UCLA during the 1990s. In 1978, Proposition 6 was passed which sought to expel gay educators from teaching positions. This was pushed by Republican Senator John Briggs and explained his argument behind his bill in a televised debate. Briggs furthered the rhetoric of “parental rights” to rationalize LGBTQ+ discrimination in schools. [11] Raza Womyn, whose members organize around a Muxerista (a Chicana/Latina feminist activist) vision of social justice that rejects patriarchal notions of Chicano nationalism, white and/or middle-class dominated perspectives of feminism, and static definitions of sexual identity while building on the legacy of Chicana/Latina feminist thought. [1]

Izquierda (which means left in Spanish) was a lesbian social activist group from the West Coast that also produced music in the late seventies. Naomi Littlebear Martinez served as the leader of the group. [12]

Terri de la Peña is a Mexican American writer known for her short stories, essays, novels. She is recognized as one of the first authors to publish short stories and novels on Chicana lesbians themes. Her writing explores the complex intergenerational conflicts within Latine communities, surrounding sexuality and belonging. She challenges these stereotypes by providing visibility to Mexicax/ Latinx lesbian experiences in literature and helped create space for generations of queer writers of color. [13]

Gay and Lesbian Latinos Unidos (GLLU), founded in 1981, is recognized for it's role as one of the first queer Latine organizations established in Los Angeles. The organization focused on addressing issues such as homophobia within Latino communities, cultural preservation, HIV/AID awareness, and immigration. In 1986, Radio GLLU made history as the first bilingual LGBTQ+ radio program in the United States and strengthened community-building with other queer Latino community members,. The organization played a significant role in organizing the Second National March on Washington to advocate for Lesbian and Gay Rights and for Latino issues on a national stage. [14]

In September 1983, the first National Lesbian of Color Conference was held in Malibu, California. This conference allowed lesbians of color to address intersecting dynamics of sexism, racism, homophobia, and classism. More than 200 individuals attended the conference, which provided the space to discuss identity, culture, politics, and spirituality. A number of influential political activist, artists, scholars, writers, and poets participated at the conference, including Paula Gunn Allen, Beth Brant, Gloria Anzaldúa, Andrea R. Canaan, Joy Harjo, Nancy Reiko Sato, Naomi Littlebear, Kwambe OmDahda, Aleida Rodríguez, Luisah Teish, Nellie Wong, Merle Woo, and Mitsuye Yamada. [15]

Southwest

Texas

Austin

The Austin Latino Lesbian Gay Organization (ALLGO) founded in 1985, served as a community based organization to support Latino/a LGBTQ individuals in Austin, Texas. The organization sought to improve access to HIV/AIDS treatment and healthcare services. Throughout the mid 1980s and 1990s, ALLGO developed and expanded services that included peer counselors, bilingual case workers, food shelters, and healthcare delivery agencies serving Spanish-speaking individuals. These efforts were further strengthened by members of the organization who were active civic leaders in Austin business, bilingual media, and television sectors. Their involvement in professional networks enhanced ALLGO'S visibility and expanded community outreach. ALLGO continued their activism through marches, protests, HIV/AIDs education initiatives in low-income communities. In 2015, the organization celebrated it's 30th anniversary, making their continued services and advocacy for the LGBTQ community in Austin, Texas. [16]

Houston

Gay and Lesbian Hispanos Unidos (GLHU) was founded in 1978. [17] Its original name was " The Gay Hispanic Caucus", however the name change occurred in the year of 1985. [18] The name change occurred to make the organization more inclusive to women, and not just men. [18] During this time in Houston many Latinx people were facing police harrasment, sterotyping by social institutions such as night clubs, and difficult times in finding jobs because their identities were being heavily judged, GLHU made sure to adress these issues to the public. [19]

