Curbing the Obesity Epidemic in the Latino Community

Posted on 06/29/2021 @ 02:15 PM

Tags: Health

By Dr. Jose Aleman Diaz
NYU Lagone Health, VA New York Harbor Healthcare System

My family, originally from Puerto Rico, has been fortunate that none of us have developed serious complications from our weight. Still, overweight and obesity remain a concern for me when I think about my loved ones and the broader Latino community. When I came to the United States to attend Harvard Medical School, I studied metabolism, the way our body uses and redistributes energy, and endocrinology, the science of the body’s glandular systems. Both are integral to how we think about obesity as a disease.

Before we go further, I need to make the distinction between weight and obesity. A person’s weight is the number they see when they step on a scale. As individuals we naturally come in varying shapes and sizes but the moment excess weight begins to negatively impact your health – shortness of breath, elevated blood sugar levels indicating pre-diabetes, and more – we have to begin addressing the onset of the disease obesity. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Medical Association (AMA) define obesity as excess fat accumulation that leads to complications in a person’s health.

In the Latino community, rates of obesity are higher than in the general population, and they are increasing at alarming rates. In my research I focus on fat tissue and how it communicates with other cells in the body to produce inflammation which predisposes a person with obesity to other diseases like diabetes, heart disease, a variety of cancers and more recently complications from COVID-19. Obesity is a risk factor for severe COVID-19 illness and leads to higher rates of hospitalization, ICU admission, and death.

Obesity is a multifactorial disease influenced by a person’s environment, lifestyle, access to health care, and more. Our tools for treating people with obesity include trained physicians, lifestyle interventions, new safe and effective medicines, and surgery. Most often a person with obesity may need a combination of those, in a continuum of care, to reach their health goals.

Do I Have Obesity?

How do you know if you have obesity? Doctors use a calculated formula of your weight and height to generate what’s known as your body mass index or BMI. A normal BMI is 18 - 25. Overweight BMI in class 1, is between BMI 25-29.9 and the BMIs for obesity increase from there. Class 1 overweight is 30-34.9, class 2 obesity is 35-39.9, class 3 obesity is BMI greater than 40. It’s important to note that the risk of developing health complications increases with each higher class of obesity you may have. However, more than simply looking at numbers, your doctor evaluates your body for where it stores fat. Specifically, when fat is stored in internal organs, like the liver, the complexities can ultimately lead to enlarged and diseased organs requiring a transplant or making bariatric surgery more complicated. Diabetes caused by obesity is the most common cause for kidney failure leading to renal disease, forcing patients into dialysis treatment.

Considering these classes, your physician can work with you to create a care plan that dictates the treatments you need to meet your BMI goals. Together, you’ll decide on a combination of diet and exercise, medicines, and possibly surgery to help you reach a healthier BMI for your body.

What Causes Obesity?

Researchers are investigating the causes this multifactorial disease. A person’s environment is one of the most important factors in the disease’s prevalence. Highly caloric diets lacking nutritional value can manifest in food deserts where Latinx communities don’t have access to healthy nutrient rich, lower calorie food. Social determinants of health such as lack of access to care, differences in care delivery, and health disparities are also contributors.

Lack of exercise and an active lifestyle is a secondary factor, but it’s a common misconception that exercise is highly important. Ask anyone who’s been trying to burn calories on a treadmill, and they’ll tell you the calories in one donut or soft drink would immediately put back the calories they burned during the workout. However, exercise is still important for maintaining weight loss.

Family history needs to be considered and rare genetic mutations occasionally cause obesity. Hormone treatments are available to treat those one in one-million cases.

Psychologically, food is comforting to many people so there’s also a mental health component to managing obesity. Comorbid mental health issues, like depression, can be significant factors in obesity’s grip on a person’s individual health progress. It’s important to consider addressing food dependence with mental health professionals.

