“My Mexican heritage is something I am very proud of,” said Adelyn. “For me, being Latine is part of my identity and everyday life. I love being able to speak Spanish and understand another culture. It’s part of who I am. Aside from being transgender, being Latine is what I most identify with.”

Latine Heritage Month, which runs from September 15 to October 15, is a month-long celebration of Latine cultural impact and contributions. It’s a time for Adelyn and many others to recognize the value that being Latine has on personal lives and mainstream culture.

To celebrate Latine history and culture, HRC created an integrated campaign titled Latine and Proud, which highlights the intersectionalities of living authentically as both Latine and LGBTQ+ and celebrates the lives of LGBTQ+ Latine folks while addressing some of the issues directly impacting them, such as health disparities and immigration. Celebrating Latine Heritage Month is essential to HRC’s mission of fighting for LGBTQ+ equality, as Latine folks have always been and will always be an essential part of the LGBTQ+ liberation movement. Latine Heritage Month, and every month, provides the opportunity for everyone to celebrate and honor Latine folks for their unique cultural contributions.

Latine and Proud encompasses a unique and distinctive approach to the celebration of Latine cultures, placing emphasis on the significance of quinceañeras, a popular traditional celebration in Latine cultures traditionally taking place when a girl turns 15 years old. Our twist on quinceañera celebrations was dubbed queer quinceañera, a virtual opportunity for Latine folks who didn’t have the opportunity to celebrate their own quinceañeras to do so through a queer lens. And celebrate they did — in lavish, flowing gowns, tiaras, elegant makeup and elaborate hairstyles. The queer quinceañera helped amplify the community’s unique voices and culture, allowing them to come into their own Latine and queer power, an important aspect of everyone’s lives not always facilitated for Latine queer folks.

“Considering that Latine people account for more than half of the total U.S. population growth since 2010, and are expected to become the largest racial and ethnic group by a large margin over the next few decades," said Alberto Morales, HRC’s national press secretary for special projects. Investments in Latine communities is not only the right thing to do, it is also a way to future-proof bottom lines.”

Latine and Proud also exclusively debuted a compelling video featuring Adelyn’s story of celebration and struggle. The video was featured by Latina magazine, a prolific Latine news and culture publication. In the video, Adelyn shares her experiences as a transgender Latine youth while also spotlighting her Mexican heritage and background. Adelyn speaks to the challenges she faces as a Mexican-American transgender child living in a mostly Mexican-American community. The video acknowledges the challenges faced by not only Latine transgender folks, but many Latine LGBTQ+ folks. It also brings to the forefront the continued need to further the work HRC does in marginalized communities, including the LGBTQ+ Latine community.

Latine and Proud also celebrates Latine historical LGBTQ+ figures who have significantly contributed to the fight for equality, such as Chavela Vargas, Sylvia Rivera and Pedro Zamora. The campaign also celebrates a partnership with Soñia Lazo, a talented LGBTQ+ artist from El Salvador whose work speaks to and celebrates Latine identities and is featured as the cover for this issue of Equality magazine. The partnership helps to connect HRC with Latine communities through the visual vehicle of graphic imagery, something many cultures, including Latine cultures, value as a form of expression.

“To truly advocate for LGBTQ+ equality, we must recognize and celebrate the diverse identities of our community,” said Jay Brown, HRC’s senior vice president of programs, research and training. “Latine and Proud is about celebrating the contributions of LGBTQ+ Latine activists in our fight for liberation while also recognizing the intersecting challenges that LGBTQ+ Latine people face today.”

Adamalis and Adelyn Vigil know these intersecting challenges all too well.

“As a family, we have faced discriminatory hurdles in school and the state of Texas,” said Adamalis Vigil. “Members of the community that don’t know us pass their own judgments because our experience is not their lived experience. It is painful to watch my daughter be forced to defend her humanity and dignity in school and in the Texas Legislature when those that know her cherish her exactly as she is. The discriminatory anti-transgender bills being proposed repeatedly in the Texas legislature are a physical and emotional drain on our family. But because of the support we have at home, seguimos en la lucha [we remain in the fight],” said Vigil.

Providing visibility to the challenges faced by any marginalized community is one of HRC’s most significant goals in order to ensure people like Adelyn can envision a bright and promising future for herself and members of her Latine community.