The story of LGBTQIA+ equality in Colorado and across the nation cannot be told without acknowledging the ways race, immigration, and queerness intersect. For queer Latine people, our histories are layered with resilience and resistance, but also with the realities of discrimination, invisibility, and systemic barriers.

The History of Immigration and Queerness

Latine immigrants have long contributed to the fabric of this country. Within my own family’s story, I think of visiting my grandparents’ home in Valle Hermoso, Mexico, a house my grandfather built with his own hands. I think about my mother and tías who traveled the U.S. picking fruits and vegetables, their determination and hard work shaping the foundation of our family.
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Generations of immigrants labored not only to survive, but to create something lasting, rooted in the values of family and community. They taught us that progress is not an individual act, it is collective, and it is sustained by the belief that our struggles and our futures are bound together.
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Chicana scholar Gloria Anzaldúa wrote, “To survive the Borderlands you must live sin fronteras, be a crossroads.” For many, life is lived at those very crossroads: between nations, between cultures, between queerness and family tradition. Survival has always meant building bridges where none existed, transforming traditions into sources of strength, and insisting on our wholeness even when the world tries to fragment us.

How Today’s Climate Impacts Queer Latine Communities

Anti-immigrant attacks and attacks on LGBTQIA+ rights fuel each other, creating a climate of fear. Immigrants are targeted through raids, deportation threats, stolen wages, and blocked healthcare, while the same forces push to ban gender-affirming care, erase inclusive education, and dismantle protections for LGBTQIA+ people. All part of the same effort to keep us down.
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For queer Latine people, the weight of these deliberate attacks is layered. We carry the hardships our families have long endured, while also pushing against the walls built to keep us from living openly and freely as ourselves.

A Call To Action

In the face of these challenges, queer Latine communities continue to lead with courage and creativity. We are organizers, storytellers, and movement builders who understand that liberation is interconnected. The fight for immigrant rights is tightly bound to the fight for LGBTQIA+ equality. When we uplift one, we uplift all.
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Hispanic Heritage Month reminds us that our histories, identities, and futures are deeply connected. It is not only a time to honor culture and tradition, but also to recommit to the fight for dignity, equality, and justice. For queer Latine people, this month is both a celebration and a call to action. This month serves as a reminder that our presence is powerful and our liberation is bound to the liberation of all.

Latine is a gender-neutral word used in place of Latino or Latina. It’s often used by people who speak Spanish to be more inclusive of everyone, no matter their gender identity.