Under diagnosis and Under Treatment of the Disease

Before obesity was recognized as a disease by the American Medical Association in 2013, medical school training didn’t have the language to educate doctors on obesity as a disease, there was no framework to treat people with obesity, and there have been no mechanisms for dedicated professionals to treat the disease. In the last decade recognizing and treating obesity has emerged as a priority and it’s becoming clear there is a shared responsibility among those of us in the medical profession, patients and families, policy makers and insurers to address obesity in a multidisciplinary way.

There are very significant efforts to educate my clinical colleagues through the Obesity Society or the American Board of Obesity Medicine (ABOM). ABOM is growing very rapidly as we see physicians of diverse specialties learning and applying obesity medicine to their work. Still, discomfort with discussing obesity with patients and patient discomfort having the conversation with their physician are challenges to effective treatment. I often counsel my colleagues to ask permission to discuss obesity related issues with questions like, “Can we discuss how your weight might relate to your health?”

Another concerted effort from the Obesity Society, Obesity Care Advocacy Network (OCAN) and other professional societies is to increase access to anti-obesity medicines (AOMs) by supporting the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (TROA). The legislation will increase access to obesity treatments and AOMs, addresses inequities in obesity care, and fights stigma and weight bias in the U.S.

Stigma and Weight Bias

People with obesity might not receive adequate health care, and they might be discriminated against in the places we live, work, and play. Disparities in access to health care, quality of service, and the burden of preventable chronic illnesses continue to be deeply impactful issues in Latino communities. Excluding and marginalizing people with obesity leads to inequities throughout the health care system. For instance, rates of bariatric surgery are extremely low, only 1% of eligible patients receive the surgery, in part because many of my colleagues don’t perceive obesity as a serious disease and therefore don’t refer their patients to specialty obesity care or surgery.

Obesity stigma occurs at many different levels, therefore acknowledging the existence of the disease, diagnosing it accurately, and offering appropriate obesity treatments along a continuum of care are important for a new mindset toward those who are struggling. It’s time to improve our actions and our language. Using person-centered language like, “persons with obesity” instead of “obese”, helps remove the negative connotation of the adjective. It seems subtle but adopting de-stigmatizing language goes a long way to help patients feel empowered.

The Cost of Obesity

The financial toll of obesity is commonly overlooked. Not only is the disease detrimental to your health, obesity is extremely costly. It’s the kind of medical problem that could threaten to bankrupt the U.S. healthcare system. The severity of the disease’s far reaching medical toll is estimated to put the financial burden at $480-500B. The individual financial toll of obesity is estimated to be $2500 annually per person with obesity. For example, reducing obesity lowers the risk for type 2 diabetes, and therefore eliminates the costs associated with diabetes-related health care visits, insulin prescriptions, diabetes-related comorbidities and more. Weight and maintaining a lower BMI can save your life and save the system money.

What You Can Do

Talk to your doctor – If you are concerned about your overweight or obesity negatively affecting your health, have an honest conversation with your doctor and ask about getting support. Request a referral to an obesity care physician to start a treatment program tailored to your goals and needs. Your program should include nutritional education, physical activity options, psychological support, prescribed anti-obesity medications (AOMs) as appropriate, and surgery when necessary. The right combination of these factors can help you reach and maintain your BMI goal.

Make Incremental Sustainable Changes – You should start by making small changes that you can manage and are sustainable for your lifestyle. You’re more likely to maintain smaller incremental dietary, and movement goals than you are to try to sustain drastic lifestyle changes. Managing obesity with your physician’s support is a marathon, not a sprint.

Keep Moving Forward – Focus on new personal health care regimens while breaking old habits, beliefs, and addictions. Consistently make weight management part of your daily routine while accepting that you might need help along the way. Treating any chronic disease, like obesity, requires dedication to meeting your health goals and an open mind to accept the support your body needs. You can do it. There are so many personal benefits to a healthier, more active, longer life when you’re committed to managing obesity. There’s no solution that’s right for every patient, and each person needs a support system to maintain progress. Obesity is at the center of so many health, economic, and mental health issues that we must get a handle on it individually, and as a community. We can get there if we manage obesity together.

