Most recently, the County of Los Angeles issued a warning to take action and prepare homes and loved ones for another round of extreme wind and fire weather starting Monday afternoon. 

“LA County asks the public to prepare for the dangerous Santa Ana winds and extreme fire weather,” reads one statement. Another statement by LA County also points out peak wind speeds in the coasts and valleys of 50 to 70 mph and 60 to 100 mph in the mountains and foothills. 

Most recently, the U.S. Census Bureau collected national data on the LGBTQ+ community in relation to disaster displacement and through an analysis discovered that LGBTQ+ people are nearly twice as likely than the general public to be displaced after disasters.

A recent news article by The 19th points to the connection from previous research that many faith-based organizations and bias in disaster response could be the reason. Regardless of the reason, people in the LGBTQ+ community have always existed in the margins and will likely continue to face the burden of getting timely and necessary treatment and assistance.

The past week has been a challenging time for many people affected by the wildfires that ravaged through Los Angeles. Many community members, leaders and organizers lost their homes and were permanently displaced. Some long-standing businesses are being forced to close due to financial burden and many in our community face a long road to recovery. In the midst of tragedy, grief and loss, thousands of people in Los Angeles are coming together to provide resources and assistance to those affected by the wildfires – particularly those of the QTBIPOC communities. 

How to prepare 

Sign up for emergency alerts at alert.lacounty.gov

Check evacuation zone statuses and make a plan to evacuate if ordered to do so 

Pack essentials in a go bag including medications, and vital documents such as passports, birth certificates, marriage licenses, and any other government issued documents 

Prepare for possible Public Safety Power Shutoffs that can last anywhere from several hours to several days

Report any signs of smoke or fire by calling 911

What to consider

If you are a member of the LGBTQ+ community, there are a few extra steps and documents to keep in mind as you evacuate.

Considering how imminent the threats are from the new administration, it is especially important to consider packing any gender-affirming paperwork such as doctor’s notes, medications lists and any other government documents that provide proof of medical needs. It is also worth noting that business and marriage documents are even more crucial to keep copies of as an LGBTQ+ person due to the pushback many receive when it comes to proving their marital status or ownership of business.

Many working class and older Black and Latin American families have lost their multi-generational homes to the Eaton Canyon fire. Queer, women-owned and BIPOC businesses like June Bug and Cafe De Leche were on the direct path of the fire that burned through parts of Altadena and Pasadena, leaving behind only remnants, rubble and devastating scenes of the aftermath. 

Thousands of homes and businesses were lost to the fires and the displacement, grief and loss will have a long-lasting impact on our communities – many of whom already struggled to thrive in the margins. 

Check out our other coverage to stay on top of events and other updates on the fires and mutual aid coverage.

Though climate change and electrical systems are the biggest culprits behind the fires in the Greater Los Angeles area, the alt-right is pointing the finger of blame to LGBTQ+ people – particularly toward lesbian Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley and her DEI measures.

While L.A braces itself for ‘critical to extremely critical,’ weather conditions that will pick up again on Monday evening, the LGBTQ+ communities of L.A brace themselves for how they will continue to be used as political pawns at the peak of disaster.

Alt-right accusations

Megyn Kelly accused Chief Crowley of ‘focusing on diversity instead of planning for disaster,’ on The Megyn Kelly Show. The former Fox journalist was referencing the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion measures that Chief Crowley advocated for in a strategic plan for 2023 to 2026. 

Kelly slammed Chief Crowley saying ‘…who gives a sh-t if the fire chief is gay, I’m sorry but who gives a flying fig about who she sleeps with.”

Elon Musk and Bill Ackman both took to social media to attack the DEI initiatives – with little to no evidence. Musk boldly stated on X that “DEI means people DIE,” but never posted anything that backed up that correlation. 

In 2022, Crowley took the position as LAFD Chief and during that same year, established a DEI bureau. Musk and Ackman shared the video of Kelly alleging that Crowley is at fault for the fires and have not acknowledged the evidence from multiple reports that point the finger of blame toward the city’s Department of Water and Power. 

At a news conference, the department said that “3 million gallons of water were available when the Palisades fire started,” but the demand was four times greater than they had ever seen in their system. 

