Post submitted by Milagros Chirinos, HRC Bilingual Media Manager-Spanish

The Latino GLBT History Project recently celebrated local art and talent at an evening event -- La Resistencia -- featuring a poetry reading. A diverse group of artists gathered at the DC Center, a safe and LGBTQ-inclusive space, to celebrate the culture and resilience of our communities. Ten participants shared their passionate messages through poetry that explored a wide range of topics and alluded to the experiences of many vulnerable groups affected by the current political climate.

“This year we wanted to focus our efforts to open a cultural dialogue where people were able to identify themselves with the problems that concern us at the moment as a community,” said José Gutiérrez, founder of the Latino GLBT History Project. “It is important to talk about the obstacles faced by LGBTQ people, refugees, immigrants and all those who are being attacked in some way.” The event was hosted by Gutierrez and Lissette Miller, both members of the Latinx LGBTQI Coalition, which seeks to boost local art and understanding among different community groups through cultural activities.

The poetry reading was part of the DC Center’s OutWrite 2017 celebration, which honors the work of different LGBTQ authors and poets every year. La Resistencia, the only bilingual part of the program, also featured an exhibit of posters depicting the more than 30 years of activism for many Latinx LGBTQ members of the community.

The posters are part of the José Gutiérrez Collection, which features different historical articles collected at LGBTQ events since the 1980s. The exhibit is open to the public through August at the DC Center.

“Our goal is to educate people through a bilingual show that is as diverse and fun as the colors of our community,” said Gutiérrez. “The comments and feedback of the event reflect a deep need to talk about what distresses us and an urge to externalize our concerns as a community.”

The speakers represented many Latin American countries, including Mexico, Cuba, Nicaragua, Chile, and Peru. Among the featured poets at La Resistencia were Lorena Arellano, Salvador Torres-Martínez, José Varela, Roland Gutiérrez, Gabriela Espinoza, Ramón Chávez, Jonas Mínimo, Juana Ubau, Xemiyulu Manibusan and Milagros Chirinos, HRC's Bilingual Media Manager.

For more information on LGBTQ cultural events visit dccenter.com.