Learn more about Dr. Jose Aleman’s work and research at www.ltor.org.

The Fight for Clean Air: The Latino Community at the Forefront

Posted on 06/16/2021 @ 10:35 AM

Tags: Environment, Civil Rights, Health

By Cintia Ortiz
LULAC Environmental Justice Fellow

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown just how damaging air pollution can be to Latinos’ health. Air pollution increases our susceptibility to getting the virus and complications due to our high exposure to pollution, underlying health conditions, and lack of access to adequate health care coverage. As of April 2021, Latinos are 2 times more likely to contract COVID-19, 3 times more likely to be hospitalized from COVID-19, and 2.3 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than our non-Hispanic white counterparts. The pandemic has made it crystal clear that communities of color bear the burdens of the 21st century. Climate change exacerbated by air pollution is slowly killing our black and brown communities.

The Leading Air Pollutants and Effects

Air pollutants come in distinct shapes and sizes and harm human health and the environment in different ways. The major air pollutants of today are ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, toxic air pollutants, and greenhouse gases.

Ozone can be found in the upper atmosphere (stratosphere) where it functions as a protective layer against harmful ultraviolet rays. However, ozone at the ground level (troposphere) poses serious health problems such as pneumonia, asthma attacks, and decreased lung function. Latinos and children are more vulnerable to these risks. Ozone pollution is created when nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds, and sunlight mix. Nitrogen oxides are released with the burning of gasoline, coal, and other fossil fuels.

Particulate Matter pollution (PM) is made up of extremely small particles and liquid droplets including acids such as nitrates and sulfates, organic chemicals, metals, and soil or dust particles. PM poses serious health threats to the heart and lungs as it can cause asthma attacks, respiratory problems, and even death.

Carbon Monoxide and Nitrogen Dioxide are released from the burning of fossil fuels. Carbon Monoxides are mostly released by vehicle engines burning fossil fuels. Exposure to this pollutant can cause dizziness, tiredness, and even death. High levels of exposure to nitrogen dioxide can increase an individual's receptiveness to respiratory infections, shortness of breath, and coughs.

Sulfur Dioxide comes from the burning of coal, oil power plants, and factories. This pollutant can complicate breathing for individuals with asthma, irritate the human body such as the nose, eyes, and throat.

Toxic Air Pollutants such as arsenic, asbestos, and benzene come from different sources but can be linked to causing cancer, birth defects, and breathing complications. Many of the toxic air pollutants come from fossil fuels and chemical plants or building materials.

Greenhouse Gasses such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide trap heat in the atmosphere causing the planet to get warmer. Climate change will increasingly cause severe weather, extreme heat, air pollution, water pollution, environmental degradation, and forced migration. This will increase heat-related illnesses, asthma, malnutrition, fatalities, and mental health impacts.

Geography of Latinos and Pollution

Latinos are more vulnerable to the health impacts of air pollution given the geographical risk of where they live, work, go to school, and play. Communities living near oil and gas facilities are experiencing disproportionate health effects due to lack of clean air, as well as, additional health risks from toxins in the air. Latino communities are more likely to bear the burden of serious health risks caused by air pollution from coal plants or oil and gas facilities. More than 1.78 million Latinos, live in areas where toxic air pollution from oil and gas facilities is so high that the cancer risk due to this industry alone exceeds EPA’s level of concern. Additionally, 1.81 million Latino individuals live within a half-mile of an oil or gas facility, with increased exposure to pollutants at a cost to their health from oil and gas air pollution. These factors contribute to Latinos’ relatively high asthma rates. For example, over 3.6 million Latinos in the U.S. suffer from asthma, Latinos are also twice as likely to visit an emergency room for asthma, and Latino children are twice as likely to die from asthma compared to their white counterparts.