Janisse Quiñones is the chief executive and chief engineer of the LADPW stated that they pushed their system ‘to the extreme,’ for 15 hours straight, which in-turn significantly lowered the water pressure. 

The rapidly-growing list of critics speaking against Chief Crowley are not only leaving themselves open to defamation lawsuits, but also spreading misinformation that turns the attention from the real culprits like climate change and infrastructure failures by the Department of Water and Power.

Climate change

Strong Santa Ana winds and drought in Los Angeles have produced the deadly conditions for what many in the region are calling an apocalyptic disaster. The Greater Los Angeles area had a total of five fires burning simultaneously since strong winds picked up on Tuesday, spanning a total of 39,862 acres – and counting.

Multiple studies done across the United States suggest that climate change is a direct link to increases in North American fires because global warming leads to drought and other extreme weather in the West. 

A 2016 analysis, suggests that “anthropogenic climate change will continue to chronically enhance the potential for western U.S. forest fire activity while fuels are not limiting.”

Fire Chief Crowley’s action

On Oct. 30 2023, Chief Crowley submitted the 2024-25 fiscal year annual budget request, outlining a total budget request of over $1.1 billion dollars to cover funding for trainings, adding dispatchers, funding for resources in response to the 2023 Standards of Cover deployment analysis, continuation of the wildfire suppression, land fuel management support through the continuing implementation of a paid Hand Crew civilian program, continuation of reimbursable mutual aid sworn overtime, and staffing resources and expenses for Air Operations support, among many other demands. The budget outlines the many efforts and demands that Chief Crowley laid out in an effort to expand department resources and get more hands-on assistance.

On Dec. 17, 2024, a month before the fires spread across L.A, killing nearly a dozen people and displacing over 100 thousand others, Chief Crowley sent a memo to the office of Mayor Karen Bass, stating the concerns she had in regards to the “challenges due to the elimination of critical civilian positions and a $7 million reduction in Overtime Variable Staffing Hours,” reads the memo. 

Number one on Crowley’s list of goals outlined in her Strategic Plan, is to “deliver exceptional public safety and emergency services,” while other goals also mentioned providing a safe and healthy work environment and embracing technological advancements. 

“These budgetary reductions have adversely affected the Department’s ability to maintain core operations such as technology and communications infrastructure, payroll processing, training, fire prevention and community education,” continues the memo signed by Chief Crowley. 

In an interview on Friday, Chief Crowley answered the question about the budget cuts, saying “Yes, it was cut and it did impact our ability to provide service.” 

Shortly following that interview, a petition calling for the resignation of Mayor Karen Bass started to circulate. The petition quickly gained traction, getting over 100 thousand signatures. 

Mayor Bass then summoned Chief Crowley to her quarters at City Hall for a long meeting, where it was rumored that the fate of Chief Crowley’s career was on the line. Bass even missed the nightly media brief of the wildfires where she was due to be a featured speaker. 

The Daily Mail reported that Bass had fired Crowley, but the Fire Department issued a statement stating that it was not true and that ‘it is important to note that the Fire Chief was not dismissed and is in full command of the LAFD.’

Mayor Bass stated in a wildfire briefing that they “are both focused on [their] urgent needs to mitigate the devastating wildfires.” 

Chief Crowley remains committed toward using the resources available to combat the fires still running amok throughout Greater Los Angeles, such as the Pacific Palisades fire and the Eaton Canyon fire, which have burnt through 23,713 acres and 14,117 acres, respectively.

(Editor’s note: Some details about this case might be triggering for some readers.)

