Relationship Status:
I have a partner, but he is not out to his family
Zip Code:
53204
Family:
Mom: Rosalina, 54
Dad: José S., 59
Me (José S), 34
Brother: Jorge, 32
Sister: Aidee G., 28
Brother: Angel, 11
My sister and I are the only ones who live in
Milwaukee, WI; the rest of my family live in El Paso, TX. All
of them are very supportive of me and my brother Jorge - who is
gay too.
Why are you participating in this project?
What impact would you like to have?
Because I believe that we need to come out and
let the community know that we are part of this society and the
contributions we can provide to the community are as good as any
other person regardless of our sexual identity.
Do your neighbors know
you are gay or love someone gay or transgender?
Yes, I'm out to my family, friends, neighbors
and co-workers.
What advice would you have for someone who
wants to be supportive of their gay neighbors?
My advice to my neighbors, friends, co-workers
and all the community would be to don't be afraid to approach
LGBT people if they feel like it. To love your LGBT neighbors
is not different than loving your neighbors who are White, Black,
Asian, Hispanic/Latino, short, tall, etc.
How could someone show that they are for
the fair treatment of everyone?
Respect is the key to show that you want to
be fair to everyone; and respect is to give the same rights to
everyone as well to give the same responsibilities to everyone.
What might they say to you to show their
support? Is there any action they could do?
I don't feel special for the fact that
I'm gay, so I don't think I need a special treatment
from my neighbors. We are all equal in God's eyes; why should
we be different to the society?
Have you ever been discriminated against
for being LGBT or loving someone gay?
No
Do you think our community treats people
in the LGBT community fairly? How so?
The community yes, the law and the interpretation
of it don't.
Are you out to friends, family, co-workers
– why or why not? This includes if you love someone gay
or transgender?
Yes I'm out to everyone.
Are there any laws that affect you, your
relationships or your children as an ally or member of the LGBT
community?
Yes, there are many laws that are not fair to
LGBT people as well as many of them are not fair to immigrants.
As I mentioned before we are human beings and we deserve the same
rights as everyone, such as partner's rights, adoption,
health care, same work opportunities, etc. This morning I received
this article and couldn't believe it:
Problem:
1) In 38 states you can be fired from your job if you are
transgender.
2) In 30 states you can be fired from your job if you are lesbian,
gay or bisexual
Solution:
Every single person in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender
community deserves to be protected against workplace against discrimination.
At 9to5 we support our LGBT members as part of our commitment
to social justice.