• Occupations such as agriculture, construction, and landscaping, where Latinos are overrepresented, are vulnerable to increased risk of exposure to contaminated air and increasing temperatures associated with uncontrolled carbon pollution.
• Latinos have higher rates of commuting in high-density areas, living near energy plants, and working with hazardous chemicals all of which raise an individual’s susceptibility to air pollution and COVID-19.
• Latinos are 165% more likely to live in counties with unhealthy levels of particulate matter pollution
• 48% of Latinos in the US live in counties that frequently violate ground-level ozone standards

Health Care

Latino populations in the U.S lack equal access to health resources and care. Greater risk of exposure to pollutants and lack of equal access compounds the burden on historically underserved Latino communities. This health disparity, a difference in health that is closely linked with social or economic disadvantages impacts the overall health and quality of life for Latino families. Economic disparities translate into older or outdated housing while also disproportionately placing Latinos in vulnerable areas compounding health disparities. Economic disparities combined with lower access to health care coverage poses a challenge to the survival and resilience of these communities by increasing these health threats from air pollution into an increased health burden on Latino communities.

• Latinos are less likely to receive proper asthma medication, have access to an asthma specialist, and far less likely to receive follow-up care after an asthma emergency.
• More than 40% of Americans, over 135 million people are living in places with unhealthy levels of ozone or particulate pollution.
• People of color are over three times more likely to be breathing the most polluted air than white people.
• Hispanics have the highest uninsured rates of any racial or ethnic group. In 2019, 50.1 % of Hispanics had private insurance coverage compared to 74.7% non-Hispanic whites.

Latinos Care

Given the impacts, it is no wonder that Latinos support immediate action on climate and air pollution. Young people in particular are committed and energized to ensure elected officials address the climate crisis, create a racially just economy, and build a clean energy future.

• A March 2020 poll found that 78% of Latino voters expressed that they have personally experienced the impacts of climate change.
• Additionally, 86% of respondents said they are more likely to support a candidate who invests in clean energy than a candidate who wants to expand oil drilling.
• In a 2015 poll, 59% of Latinos believed that the U.S would improve economic growth and create new jobs if stronger environmental laws were enacted.
• 85% of Latinos also believed it was extremely important or very important to reduce smog and air pollution.

The Clean Air Act

The Clean Air Act is a fundamental federal law protecting those who live in the U.S. from interstate and intrastate air pollution. This legislation has led to environmental and public health benefits across the U.S. Since 1990, there has been approximately a 50% decline in emissions of key air pollutants, translating to a reduction in air pollution and preventing hundreds of thousands of cases of serious health effects each year. Given the attacks of the previous administration on the Clean Air Act, it is important to continue to protect the Clean Air Act in order to reduce emissions that are harmful to Latinos of all ages and opposes any effort to loosen its regulations placed on coal, oil, or gas facilities in the United States.

What Can be Done

• Find and contact your elected officials and urge them to protect the Clean Air Act to reduce emissions that are harmful to Latinos of all ages and oppose any effort to loosen regulations placed on coal, oil, or gas facilities in the United States
• Demand the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reinforce and enhance the Clean Air Act’s regulations, efforts, and programs.
• Engage in state and local efforts that aim to reduce air pollution and or push back on any efforts that attack the health and longevity of your community.

Additional Resources

Check if your city is among the Most Polluted Cities by Ozone and Short Term or Annual Particle Pollution in the U.S. - Click Here
Find out if your school or home is in the oil & gas threat radius: Click Here
State of the Air 2021- Click Here
Oil & Gas Methane: Mapping the Path to a 65% Reduction: Click Here
Plain English Guide to the Clean Air Act: Click Here
Visit LULAC’s & EDF’s Vivendo Verde Website: Click Here
Moms Clean Air Force: Click Here
Asthma-Friendly Schools Initiative Toolkit: Click Here

Cintia Ortiz is an Environmental Justice Fellow for the LULAC National Office in Washington, D.C. Cintia assists with the management of LULAC's environmental justice portfolio, including mobilizing the Latino community to enforce and drive protections for clean air, water, health, and climate. Her previous experience includes working with policy, environmental justice, and disaster relief in Texas and Washington D.C. Cintia holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Geography, a minor in Data Analytics, and a GIS Certificate from the University of North Texas.