In early 2023, a young trans man was driving home from his job as a high school teacher,
when he was pulled over by a Los Angeles Sheriff’s deputy in the City of Whittier. Though at
first, it seemed like a routine traffic stop, the confrontation escalated quickly and ended in the
violent arrest of Emmett Brock, who was then charged with two misdemeanors that included
resisting arrest and battery against an officer.
Now, the ex-deputy who admitted to using excessive force on Brock, will make an
appearance in court on Jan 17, following the decision last month to charge him with one felony
count of deprivation of rights under color of law.
According to court documents and video footage, Brock suffered a concussion,
contusions, and abrasions as a result of the excessive force.
The story later unfolded to include details about the incidents leading up to the traffic
stop. Brock told the LA Times that he had driven past Joseph Benza III, 36, now an ex-LASD
Sheriff’s deputy, and flipped him off, thinking he wouldn’t notice.
Benza then followed Brock to a 7-Eleven, where he pulled up behind him and lunged at
Brock as he was stepping out of his vehicle. It was later revealed that Benza weighed twice as
much as Brock and had made contact for back-up prior to the encounter with Brock, alerting
other deputies that he was planning on using force.
In last month’s court filings, prosecutors said Benza abandoned a domestic disturbance
call to pursue action against Brock.
The ex-deputy was recorded by nearby cameras wrangling Brock to the ground while
Brock called out for his life. Around July of that year, the video from the 7-Eleven where the
incident took place, surfaced. The footage captured the moment when Benza arrested Brock,
inflicting blows to the face and head, and wrangling him to the ground before cuffing him. The
LGBTQ+ community stood by Brock, as it was seen and heard in the video when he yelled for
his life, fearing the excessive force inflicted on him and fighting to breathe.
“You’re going to f–ing kill me,” he shouted in the audio, while also calling out for help.
After being arrested, Brock was taken to the Norwalk sheriff’s department where the staff
allegedly asked him to show them his genitals before making a decision on what cell to hold him in. Brock was later released on $100,000 bail after being charged with three felonies – mayhem, resisting arrest and obstruction – as well as a misdemeanor charge of failure to obey a police officer.
“Mr. Benza abused his position of authority to assault an innocent citizen, then dissembled to cover his actions during the subsequent investigation,” said Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “The FBI prioritizes the protection of civil rights and will pursue prosecution when warranted.”
Last summer, more than a year after the life-changing incident, Brock was declared
factually innocent by a judge and then went on to pursue a legal case against L.A. County and
the members of the LASD involved in the incident, seeking $10,000 in damages.
Regardless of being declared factually innocent, Brock still lost his teaching job.
Ex-deputy Benza was fired over the case and has pleaded guilty to a federal civil rights
violation for using excessive force against Brock after a year’s-long investigation. Pleading
guilty to the felony civil rights offense carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison.
After making his initial appearance in federal court in December, he was let go along
with seven other deputies who assisted Benza in allegedly lying to the FBI regarding details of
the incident.
“The video speaks for itself. He was pounding at the kid’s head,” Brock’s attorney
Thomas Beck told the Los Angeles Blade last year. “He was diagnosed with a concussion later
after he was released. This guy committed multiple felonies against my client, and he’s gotten
away with it so far.”
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Benza admitted to preparing a false incident
report to cover up his civil rights violations. The false report omitted any reference to Brock
flipping Benza off and instead reported that Benza pulled him over because of an air freshener
hanging off of his rear-view mirror — a low-level offense that has led to other violent and deadly arrests by police forces in the United States, such as Daunte Wright’s case in 2021.
The false report also stated that Brock tried to bite Benza, citing him with criminal
mayhem.
Benza also allegedly engaged in additional obstructionist conduct, which included
speaking to, and instructing the other deputies to delete the text messages about the incidents
from their personal phones and discussing the false statements they would tell federal authorities regarding the details of the incident.
“It is deeply troubling that a member of our department, who has since been relieved of
duty, violated the trust placed in them to uphold the law by abusing their authority,” said L.A.
County Sheriff Robert G. Luna in a statement.
This is an ongoing case the Los Angeles Blade will continue to cover.

Of the 255 people surveyed at Pride events throughout 2024, about 74% of respondents who have been vaccinated against mpox identified as gay, and of those, 41% identified as Latin American, 36% as White, and 18% as Black. 

The California HIV Research Policy and Research Centers released the new survey this month, highlighting characteristics and prevention behaviors of Southern Californians who have been vaccinated against mpox. 

According to the World Health Organization, mpox is an illness caused by the monkeypox virus. There are groups of organisms that share a common ancestor and all of its descendants, called clades. The virus has 2 distinct clades–clade 1 and clade 2, with both of those clades having a and b subclades. During 2022 and 2023, a global outbreak of mpox was caused by the clade 2b strain. 

