Celebrating Hispanic Heritage as LGBT Hispanic Americans

by Diego Sanchez | Published Online on September 07, 2011

This month The San Antonio Gender Association is proud to have an article presented in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month and written by a transsexual man that we all love and are proud to know. Diego M. Sanchez, APR, is a naturalized U.S. citizen and the first openly transgender person to work on Capitol Hill as Legislative Assistant to Congressman Barney Frank (MA-4). He is President of the National Equality Coalition and Policy Director of the LGBT Congressional Staff Association on its Board. His roots are in Texas, Georgia, and Massachusetts, although now he lives in Washington, D.C.
As a child, some of my greatest joy was spending summers with family in Texas, whether cooling in the Nacogdoches River near Floresville, riding the train at the San Antonio Zoo or camping at Pedernales Falls State Park in the Hill Country. I could never have imagined then that I would live to experience the U.S. marking Sep. 15-Oct. 15 each year as National Hispanic Heritage Month.

Yes, we Latinos and Latinas had heroes back then including Bexar County’s own Congressman Henry B. Gonzalez, Cantinflas, Rita Moreno and Cesar Chavez and we have them now, including Henry’s son Congressman Charlie Gonzalez (TX-20), Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, to name a few of many. We needn’t have to separate ourselves as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgender (LGBT) Hispanics as we celebrate this month, but it’s nice to be able to distinguish our unique lens of it.

As our nation sets aside this month to examine and explore our people and our heritage, we, who are LGBT Latinos and Latinas, can use the time to break the usual silence about our efforts to find our own niche in Hispanic Heritage. We can discuss our unique struggle to find peace and prosperity; to honor our family, faith, culture, communities and selves as Hispanics while fulfilling our lives as LGBT Hispanic Americans.

I use this month to define and express myself clearly in ways that non-LGBT Hispanics might find conflicting. I feel comfort as an openly transsexual Latino who loves his family, follows his faith and embraces his culture and community. I had no workbook, and decades ago there was scant or silent community and certainly no internet or social media.

I believe that our heritage gives us special coping tools because many of us have spent our lives with duality, simply by being Hispanic. We are largely bilingual, applying rules when English or Spanish is considered appropriate. Many have cultural clothing and cuisine that we expose in some circles and assimilate differently elsewhere. We’re familiar with difference, and that might help us as we navigate our way to express Hispanic Heritage Month with the distinction of being LGBT Hispanics.

As we celebrate, let’s recognize that we, as LGBT people, have achieved much: “The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act”” is law, including sexual orientation and gender identity. In September, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is repealed. Same-sex couples marry in more states each year, and adoption and medical visitation rights are expanding. Our work is not done. We still need immigration reform and “The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (H.R. 1397)” for LGBT workplace non-discrimination. lease stay committed, and we will win.

This article appeared in the September 2011 of ignite Magazine.