LULAC Salutes Latinx Icons in LGBTQ Civil Rights History

Posted on 05/31/2021 @ 03:15 PM

Tags: LGBTQ, Empowerment

By Jesse Garcia
National LULAC LGBTQ Affairs Committee Chair

Brown erasure of our culture is not solely confined to U.S. History books. This disrespect is also found in the LGBTQ community where writers fail to look beyond the work of cisgender gay white males — figures who are often centered in our civil rights movement. This month, I encourage you to read up on significant change makers (including these amazing folks below) whose stories may inspire your journey. Happy Pride Month!

Tony Segura (November 25, 1919 – July 28, 1991) Cuban American
In the 1950s, the LGBTQ community began quietly forming groups around the nation to organize, socialize and improve their civil rights. These groups were part of the Mattachine Society. The first Mattachine Society was created in Los Angeles back in 1950. Cuban-born research chemist Tony Segura and psychologist Sam Morford cofounded the second society in New York, in December 1955. Within a year, Segura became one of the first “acknowledged homosexuals” to appear on live television to speak out about Gay rights. His broadcast was aired on March 10, 1956, with Segura appearing in mask.

Jose Sarria (December 12, 1923 – August 19, 2013) Colombian American
Before Kathy Kozachenko was elected to city council in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1974 and Harvey Milk even thought about running in San Francisco in 1973, a pissed-off drag queen who could no longer tolerate police raiding her San Francisco bar made history and filed for office way back in 1961. Jose Julio Sarria became the first openly-Gay individual in America to run for office. Sarria, a World War II veteran, came back to the states and studied to become a teacher. But when he was framed by San Francisco police for solicitation, the stain on his record would prevent him from ever working in education. Luckily for Sarria, he was tremendously talented in song and dance and took up the world of drag at The Black Cat to make a living. With a huge following that designated him a leader – coupled with the constant police aggression and lack of city hall support, Sarria was finally convinced that he had to run for an at-large seat in the upcoming San Francisco Board of Supervisors election to change things.

Sylvia Rivera (July 2, 1951 – February 19, 2002) Puerto Rican/Venezuela American
In the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson, along with others at the Stonewall Bar refused to sit quietly during an ongoing police raid. It has been said that Rivera “threw the first heel” that night at law enforcement who were exerting police brutality on LGBTQ patrons they deemed were guilty of inappropriate behavior. The community had reached its breaking point. Day after day, night after night LGBTQ bars were being raided, innocent people were being locked up, and patrons were being publicly humiliated. During their darkest hour, an opportunity to rise against oppression presented itself and courageous members of the LGBTQ community never looked back.

Gloria Anzaldua (September 26, 1942 – May 15, 2004) Mexican American
She called herself a “chicana dyke-feminist, tejana patlache poet, writer and cultural theorist.” But to many who knew her, Gloria Anzaldua was simply one of the great female authors of the 20th Century. Growing up in South Texas and working as a migrant field worker to support her family, Anzaldua was provided with enough life experiences to pen her most revered work “Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza.” This book focused on social and cultural marginalization. Anzaldua incorporated English, Spanish, and other variations of Spanish into her writings, which helped this former bilingual preschool teacher stand out among the rest in the literary world. Anzaldua searched for power in writing in order to create a world that would compensate for what the real world did not offer.

Pedro Zamora (February 29, 1972 – November 11, 1994) Cuban American
Pedro Zamora was one of the pioneers of reality television who used his short time in the spotlight to break down barriers of HIV/AIDS stigma and homophobia. Appearing on the third season of MTV’s The Real World based in San Francisco, Pedro was introduced to American households as an HIV-positive 22-year-old gay man who provided the social conscience voice in a house full of twentysomethings. During the five-month airing of the show, Pedro would often talk about his work as an HIV/AIDS educator and discussed prevention and awareness. He not only educated his fellow cast mates throughout the show’s 20 episodes, but also taught safe sex to the nearly 3 million viewers who tuned in each week. Many TV critics considered Pedro’s appearance on the show one of reality TV’s finest moments.