Today, mpox continues to be a threat globally, with cases caused by the clades 1a and 1b still surging in Democratic Republic of Congo and other countries, raising concerns. 

The Blade spoke with Dr. Ian Holloway, researcher at the Southern California HIV/AIDS Policy Research Center, to get more details on the survey. 

“We recently saw the first clade 1 infection in California, up in San Francisco,” said Dr. Holloway. “It was the first claude 1 infection in the United States and it happened up north, adding some additional urgency to this work.” 

He further explained that though the recent infection in California added urgency to this work, the survey results had been collected over 2024, with specific focus on pooling vaccination data from Pride events across SoCal counties which include Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Orange and San Diego. 

Black and Latin American people are overrepresented in terms of mpox cases in Los Angeles County. 

Infographic courtesy of the California HIV/AIDS Policy Research Centers

“There is a higher percentage of mpox cases among those groups, than their representation in the general population. They also have lower vaccination rates, compared to their White counterparts, so our efforts certainly highlight the need for culturally tailored and culturally relevant mpox education and community outreach materials in order to close the gap and provide more robust vaccine coverage, especially for Black and Latinx, queer people.” 

The study found that 67% of those surveyed received the first of 2 mpox vaccine doses during the 2022-23 outbreak, with 91% of those having received both necessary doses. The survey also pointed out that people did not rely on vaccination alone to protect against mpox, because about 20% of respondents also reduced their number of sexual partners or made other behavioral adjustments to reduce the risk of contracting the virus. 

To reduce the risk of infection, 20% of respondents reduced their number of sexual partners, 18% had less group sex, 15% attended fewer sex venues or parties, and 18% had fewer one-time sexual encounters. 

The survey also noted that over half of respondents were ‘somewhat or very concerned about mpox in their community.’ Another point of research in the survey found that 32% of respondents listed social media as their source of information, followed by 30% who listed a health care provider. 

Dr. Holloway, who is also a professor of social welfare at UCLA, said that community input is essential in creating and improving public health strategies to combat mpox infections and raise awareness about the effectiveness of vaccinations. 

This survey was done as a partnership between the research center and StickItin.LA.

“Through StickItIn.LA, we’re creating a platform to listen and connect to those who’ve been directly impacted by mpox and by doing so, we can shape a more inclusive vaccination strategy that addresses both stigma and mistrust,” said Dr. Holloway.

Over 300 people gathered last Monday to commemorate World AIDS Day in an event hosted by Bienestar Human Services. The non-profit focuses on identifying and addressing emerging health issues faced by Latinx and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans Queer and more (LGBTQ+) populations. 

The main objective of the annual event was to light a candle to honor those who passed away due to Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and celebrate those who, despite the condition, keep going. 

HIV is the virus that causes Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Once you have HIV, the virus stays in the body for life, and while there is no cure. There is, however, medicine that can help people stay healthy, states Planned Parenthood. HIV destroys the cells that protect the human body from infections. If a person doesn’t have enough of these CD4 or T cells, the body can’t fight off infections as normal. This damage can lead to AIDS, which is the most serious stage of HIV, and it leads to death over time. 

In the U.S., there are about 1.3 million people newly infected with HIV in 2023 and 39.9 million living with HIV, according to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. 

Living with HIV for decades

Among the participants at the event at the Ukrainian Culture Center on Melrose in East Hollywood was Marcela, a transgender woman who was diagnosed HIV positive 33 years ago. She said when she learned about her diagnosis, she was so depressed she tried to commit suicide. She ended up at the hospital, and after getting better, she heard about an organization that was helping people with health issues such as hers. 

“Since then, I learned to live with this condition because it is not an illness; it’s a condition,” she said. 

Bienestar celebrated the World AIDS Day on December 2, 2024. (Courtesy of Bienestar)

Marcela, who didn’t provide her last name, said she not only found a new way of living with HIV but also found an extended family at Bienestar. They have guided her on how to receive the proper treatment and medicines, to be part of a support group and even to pay her rent when she needed it the most. 

The 64-year-old woman doesn’t have any family members in the United States. She said five years ago, her husband passed away of pneumonia. She was living alone in Long Beach and got behind her payments during the pandemic. She said Bienestar helped her apply for a grant of over $20,000 that secured the payment for her rent, and now she is debt-free. 

