The history of LGBTQ+ rights in Latino countries has always been a bit mixed, even now there is still some pushback to recognizing same-sex marriage or transgender people in some Latin countries. It has definitely gotten better in many places and many people of Latino ancestry have become more and more comfortable with expressing their true identity to their family members and friends. As someone who is Puerto Rican, I am glad that this is becoming the case because I have many friends and family who identify as LGBTQ+. I even had my transgender cousin come over for a visit a few weeks ago and my good friend from high school, Isabella, identifies as Non-Binary and it’s frankly heartwarming to know that they trust me enough to feel comfortable in their own skin. It wasn't always like this and it's important to understand that Latino countries are usually rather conservative in their beliefs and ideals.

It could be argued that these conservative beliefs have been imported from American colonizers who ravaged different lands and forced the indigenous people to conform to their beliefs. However I don't believe this to be the case specifically because the main defining trait of someone who is conservative is that they believe things should not be changed and this idea of thinking is rather ingrained deeply into the culture of Latino countries, like Brazil or Argentina. That is not to say that these countries will never improve on their laws, because they have been working on that, but more so to say that every country has its faults, and as long as they are aware of their problems, they can help make things better for everyone. Let's say for example: you live in a country that still allows arranged marriages, even if the woman or man don't want to be married to each other. It has been called a "tradition", and to go against it is to imply to them that you hate conforming to what's been considered "normal" in your country.

That type of thinking is the reason why many people have gotten more and more resentful of their countries and their lack of ability to recognize when something of their "culture" is not the norm everywhere else. It's also the reason why many people often go to America, as they believe that whatever problem they had to deal with back home won't travel with them to a new beginning. It's truly tragic because while America has gotten better about certain things you start to wonder if oppressive systems from around the world  can truly be changed and if life is truly going anywhere good. I want to tell you that it is. I want you to let you know that a new law has been passed to give the LGBTQ+ community more freedom. But all this regression and sitting on the grass has made me seriously question whether there is any hope for the future of this world. Now, despite everything I have said, I still believe that humanity as a whole can grow from their mistakes. As time passes and more people of Latino heritage come out to their loved ones, it makes me pray that maybe, just maybe, there's still hope for us. I want to tell you something that I tell myself every day: "even if the future seems hopeless sometimes, never stop trying to make things better for everyone in the world, not just yourself, because we are all human".

Check out our social media for more resources: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/necessarybehavior  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/necessarybehavior/  

Twitter: https://twitter.com/necessarybehavi  

Tumblr: https://necessary-behavior.tumblr.com/  

And you can find more articles like this on Lemon-Aid

Sources :

https://www.thetaskforce.org/new-report-explores-latinoa-attitudes-toward-lgbt-people/

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/25/us/politics/house-equality-act-gay-rights.html

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/democraciaabierta/violencia-anti-lgbtq-brasil-en/