Daniel Hernandez, Jr. (January 25, 1990 - ) Mexican American
Just five days into his job, 20-year-old Daniel Hernandez, Jr., was helping Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords put together a “Congress on Your Corner” event in Tuscon, Arizona, on January 8, 2011. The supermarket parking lot event attracted around 30 constituents on that sunny day. Then the unthinkable happened. A disturbed shooter began firing his semi-automatic pistol into the crowd and directly at the Congresswoman. Giffords was struck in the head. Hernandez began checking on gunshot victims around him until he noticed Giffords lying on the ground with a severe wound. He went directly to her and started applying first aid, skills he had picked up during training as a certified nursing assistant in high school. He stayed with her until the ambulance arrived. In total, 18 people were shot. Six of those victims died. Giffords’ doctors credit Hernandez for saving the Congresswoman’s life. President Barack Obama recognized him four days later in a nationally televised memorial service in Tucson. Weeks later Hernandez turned 21 and on that day he was invited to the President’s State of the Union, where he sat next to First Lady Michelle Obama. Today, Daniel represents his hometown in the Arizona State Legislature and he launched a congressional campaign for his former boss’ old seat.

Ritchie Torres (March 12, 1988 - ) Puerto Rican/African American
From public housing to the halls of Congress, U.S. Representative Ritchie Torres made history in 2020 when he captured New York’s 15th Congressional seat and became the first Afro-Latinx LGBTQ member of Congress. Prior to this historic election, he spent seven years in City Hall, representing the Bronx and making sure enough resources were being directed to the city’s affordable housing program and toward fighting the city’s opioid epidemic. His progressive stances, new ways of addressing today’s problems, and bucking the archaic caucus system have sent waves in Congress. He demanded and got caucus membership in both the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, something not allowed prior to his arrival. He also belongs to the LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus, the Congressional Progressive Caucus, the Future Forum Caucus and the Labor Caucus.

To learn more about extraordinary people in our movement, pick up a copy of Queer Brown Voices.

LULAC Hosts ‘Nothing About Us, Without Us’ this Spring as the Organization Celebrates 15 Years of LGBTQ Advocacy

Posted on 04/06/2021 @ 06:15 AM

Tags: LGBTQ, Health, Coronavirus, Empowerment

By Jesse Garcia, Chair
National LULAC LGBTQ Affairs Committee

This spring I celebrate 15 years of being a LULAC member, and LULAC is throwing me a big Quinceañera in April. You’re invited. Instead of a big plate of mole con arroz and una copa de champán, you can expect to hear policy discussions on social justice. And sorry, you can’t take the centerpiece home. This celebration will be virtual.

In all seriousness, LULAC will host an LGBTQ Policy Summit for its members and guests— “Nothing About Us, Without Us”—on Saturday, April 24, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (EST). The event will spotlight issues important to both LGBTQ and Latinx communities. We are on the verge of seeing our immigrant families obtain a pathway to citizenship and seeing our LGBTQ community leave its second-class status behind. It won’t be easy. We’ll have to educate a lot of family members, allies, and federal elected officials on the need for Immigration Reform and the Equality Act to pass both houses of Congress — intact.

We will also have meaningful discussions led by movement leaders on issues surrounding LGBTQ Youth, LGBTQ Elders, the Transgender Community, HIV/AIDS, and the Black Social Justice Movement. Check out speaker line up here.

This summit is something I have always dreamed about. A space where Queer Brown people can gather, create community, learn from each other, and uplift one another. This dream started in 2006 when I cofounded the very first LULAC LGBTQ council in Dallas, Texas.

That game-changing council was born from the ashes of an electoral defeat. After Texas voters passed an anti-marriage amendment in November of 2005, the LGBTQ community was in mourning. We had worked hard to defeat that hateful law. When LGBTQ activists did a post-mortem on the election, they noticed something promising. While Anglo and Black voters overwhelmingly voted to ban same-sex marriage in Texas, Latinx voters broke even. Nearly fifty percent of our gente voted to support our cause! There was an opportunity to build bridges with an ally that will soon become the largest segment of the Texas population.

