Personal Narrative: My Latino Identity

My new identity as a 17-30, gay, Latino is very different from my own personal identity. When I Googled “gay, Hispanic, young adult,” you can expect what came up. I had to alter my search terms to find what I needed. When I Googled, “Being a Gay Latino” and “Gay Latinos in the United States,” I got more acceptable results than just pages and pages of porn. My first portrayal of being a gay Latino came from a video on Huffington Post. It was satirical but honest, entertaining, and relatable in ways to those who aren’t of this identity. When someone finds out that you are a young, gay, Latino you begin being called “Papi.” Not only are you “Papi” but you are also sassy, feminine, and full of drama (Nichols, 2015). Now I know that’s not true in all cases. It’s just one of many stereotypes out there targeting this identity group. I’m a twenty-five year old, gay, Latino. Growing up gay in a Spanish community was tough for me because being gay wasn’t as openly accepted as it is today. Many Hispanic families, like my own, are very religious and have a strong relationship with God as a family unit. Being gay is seen as a sin by others. I was worried about my family finding out that I am gay and tried hiding it “butching it up” and acting “boyish.” That second portrayal relates to how many young, gay, Latinos grew

I am seventeen years old. My name is Josue Velasquez and I’m on a bus to a ranch in the middle of nowhere in hopes that the Latino Pentecostal church can fix me. My companions and I are all separated in different rooms. We aren’t allowed to see let alone look at each other. I spend my days being forced to pray and denounce my sexuality. Do they know that they can’t make me “denounce” my sexuality? They are trying to make us “pray the gay away.” They believe we have demons inside of us. They get in our faces and scream at us. I’ve been around these nonbelievers my whole life. No one accepts who I am. Not even my own family (Jr,