“I’m extremely grateful to them and all the help they provide,” she said. 

Working for the community 

This year, Bienestar is celebrating 35 years of serving the LGBTQ+ community. Among the many programs they offer is the Support Group for Transgender Women, which Marcela belongs to. 

Mia Perez, the support group manager, said 15 to 20 members attend the group every Friday from 3 to 5 p.m. They talk about their feelings, share experiences, and plan and participate in social events.

Perez said one of the participants’ biggest concerns is accepting reality once they have been diagnosed. “However, with all these new treatments people that are HIV positive can have a normal relationship with someone who doesn’t have HIV. It’s all about getting informed,” said Perez.

Other concerns include what will happen to them once the new presidential administration takes office since they have plans to deport immigrants and many of the transgender women are immigrants. 

“That’s why we are trying to get in contact with an immigration attorney or an organization so they can keep them informed of their rights,” said Perez. 

Bienestar events, like World AIDS Day, help those affected create a stronger community, and they realize the recognition is not just for those who are HIV positive but also for their families and friends. 

Marcela said when she is feeling down or bored at home, all she has to do is go to Bienestar and the people there always give her a warm welcome. 

“They give me coffee, they offer me lunch. Being there is like being at home,” she said. 

December is AIDS/HIV awareness month and this year West Hollywood is honoring the lives lost, by breaking ground on a project in West Hollywood Park that has been in the works since 2012. 

Members of Hollywood’s City Council joined representatives from the Foundation of AIDS Monument to announce the commencement of the construction of STORIES: The AIDS Monument, which will memorialize 32 million lives lost. This monument, created by artist Daniel Tobin,  will represent the rich history of Los Angeles where many of those afflicted with HIV/AIDS lived out their final days in support of their community.

Tobin is a co-founder and creative director of Urban Art Projects, which creates public art programs that humanize cities by embedding creativity into local communities. 

The motto for the monument is posted on the website announcing the project. 

“The AIDS Monument:

REMEMBERS those we lost, those who survived, the protests and vigils, the caregivers.

CELEBRATES those who step up when others step away.

EDUCATES future generations through lessons learned.”

The monument will feature a plaza with a donor wall, vertical bronze ‘traces’ with narrative text, integrated lighting resembling a candlelight vigil, and a podium facing North San Vicente Blvd.

World AIDS Day, which just passed, is on December 1st since the World Health Organization declared it an international day for global health in 1988 to honor the lives lost to HIV/AIDS. 

The Foundation for the AIDS monument aims to chronicle the epidemic to be preserved for younger generations to learn the history and memorialize the voices that arose during this time. 

The HIV/AIDS epidemic particularly affected people in Hollywood during the onset of the epidemic in the 1980s. The epidemic caused a devastatingly high number of deaths in the city. The city then became one of the first government entities to provide social service grants to local AIDS and HIV organizations. 

In 1985, the city sponsored one of the first awareness campaigns in the country, nationally and globally becoming a model city for the response to the epidemic. 

Earlier this year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the theme for World AIDS Day, ‘Collective Action: Sustain and Accelerate HIV Progress.’

The city of West Hollywood continues to strive to become a HIV Zero city with its current implementation of HIV Zero Initiative. The initiative embraces a vision to “Get to Zero” on many fronts: zero new infections, zero progression of HIV to AIDS, zero discrimination and zero stigma.

Along with the initiative and the new AIDS monument, the city also provides ongoing support and programming through events for World AIDS Day and the annual AIDS Memorial Walk in partnership with the Alliance for Housing and Healing. 

For more information, please visit www.weho.org/services/human-services/hiv-aids-resources.

A majority of youth who are both Latin American and LGBTQ+ are proud of their identity, but many are still worried about their safety and future, according to a recent report.  

In 2022, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation partnered with the University of Connecticut to survey 2,236 LGBTQ+ youth from 13 to 17 years old in all 50 states. These results were released in a 2023 LGBTQ+ Youth Report, and a separate report released this month from HRC focuses on the statistics for LGBTQ+ youth who are also Latin American. 