Weeks before that election, I had sought assistance from National LULAC to help defeat this same-sex marriage ban. After a meaningful discussion with the National LULAC President, I was invited to form a council to start a dialogue with LULAC members about LGBTQ equality. I parked that idea in the back of my head and went back to focus on the fall election.

Being in the LGBTQ movement, very few Latinx folks have the time and energy to be thoroughly involved in the cause — and rarely do we hold leadership positions. But after that Texas election, I had to start having conversations in the Latinx community about LGBTQ equality. I wondered, if I start a LULAC LGBTQ Council, where would I find other LGBTQ Latinx individuals willing to make the commitment? Enter the Spring of 2006, when Latinx folks around the country began participating in MegaMarchas started by Dreamers on MySpace.

Dallas was home to one of the largest marches that year. We were told to show up on Palm Sunday in downtown Dallas with white shirts and American flags. When I arrived that morning, everyone was dressed in white and carrying Old Glory. But there was one little spot in the crowd that didn’t follow the rules. A contingent of out and proud Gaytinos showed up with Pride Flags. I had finally found future members of the Dallas Rainbow Council.

We started the Dallas Rainbow Council that summer and LULAC welcomed us with open arms. Since 2006, LULAC has also chartered LGBTQ-focused councils in San Antonio, Corpus Christi, the Rio Grande Valley, Washington, DC and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

LULAC has a long history of supporting LGBTQ equality. Several initiatives have been voted into LULAC’s legislative platform thanks to overwhelming support from its membership at National Conventions: Supporting the Equality Act (2019), Lifting Transgender Military Ban (2019), Relief for Transgender Asylum Seekers (2019), Opposing Conversion Therapy (2018), Affirming and Protecting Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming People’s Rights (2017), Support for Marriage Equality (2012), Support for Employee Non Discrimination Act (2009), and Repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (2008).

LULAC went a step further in 2018. Our National LULAC President created the first-ever National LULAC LGBTQ Affairs Committee and appointed me as its Chair.

For a third year in row, this committee has continued to make LULAC a more inclusive place. Helping me lead this effort is Vice Chair Maria Salazar (San Antonio, Texas), along with committee members Alexa Rodriguez (Baltimore, Maryland), Terry Borja (Arlington, Virginia), Nancy Cañas (District Heights, Maryland), Elias Cantu, Jr. (San Benito, Texas), Leti Gomez (Washington, DC), Nancy Vera (Corpus Christi, Texas), Javier Rodriguez (Washington DC), Renato De Los Santos (Dallas, Texas), Wilfred Labiosa (San Juan, Puerto Rico), Jacie Lozano (San Antonio, Texas), Joel Ramos (Cataño, Puerto Rico), and Jonathan Dromgoole (Arlington, Virginia).

Thanks to LULAC, LGBTQ Latinx activists have a place to organize and call home. For years, LGBTQ Latinx individuals have struggled to keep our organizing spaces open. There were several attempts in the 1980s and 1990s to form national LGBTQ Latinx organizations. They succeeded in producing some amazing advocates, but those organizations weren’t able to sustain themselves. With its enduring 92-year history of advocacy, LULAC can provide a foundation to help foster the growth of future Latinx leaders in the LGBTQ movement — leaders developed with ideals centered on intersectionality.

Thank you LULAC for opening your heart to your LGBTQ family. Don’t forget to register for the summit.

Jesse Garcia cofounded The Dallas Rainbow Council #4871 in 2006 and LULAC Lambda #11125 in 2014. He currently serves as Chair of the National LULAC LGBTQ Affairs Committee and as LULAC District of Columbia State Director. He is also a LULAC Youth Council sponsor at E.L. Haynes Public Charter School in Washington DC and hosts his own LGBTQ Latinx podcast www.jessegarciashow.com.