In late 2023, I went to a queer spanish practice meetup hoping to connect with other queer Latines. In so many spaces, I felt like my queerness and my culture couldn’t fully coexist. I was excited to finally find people like me — but I ended up being the only Latina there. (That is, until my now-good friend showed up three hours late — truly running on tiempo latino.)

I was surprised that in a city as queer as New York, there wasn’t a space where our identities could be unbound. So, in true eldest daughter fashion, I figured: if I can’t find the community I’m looking for, I might as well make it.

I went across different boroughs in NYC, hosted over 40 meetups, and met hundreds of amiguis who, like me, were craving connection. Our early meetups were small — sometimes no one showed up at all. Sometimes I wanted to quit, but…have you met an eldest daughter? Quitting isn’t in our vocabulary. Though, rest should be.

After Pride 2024, everything changed. Our growth exploded. We had just hit 1,000 followers, and in a matter of weeks, 1k turned into 20k. Queer Latines from across the country started asking, When are you coming to our city? And that’s when I realized — this wasn’t just something I needed. It was something we all needed.

That’s how Queer Latines was born — we’re a growing community of queer Latines building meaningful connections, locally and virtually. We have over 20 cities in our online community, host virtual events, and members host their own local meetups.

This is a space where we show up fully — our identities, our stories, our culture — and become stronger together. One where we support our neighbors, even if we don’t like them. Read that again.

Our vision is to build a national network where queer Latines can show up without having to choose between parts of ourselves, where we learn from one another, and where we invest in our local communities. Because we deserve a space that is rooted in joy, culture, and solidarity. This is long overdue.

Building this community has been a labor of love. But, don’t worry, we’re not going anywhere — we’re just getting started.