Midwest

Illinois

Chicago

Lesbianas Latinas en Nuestro Ambiente (LLENA) was an activist organization that existed from 1988 to 1992. [20] The efforts of both LLENA and Amigas Latinas; which was formed eight years after LLENA, were influenced by the work of two Latina lesbians, Maria Amparo Jimenez and Evettte Cardon. Although they were not the founders, their leadership and determination played a significant role in bringing members of the Latina/o LGBTQ community together. Maria Amparo Jimenez moved to Chicago from Mexico City in the mid-1980s. She observed the lack of visibility that Latina/o communities lacked within the gay press. Her concerns reached Outlines, one of Chicago's most important gay newspapers, where her first column appeared in September 1988. Outlines became the first known gay and lesbian publications in the nation to include a Spanish- language section dedicated to Latina/o and Latin American issues. [21] A member within the organization, Marilyn Morales, came up with the most popular name for the new group, “LLENA,” an acronym for Latina Lesbians en Nuestro Ambiente. This organization premeditated Amigas Latinas. This organization was created to create space in Chicago to represent and defend their identities with women of multiple identities, classes, and languages. Their meetings also attracted women of various backgrounds within Latin America like Puerto Rican, Mexican, Cuban, Ecuadorian, Peruvian and Chicanas. This group was the first for many Latina lesbians to meet in a space beyond the bar/club and amongst their own friends. Their meetings discussed issues of homophobia in the Latino community and the invisibility of Latina lesbians in the white mainstream queer community. Eight years later, Amigas Latinas was formed. [20]

Amigas Latinas was founded in 1995 to enhance advocacy to better support Latina lesbians, transgender, and bisexual individuals in Chicago. Amigas Latinas promoted visibility to Latina LGBTQ individuals by participating in various marches. Amigas Buenas began as a small discussion group and later grew to a large volunteer-led organization with monthly pláticas (discussions) at members’ homes. [21] The organization joined the first gay pride march on Halsted Street during 1988 and the first Puerto Rican Day Pride Parade in Humboldt Park. Since 1988 – Chicago had prohibited discrimination against gays and lesbians. [22] In the early 2000s, members marched on 26th Street Mexican Independence Parade through Chicago's Mexican La Villita community. [23]

ALMA Chicago was founded in 1989 during the AIDS epidemic. The organization has focused on advocating for the rights and equality of Latinx LGBTQ+ community. They offer a range of programs that are designed to create inclusivity and support, including leadership development, fellowships for young artist, healthcare services, legal assistance, and housing support. [24] ALMA Chicago, was firstly known as the Association of Latino Men of Action. In 2012, the organization changed it's name to the Association of Latinos/as/xs Motivating Action. The organization is recognized as the oldest Latinx organization in the Midwest. [25]

Northeast

Massachusetts

Boston

  • Chispa y Chisme

East Coast

Maryland

Washington, D.C.

The National Latina/o Lesbian and Gay Organization (LLEGO) is a national organization based in Washington D.C. It was founded in 1987 and composed of Latino/Latina Gay and Lesbian community members. [26] [2] LLEGO provided specialized healthcare to their gay and lesbian Latino/Latina community members. They developed a statewide, nationwide, and international recognition to address the concerns affecting the Latino/Latina Gay and Lesbian community. [26] LLEGO was D.C.’s first Latino LGBTQ national advocacy and rights organization. [27] After attending the International Lesbian and Gay People of Color Conference, members within LLEGO began to re-establish and name themselves from the National Latino/a Lesbian and Gay Activists (NLLGA) to National Latina/o Lesbian and Gay Organization that use the acronym LLEGO. Since the organization's founding in 1987, LLEGO has provided Latina/o Gay and Lesbians with access to forums, conferences, and updates within the organization through their monthly newsletter, Noticias de LLEGO. Their newsletter highlighted issues within the community in Washington, D.C., organizational political, social, and HIV/AIDS, breast cancer and other healthcare related issues. [26]

Durning the 1990s, El Faro Bar opened doors in Adams Morgan, becoming the first Latino LGBTQ bar in Washington, D.C. [28]

New York City

Salsa Soul Sisters (found 1974) began with Black lesbians who branched off from the Gay Liberation Front (founded 1969). [29] Salsa Soul Sisters drew attention to a lack of recognition for other lesbian of color who would benefit from gathering in community and discuss the intersectionality of race, class, gender, and sexuality. [29] Afro-Latinas lesbians emerged themselves in cultural and community spaces throughout the 1980s. A common question that came up within a variety of different Latino/Latina organizations was how to distinguish or how to spot latinidad. People at the time focused more on physical appearances associated with being Latino rather than shared lived experiences. The Afro-Latina lesbians within the Salsa Soul Sisters understood and challenged societies perspective and their positionality with race, class, gender, and sexuality. [2] The Salsa Soul Sisters expanded not only for Black and Latina lesbians but created inclusivity to Asian American and Indigenous Lesbians, gay, and bisexual individuals. The group consisted of various age gap differences ranging from 17 years old to 55 years old. Members Salsa Soul Sisters consisted of 200 women and developed a newsletter in 1982 called Salsa Soul Gayzette this consisted of information about gatherings, schedules, and social events. [30]

