LULAC Celebrates National Pride Month With A Call To Be Intentional About Inclusion And Protections For All

Nation’s Largest and Oldest Latino Civil Rights Organization Says LGBTQIA+ Are More than Just Letters. They are All of Us Together.

Washington, DC - The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) issued the following statement on this, the first day of National Pride Month 2022.

Jesse Garcia - LULAC National LULAC LGBTQ Affairs Committee Chair
"Latinx LGBTQIA+ members belong. Pertenecen in all aspects of life with dignity, respect, and safety. LGBTQIA+ history is brightened with stories of fighting to belong in the Midwest's rural communities or pillars of LGBTQIA+ resistance in the East and West Coasts of the United States. PRIDE month is a time to remember, reflect, and continue efforts to bring greater belonging to all LGBTQIA+ people in the country, especially when trans and LGBTQIA+ youth continue to be targeted in sports and schools where they should feel their greatest sense of safety and support. Now more than ever, our stories of belonging matter to remind ourselves and those who don't understand that LGBTQIA+ people are worthy of all the protections and opportunities afforded to us as human beings.

This month LULAC affirms, celebrates, and advocates for greater protections for our LGBTQIA+ siblings. LGBTQIA+ Latinx people belong in our schools, workplaces, churches, businesses, and our families as they are. We challenge our entire LULAC and Latinx community to come together and challenge homophobic and anti-trans laws and policies, words, and mindsets to build greater belonging for us all everywhere. As LGBTQIA+ members, we belong. Nosotros pertenecemos in all aspects of life and invite you to fight for and celebrate your belonging this PRIDE Month!”

Alexa Rodriguez - LULAC National Women Commission Youth Representative / Director of Trans-Latinx DMV, a nonprofit organization that advocates for the Black-Indigenous-Brown Trans-Latinx Community in the DMV area.
“This year Pride month is different after the quarantine and the attacks on our community like the "Don't Say Gay" law. Also, the attacks by the Texas governor and attorney general not letting our Trans children get access to affirmative healthcare and their parents being investigated by child protective services. Still, all that will not stop us from celebrating our rights and existence! We won't say, 'Hey, alright. WE WILL SHOUT IT OUT!!!' And we will stand for our Trans youth. Mr. President, Joe Biden, says, 'We got your back,' and it is time to protect them. Protect Trans kids, save the Trans community. Invest in Trans lives."

Rodolfo Rosales Jr., Texas LULAC State Director
"Today. I join on behalf of Texas LULAC as the first openly gay man ever elected to statewide office in our organization, headed towards the 100-year mark, which is within sight. Yet, it has taken us this long to include the LGBTQIA+ community everywhere in a joyous exclamation of our victories and resolve to continue our fight for right! On June 25, I will represent LULAC in one of the largest gay pride events in the United States. All of us can join in literally and in spirit, supporting inclusion, respect for all, and embracing our sexual identity diversity with the same enthusiasm as every other right LULAC advocates for in America and Puerto Rico. I am honored to raise my voice and say I stand with PRIDE!"

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About LULAC
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the nation’s largest and oldest civil rights volunteer-based organization that empowers Hispanic Americans and builds strong Latino communities. Headquartered in Washington, DC, with 1,000 councils around the United States and Puerto Rico, LULAC’s programs, services and advocacy address the most important issues for Latinos, meeting critical needs of today and the future. For more information, visit https://lulac.org/