Charleigh Flohr, Associate Director of Public Education and Research at HRC who co-created the study, says the overall resiliency of youth surveyed and the extra challenges that youth face when they have overlapping identities were the main takeaways.

For example, 70.5 percent of Latin American LGBTQ+ youth and 75.4 percent of Latin American transgender and gender-expansive youth say they experience anti-Latin American bias in the LGBTQ+ community. About 8 percent more Latin American LGBTQ+ and transgender or gender-expansive youth experience homophobia or transphobia in the Latin American community.

Youth also even struggle with building lateral relationships with others. More than 60 percent of Latin American LGBTQ+ or transgender participants say they find it difficult to make friends who are both LGBTQ+ and from the same ethnic community. 

“[The statistics] underscored to me the importance of having resources and education, and leadership that meets people at the intersections of their identities,” Flohr said. “Making sure that we have things that speak directly to Latine youth because of their Latine and their LGBTQ+ identities.”

HRC’s survey addresses the ways the attitude toward Latin American LGBTQ+ youth within their communities, also impact their hopes and fears. According to the report, 67.6 percent of Latin American LGBTQ+ youth and 76.4 percent of Latin American transgender and gender-expansive youth fear they will face discrimination in the future because of their LGBTQ+ identity.  

Fears about joining the workforce are substantiated, not only by their current experiences of discrimination, but also by separate data surveying adult LGBTQ+ workers. A study from the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law, showed that LGBTQ+ employees who are out to their coworkers are three times more likely to experience discrimination and almost half of LGBTQ+ employees report experiencing discrimination or harassment at work because of their sexual orientation or gender identity during their lifetime.

When adding race as a factor, LGBTQ+ employees of color were also more likely to report experiencing discrimination than white LGBTQ+ employees. Transgender and nonbinary employees and LGBTQ+ employees of color were about twice as likely as cisgender LGBTQ+ and white workers to experience discrimination or harassment in the past year.

“More robust protections, including monitoring and enforcement, are needed to ensure that LGBTQ+ people, particularly transgender and nonbinary people and LGBTQ+ people of color, are fully protected from discrimination and harassment in the workplace,” said Brad Sears, lead author and founding executive director at the Williams Institute.

Flohr said the 24.5 percent of youth who said they wish they were not LGBTQ+, also overlapped with those 90 percent who said they are proud to be both Latin American and LGBTQ+. She inferred from these results, that the sentiment of Latin American youth is less that of self-hate and more the desire to move freely in the world without the challenges queer and transgender people face. 

“I think that it’s important to understand the experiences of trans youth, including Latina trans youth, within the context of the political and cultural climate right now across state legislatures in the United States,” Flohr said. “Someone who is transgender like myself might wish they aren’t transgender so they don’t have to worry about how they’re going to be treated if they go use a public restroom. I think those are all really universal experiences of all LGBTQ+ people.” 

More than 650 anti-trans bills have been considered by U.S. legislators in the past year, according to independent research from the Trans Legislation Tracker. Of those hundreds of bills, 44 have been signed into law, including restrictions on curriculum and bathroom usage. One law in Iowa, SF 2435, prohibits the establishment of Diversity Equity and Inclusion offices at all. 

Yalitza “Yaya” Vasquez-Lopez is a community organizer at MiSELA, an LGBT Youth Center in Bell, Calif., and she also works at St. Bede’s Episcopal Church. She said that despite micro-aggressions from other employees and being the only transgender Latina working at the church, Vasquez-Lopez said she feels welcomed by details at the church, such as having a woman reverend, a booklet for attendees sharing what to expect throughout the service and the display of a TGI-inclusive pride flag. 

In the past, Vasquez-Lopez worked as a member of Mariachi Arcoiris, the only LGBTQ+ Mariachi in the world.

Vasquez-Lopez said her mostly-positive experiences in workplaces have stemmed from specifically pursuing opportunities to work with other LGBTQ+ people of color. She advised youth to do the same and find inclusive workplaces early on. 

“I think even just that representation of visiting an organization and seeing the synergy of a queer staff is such a good resource for kids. I wish I would have done that a little bit more when I was growing up,” Vasquez-Lopez said. “I think I could have seen the value of a queer-forward staff as a young, growing professional.”