Las Buenas Amigas (founded 1986) supported Latina lesbians in New York City. During the 1980s, there was a rapid increase in AIDS, rising violence, and homicides against the LGBTQ Community. Many organizations were centered by gay white men, who obtained the privilege and resources to create spaces that excluded others. This created barriers for lesbian of color limiting their ability to access safe spaces. Las Buenas Amigas is the first known group to have raised awareness about issues specifically affecting Latina lesbians and creating a space that embraced their Latinidad. The individuals who led the organization consisted of eight New York City based Latinas: Aida Santiago, Elizabeth Crespo, Juanita Diaz-Ramos, Dalitza Ramirez, Lili Benson, Lourdes Cintrón, Luz María Germain, and Mariana Romo Carmona. [31] They provided a place that allowed individuals to learn more about education, politics, resistance, and most importantly a space that embraced sisterhood. [32]

Compañeras: Latina Lesbians is an anthology edited by Juanita Ramos. The book features oral histories, poems, essays, short stories, and artwork by Latina lesbians. It explores themes such as identity, migration, family dynamics, homophobia, survival, and cultural pride. The anthology is recognized for giving visibility to the lived experiences of Latina lesbians in the United States and Latin America. [33]

Cassandra Grant is an educator and activist whose work has focused on empowering young people and strengthening community through her teaching. As a founding member of Salsa Soul Sisters, she has played a significant role in amplifying safe spaces for lesbian of color and queer women of color for decades. [34]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Tijerina-Revilla, Anita (2009). "Are All Raza Womyn Queer? An Exploration of Sexual Identities in a Chicana/Latina Student Organization". NWSA Journal. 21 (3). Johns Hopkins University Press: 46–62. JSTOR   20628194 . Retrieved October 28, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Queer Latinidad: Identity Practices, Discursive Spaces. NYU Press. 2003.
  3. ↑ Las Buenas Amigas Lesbianas Latinas en Nueva York. 1993.
  4. ↑ Chispa y Chisme! Boletin para lesbianas latinas. 1986.
  5. ↑ Juamari. (1983, May). Chispa y Chisme ! Chispa y Chisme. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chispa_y_Chisme_Newsletter.jpg
  6. ↑ Las Buenas Amigas Lesbianas Latinas in Nueva York (Digital Archive). (1993, September).https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Las_Buenas_Amigas_Newsletter.j
  7. ↑ Roque Ramírez, Horacio Nelson. Communities of Desire: Queer Latina/Latino History and Memory, San Francisco Bay Area, 1960s–1990s. PhD dissertation, University of California, Berkeley, 2001.
  8. ↑ Roque Ramírez, Horacio Nelson. Communities of Desire: Queer Latina/Latino History and Memory, San Francisco Bay Area, 1960s–1990s. PhD dissertation, University of California, Berkeley, 2001.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 UNIDAD: Gay & Lesbian Latinos Unidos. PBS. 2023-06-01.
  10. ↑ Gil-Gómez, Ellen M. (February 25, 2016). "Lesbianas Unidas: Shaping Nation through Community Activist Rhetorics". Journal of Lesbian Studies. 20 (2). Taylor & Francis, Inc.: 197–212. doi:10.1080/10894160.2015.1083818. PMID   26914822.
  11. ↑ “The Painful History Of Forced Outing And Anti-LGBTQ+ School Policies - Los Angeles LGBT Center.” Accessed October 22, 2025. https://lalgbtcenter.org/vanguard/the-painful-history-of-forced-outing-and-anti-lgbtq-school-policies/.
  12. ↑ Juamari. (1983, May). Chispa y Chisme ! Nuestras Voces, 5. Wikimedia Commons.
  13. ↑ Torres, Lourdes. “Becoming Visible: U.S. Latina Lesbians Talk Back and Act Out.”Talking Back and Acting Out: Women Negotiating the Media Across Cultures, vol. 169, edited by Sandra Jackson and Ann Russo, Peter Lang, 2002, pp. 151–162. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/42977481.
