The Center’s Community Coalition Breakfast last Friday featured a panel discussion concerning several issues facing San Diego’s GLBT Latino community, including immigration and same-sex marriage.

Panelists included National City Councilmember Luis Natividad, San Diego Democratic Club board member Larry Baza, San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture member Aida Mancillas, former Center board chair Richard Valdez and longtime community activist Teresa Oyos, who co-founded Orgullo, San Diego’s first Latino/a GLBT organization, in 1986.

Valdez, who moderated the panel, asked the panelists how the national immigration issue affects GLBT Latinos in San Diego.

Oyos, who serves on the advisory committee of Latino Services at The Center, said although it was difficult to be born on the U.S. side of the border while many of her family members were born in Mexico, they all feel connected to each other despite their differences.

“I just hope we can be open to people regardless of where they’re from. And just know that this whole illegal alien label – who’s legal and who’s illegal – it’s like saying someone’s illegitimate,” she said.

“In Aztec culture there was no such thing as illegitimate,” she continued. “Children were the primary focus of culture. There were some negative things that happened in Aztec culture, but one of the positive things was that women and children were the primary. I just hope that we can be open to this dialogue that we have differences.”

Baza, who also serves on the advisory committee of Latino Services at The Center, said more coalitions need to be built within the Latino community to really make progress.

“Those of us who are Latino or African-American or people of color, we faced that civil rights struggle early on before we faced a double struggle to deal with ourselves, our family and our own culture as LGBT,” he said. “Coalitions are a very important issue for us. It’s important to build those bridges … get out there and be part of the solution.”

In terms of the same-sex marriage debate, Mancillas said there are limitations presented to the Latino GLBT community due to their predominantly Catholic faith.

“People of color are very attached culturally to their faith community, so they need to be working more with the faith community to change hearts and minds there,” she said. “We know that we’re going to be coming up against ballot initiatives very shortly and a lot of those folks are going to turn on Latino voters. So it’s important to make connections early. So that’s why we are telling the story of families.”

Mancillas said highlighting positive stories about families within the Latino GLBT community are important. Popular culture is also going to be important and can act as an inroad, she said.

“I think that finally, as we create these coalitions, we really have to think about what are the risks and changes going on,” she said. “… I suggest becoming really aware of the richness of the culture that is here.”

Oyos said it’s important to be open and honest with family members when it comes to sexual orientation.

“I think it’s wonderful that I’m brave enough to be out to my family…. I have been very supportive in that, but I continue to represent as a lesbian in my family to people who might not know it is very important to me, and to see that I’ve been in a long-term relationship for 20 years,” Oyos said.

Valdez said it’s crucial in working toward a better understanding of the Latino GLBT community to emphasize that people in same-sex relationships also raise children and have families.

“As soon as people understand that it’s a bit different to find than perhaps what they originally thought, they really can latch on to the concept,” he said. “Once they are more educated about it, they become more accepting of it.”

Natividad said it’s important for GLBT Latinos to be visible and active within the broader Latino community so that coalitions can be built more easily.

“Participate and don’t stop going to our events because that’s how you get the coalitions going. And make sure that you say who you are and why you’re there,” he said.

Mancillas said the GLBT community must accept broader Latino issues – such as education, health care and fair housing – as their own in order to connect.

“Are you interested in those types of things? Because those things are critical; not just the Latino community, but of course to San Diego and San Diego County,” she said. “That’s where I think the LGBT community can create that coalition, because it can’t just be about swapping money and votes. It’s a weak coalition. It’s really about getting to know each other and learning that all of our people belong to all of us.”

Baza said Delores Jacobs, The Center’s chief executive officer, took a bold step by creating Latino Services at The Center.

“The board members are to be commended for going forward with her vision,” he said. “I can’t tell you how much I learned from the primary staffers.”

He added that Latino Services director Carolina Ramos and staff member Ricardo Gallego are currently working at maximum case load due to the high demand for services.

“Right now, downstairs [where the Latino Services is located], there are hundreds of Latinos who are facing so many issues – the issues of assimilating to society, coming to a land where they’re not speaking the primary language,” he said. “They’re struggling.… They are facing all the coming-out issues, all in a foreign land. Imagine going to another country, immigrating, getting a job and you don’t speak the language and you’re coming out all in one fell swoop. It’s very challenging.”