Flohr says she hopes organizations will remember that they may be serving Latin American LGBTQ+ youth without knowing. She also shares that using affirming language around both Latin American and LGBTQ+ issues, is meaningful and impactful. 

Despite Latine LGBTQ+ youth’s fears and doubts, Flohr says another memorable result from the study, was reading about the hope that youth displayed in their responses.  

“Many [Latin American] youth know that a future for them is possible and they want those futures, whether it’s going to college or pursuing careers that are right for them,” Flohr said. “How successful they can be in those things … is also dependent on institutions and adults in those institutions to deliver the appropriate care and resources and education to them.”

When Elia Chino, Founder and Executive Director of the Fundacion Latinoamericana De Acción Social (FLAS) Inc., initially approached major HIV/AIDS agencies in Houston, Texas for support in starting an organization tailored specifically to reaching Latino populations, she was met with confusion.

“Why do you want to start a separate organization?” they asked. “We’re here!”

Chino remembers her frustration. “They didn’t understand,” she said. “Our brothers and sisters were dying, and the community needed services that they couldn’t provide.” 

Indeed, in the 1990s, barriers to HIV care and treatment for Latino populations were markedly different from those faced by other populations. Information about the HIV epidemic was largely in English, and inaccessible to many individuals who had immigrated from indigenous Latin American communities and never learned to read and write in their native language, let alone English. When they were able to access treatment, Latino individuals often faced mistreatment at primary care facilities due to a lack of culturally competent care. 

Perhaps most challenging was the culture of silence. Many Latino immigrants living with HIV in the United States fled homophobia, transphobia and stigma in their home countries, and were still grappling with lasting shame and guilt. Despite many people dying, there was little open discussion or education about the cause. In fact, Chino didn’t even know that the HIV epidemic took the lives of some of her best friends until speaking with their families years later. 

“No one was talking about their diagnosis,” says Chino. “People had come to the United States for freedom, but still weren’t ready to talk about who they were. There was a real atmosphere of stigma, taboo, misinformation and fear.”

At the time, Chino was volunteering at a hospital serving communities without insurance. The fourth, fifth and sixth floors were all dedicated to treating people with HIV. Chino began educating herself on this crisis while she volunteered at the hospital, and founded FLAS in 1994 after discovering that the majority of HIV prevention efforts were not reaching Latino individuals. 

In the beginning, without support from other organizations in the area or resources to expand, Chino was a one-woman show, conducting outreach in clubs, cantinas and bars by herself. She hadn’t anticipated the barriers she’d face as a member of the LGBTQ+ community and an immigrant. Horrible discrimination, a language barrier and intense HIV stigma in the communities she was working in made the work challenging, but also emphasized the necessity of what she was doing. 

Over time, with support and funding from organizations like Gilead Sciences, FLAS has been able to expand its services from solely HIV prevention to include HIV testing, behavioral health services, housing and social services assistance, support groups and a food pantry. The organization has started hosting educational events everywhere from churches to street corners, raising awareness about HIV in the Houston community. Chino also started collaborating with the consulate of Mexico to help newcomers navigate U.S. health systems and services when they arrive in the United States. Next year, the organization will start offering mobile HIV testing clinics for communities in need. 

Since its launch, FLAS has been able to expand its initial focus to address the holistic drivers of this crisis, moving beyond medical determinants of health to tackle the social and structural barriers that perpetuate the HIV epidemic and prevent Latino populations from accessing comprehensive treatment. 

“Everyone keeps telling Latino individuals to get tested, but this does nothing unless you actually incentivize people to do so,” says Chino. “People have to go to work. They have to pay their rent. They have to buy food. Many can’t afford to lose their salary and spend a full day coming in to do a test or get treatment. We have to make it easier to access HIV prevention and treatment, and we have to provide incentives.” 

This year marked FLAS’s 30th anniversary, which the organization celebrated with a gala in August. They have made a huge impact in Houston since their launch – providing HIV and STD education to over 500,000 Latino people, distributing over 20,000 HIV tests, referring over 40,000 people for social services and hosting over 6,000 educational events and health fairs in English and Spanish. However, many of the challenges for HIV prevention and treatment for Latino populations remain. 