  14. ↑ Gay and Lesbian Latinos Unidos Archive. “Gay and Lesbian Latinos Unidos (GLLU).” GLLU Archive, 2024, www.glluarchive.com/.
  15. ↑ Retter, Yolanda. “First National Lesbians of Color Conference Convenes.”EBSCO Research Starters, 2022, ebsco.com/research-starters/social-sciences-and-humanities/first-national-lesbians-color-conference-convenes.
  16. ↑ Brown, David M., Christina Lively & Mary-Jo DelVecchio Good. “Exploring One LGBT Organization’s Impact on Those Living with HIV/AIDS in Austin, Texas.” HUHPR, 12 Nov. 2016, www.huhpr.org/volume-16-issue-1-2/2016/11/12/exploring-one-lgbt-organizations-impact-on-those-living-with-hivaids-in-austin-texas.
  17. ↑ Quesada, U., Gomez, L., & Vidal-Ortiz, S. (Eds.). (2015). Queer brown voices : personal narratives of Latina/o LGBT activism / edited by Uriel Quesada, Letitia Gomez, and Salvador Vidal-Ortiz. (First edition.). University of Texas Press.
  18. 1 2 Gay Hispanic Caucus. (1985, June 1). “Gay Hispanic Caucus ’85 Gay Pride Week” [Flyer]. Benson Latin American Collection, LLILAS Benson Latin American Studies and Collections, The University of Texas at Austin. https://spotlight-prod.lib.utexas.edu/spotlight/unapologetically-queer/catalog/78-3330?locale=es
  19. ↑ Medina, D. G. (2024, October 16). Gay Chicano Caucus. In The Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/gay-chicano-caucus
  20. 1 2 Torres, Lourdes. “Compañeras in the Middle.” GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies 20, nos. 1–2 (2014): 41–74. https://doi.org/10.1215/10642684-2370360.
  21. 1 2 “Ep 3: Amigas Latinas - Latina, Queer and Together · Unboxing Queer History Season One · GH Exhibits.” https://exhibits.gerberhart.org/exhibits/show/unboxingqueerhistory/ep3--amigas-latinas.
  22. ↑ Chicago Tribune. “ILLINOIS TAKES UP GAY RIGHTS.” April 19, 1995. https://www.chicagotribune.com/1995/04/19/illinois-takes-up-gay-rights/.
  23. ↑ Torres, L. (2014). Compañeras in the Middle: Toward a History of Latina Lesbian Organizing in Chicago. GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies20(1), 41-74.  https://muse.jhu.edu/article/536500.
  24. ↑ “Programs and Services.” ALMA Chicago, 2024, www.almachicago.org/copy-of-programs-services
  25. ↑ Keenehan, Sean. “As Pride Month Shines in Chicago, Latino LGBTQ+ Communities Spotlight Youth Services.” WTTW News, 7 June 2024, https://news.wttw.com/2024/06/07/pride-month-shines-chicago-latino-lgbtq-communities-spotlight-youth-services.
  26. 1 2 3 "LLEGO The National Latino/a Lesbian and Gay Organization". American University Archives Digital Collections.
  27. ↑ Mcmahon, Heather (2025-06-01), The History of the Latino Community of Washington, D.C. 1943-1991. HISTORIC CONTEXT STUDY
  28. ↑ Gutierrez, José. “Timeline.” Jose Gutierrez Archives, 2021, josegutierrezarchives.org/timelines/.
  29. 1 2 "Salsa Soul Sisters (1974–1993)". National Museum of African American History and Culture . Smithsonian Institution.
  30. ↑ “Salsa Soul Sisters (1974–1993).” National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian Institution, https://nmaahc.si.edu/lgbtq/salsa-soul-sisters.
  31. ↑ Gonzalez, Damaly. “A Safe Space for Latina Lesbians in 1980s NYC.” The Latinx Project at New York University, 11 Feb. 2020, www.latinxproject.nyu.edu/intervenxions/las-buenas-amigas-nyc.
  32. ↑ Gonzalez, Damaly (2020-02-11). "A Safe Space for Latina Lesbians in 1980s NYC". The Latinx Project. New York University.
  33. ↑ Ramos, Juanita. Compañeras Latina Lesbians Compiled and Edited by Juanita Ramos. Routledge, 1994.
  34. ↑ Shockey, Gwen. “Cassandra Grant.” ADDRESSES PROJECT, 22 June 2020, addressesproject.com/memory/cassandra-grant.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.