Latino GLBT group forms for campus support

Senior Enrique Perez’s parents told him he was too masculine to be gay.

His freshman year at IU, he hadn’t yet come out and said he was afraid girls would like him because he wasn’t the stereotypical “flamboyant” gay man. After having “bothersome interactions” with people and being frustrated with his lonely experience, Perez said he decided it was time for a change.

Perez is helping create a Latino gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender group at IU, called LOUTin@s, to create a support community.

The group is the first of its kind at IU. Lillian Casillas, director of La Casa Latino Cultural Center serves as one of the advisers for the group and said it is building a strong foundation so it will last for years to come.

The group has its leaders, but they are still solidifying the logistics of running the organization.

Perez said LOUTin@s will aim to unite students and faculty in addressing issues and facing challenges.

“Just being gay is challenging,” Perez said. “To interact with being Latino and gay, you’re a minority within a minority.”

Perez, president of the group, said the term LOUTin@s is a play on the Spanish word Latinos and represents all Latino men and women. The @ symbol is both an “a” for Latina, which means woman and an “o” for Latino, which means man.

Perez also said many gay Latinos struggle with thinking nobody understands.
“What brings on the fear is that there is no support,” he said. “The community needs to be created.”

Graduate student Omar Martinez, a member of the group, said the organization’s primary goals will focus on establishing trust with each other and creating a support system.

“Let’s create a group; we have a place; let’s talk,” Martinez said. “Perhaps afterward we can join other GLBT organizations in Indianapolis.”

Martinez said the group will possibly do volunteer work, with the future goal of helping out with issues such as HIV. He said the group is not only for GLBT students but also heterosexual students because they can learn from each other.

Martinez said he considers himself lucky because he has never been targeted or harassed because of his sexual orientation, but he has dealt with other issues, such as Catholicism and the machismo norms, which have an exaggerated sense of masculinity in the Hispanic culture.

“I have to say this,” Martinez said. “IU is a very safe campus, but we need to create more awareness about our experiences.”

Casillas said LOUTin@s has unique features from many other groups.

“I think what makes it different is that it will have a longer term,” Casillas said. “They’re writing a constitution and creating strong ties with folks here.”

She said with available resources, LOUTin@s will be a very successful group.

“We have a diverse Latino population,” Casillas said. “Part of that diversity is that we have different gender orientations, identities. This is just one organization that can provide support to our students and provide allies as well.”