“We have over 30,000 individuals living with HIV in Houston, yet when we ask for people to talk about their status, no one comes forward to tell their stories. HIV is a chronic disease, but stigmatization is still so strong in the Latino community,” says Chino. “You can say you have cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, whatever – but nobody says I have HIV. There is still so much work to do.” 

As a testament to their important programming, FLAS is a recipient of funding through Gilead Sciences’ TRANScend® Community Impact Fund, a program aimed at empowering Trans-led organizations working to improve the safety, health and wellness of the Transgender community. Since its inception in 2019, TRANScend has awarded more than $9.2 million in grants to 26 community organizations across 15 U.S. states and territories.

TRANScend support has been critical to helping FLAS maintain its services. In 2020, in the midst of the COVID pandemic, Gilead’s funding helped FLAS continue to offer virtual behavioral and mental health services to the community when their physical offices had to close. 

According to Chino, this type of partnership is critical to ending the HIV epidemic in Latino communities, especially for meeting communities where they are. 

“Communities trust their grassroots organizations, and grassroots organizations provide for their communities,” she says. “At the end of the day, we need to continue to support the groups doing the difficult work on the ground with the people they’re serving, especially those breaking down stigma and lasting barriers to care for Latino communities.”

APLA Health will celebrate its 40th anniversary this Sunday at West Hollywood Park, by kicking off the world’s first and oldest AIDS walk with a special appearance by Salina Estitties, live entertainment, and speeches.

APLA Health, which was formerly known as AIDS Project Los Angeles, serves the underserved LGBTQ+ communities of Los Angeles by providing them with resources. 

“We are steadfast in our efforts to end the HIV epidemic in our lifetime. Through the use of tools like PrEP and PEP, the science of ‘undetectable equals intransmissible,’ and our working to ensure broad access to LGTBQ+ empowering healthcare, we can make a real step forward in the fight to end this disease,” said APLA Health’s chief executive officer, Craig E. Thompson. 

For 40 years, APLA Health has spearheaded programs, facilitated healthcare check-ups and provided other essential services to nearly 20,000 members of the LGBTQ+ community annually in Los Angeles, regardless of their ability to pay. 

APLA Health provides LGBTQ+ primary care, dental care, behavioral healthcare, HIV specialty care, and other support services for housing and nutritional needs.

The AIDS Walk will begin at 10AM and registrations are open for teams and solo walkers. More information can be found on the APLA Health’s website.  

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed California Senate Bill 729 into law on Sunday, giving California families unobstructed coverage for fertility treatments, in vitro fertilization and other family planning through major insurance plans and policies.

Senator Caroline Menjivar introduced the bill last spring and since then, Republicans have amassed an attack toward IVF and fertility treatments.

“California is a proud reproductive freedom state – and that includes increasing access to fertility services that help those who want to start a family,” said Gov. Newsom. “As Republicans across the country continue to claw back rights and block access to IVF – all while calling themselves ‘the party of families’ – we are proud to help every Californian make their own choices about the family they want.”

This is a landmark move for California – a state that, although progressive – still used archaic standards and language to refer to a family dynamic and determine eligibility for family planning until this bill was signed into law. 

The law now requires health plans to cover treatments starting July 1, 2025. An estimated 10 million Californians will now have full access to treatments and have the opportunity to become parents regardless of past sexual history, relationship status, medical history. 

The new law will not apply to Medi-Cal managed care health care service plan contracts or any entity that enters into a contract with the State Department of Health Care Services for the delivery of health care services pursuant to specified provisions.

Earlier this year, a study found systematic barriers to fertility prevention for LGBTQ+ people on the path to becoming parents. This bill will now remove those systematic barriers for all families, including LGBTQ+ and interracial family dynamics. 

Last week, Equality California announced on an Instagram post that Grindr was the latest organization to join their efforts in urging Governor Newsom to sign the bill. 

Grindr’s CEO made a statement regarding the support, using his own surrogacy journey as an example. 

“I have two kids from surrogacy. They don’t tell you when you go to the IVF clinic how difficult it’s going to be. We’re lucky, because it’s very expensive, but it worked out really well” said Grindr’s CEO George Arison. “When I took on this role, one of the things that was obvious to me is that I think a lot more gay men would have children if the cost was more affordable…”