How US Latinos have changed their attitude to homosexuality

[xchrom]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/oct/19/us-latinos-homosexuality


Singer Ricky Martin coming out may well have helped to change the Latino community's attitude to homosexuality. Photograph: Hector Mata/EPA

I remember uttering a slur aimed at gay people (the other F-word) in front of my mother when I was about 11 years old. She rebuked me faster than I could ever recall: "Never call anyone that!" However, she did not mean it in solidarity with gays and lesbians; rather she felt it was the worst word one could be called. As a Latina, I knew our culture was full of machismo, and being gay was the antithesis of that. Despite being a huge Ellen DeGeneres fan, my dad stopped watching her show when she came out (but that did not last long. Her comedic magic won him over far better than his eldest daughter pleading, "She's not a different person!&quot .

Yesterday, a Pew survey showed that a slight majority of Latinos in the US (52%) now favour same-sex marriage. Just six years ago, 56% of Latinos favoured outlawing same-sex marriage. So what accounts for this flip?

I believe it is a combination of reasons. The first is the comedic gold of Ellen DeGeneres, and the positive representations of LGBT persons in pop culture. From Ricky Martin to characters such as Santana Lopez on Glee, gay and lesbian Latinos are no longer invisible. Given that some Latinos might only know out members of their community from seeing them on TV (unless they followed Chavela Vargas, a popular ranchera singer who died earlier this year), this really matters. Tellingly, a 2009 Gallup poll showed that opposition to gay rights is highest among people who believe they do not know anyone who is gay.

I also believe that the decade-long fight for the Dream Act, which would provide conditional permanent residency to selected undocumented residents, has had an impact on how Latinos view LGBT rights. The act, which is sponsored by my senator, Dick Durbin, creates a pathway to citizenship for undocumented youth who were brought to the US by their parents as children. In June, President Obama went some way towards this goal, by issuing an order, dubbed "Dream relief" that would allow young undocumented immigrants to put off the threat of deportation for two years, for work or study. Many "Dreamers", as they call themselves, had no idea they were undocumented until they asked to obtain a driver's licence or applied for college.

[William769]

1. Great news!

Although not unexpected. I witnessed this transformation first hand when it started back in the 80's in Miami.

I miss Miami.