THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY IN A MACHISTA CULTURE
By: Karla Oregon
Introduction
In front of his vanity, surrounded by palettes and make-up brushes, Luis Lucero searches
for inspiration to begin his new eyeshadow look. He holds a makeup brush in his right hand and a small mirror in his left to get the perfect angle of his eye. After two hours of working, he is finished with his look and is ready to post on Snapchat for everyone to see his talent. Before taking it off, he confidently shows both his mom and sister what he’s accomplished. Without a doubt, they’re both extremely proud and accepting. Living in a household with only females his whole life, Luis has never had to struggle with his identity. Luckily, he’s had a supportive, hardworking mom and an older sister that have provided lots of guidance throughout his life. Because of them, he’s been able to embrace his femininity. Often, he shows it through his collection of makeup, unique set of acrylic nails, and luxurious purses. Being Latino and gay, Luis hasn’t gone through too many struggles like others. His only fear would be hurting his relationship with his dad, but fortunately, his dad has also been accepting. However, for many other gay Latinos, this sadly isn’t the case because of machismo. Many are forced to meet masculine standards that have been set on them since birth and most have a hard time figuring out who they are. They are constantly struggling to balance their different identities and have a hard time gaining self esteem. Many times, these challenges lead to severe depression, anxiety, and insecurity. Coming out for Latinos is far more difficult because they fear of not being accepted by their culture. Being Latino, Luis experiences both worlds – that of the US and Mexico – which each view gay men differently. With his ambition and admirable confidence, Luis has been able to break many barriers for gay Latino men and hopes to continue challenging machismo standards.
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Luis Lucero For a 17 year old gay Latino, Luis Lucero has been able to express himself in public without fear. Ever since he was a little boy, Luis has always been confident in expressing his femininity. Instead of playing with toys labeled for boys, he spent most of his time playing with his mom’s makeup and wearing her high heels. Growing up, Luis didn’t have a male figure in his life that would force masculinity onto him. He would only spend time with his dad a few times a week but most of the time, he was around his single mother and older sister. Living with only females, Luis felt more comfortable and never felt like he had to hide his sexuality. From this, Luis took interest in doing more feminine things and felt comfortable doing so. At eight years old, he was already pretty skilled in doing his mom’s hair and around eighth grade, he had already drawn his first set of eyebrows using cheap makeup. From that moment on, Luis’ passion for makeup continued to grow along with his confidence. He began to pursue makeup and even started collecting a bunch of it. Over the years, he’s accumulated many different eyeshadow palettes, each holding their own story. Luis began to embrace his feminine side after receiving lots of support for his makeup from family and friends. To express himself, Luis has created many different makeup looks, has gotten plenty of acrylic nails, and was even brave enough to wear a dress to homecoming. To capture all these moments, I interviewed Luis and got some insight on what he felt during these significant moments in his life. 4
Luis had been wanting to get acrylic nails for a long time and had set up an appointment to get them professionally done at K3 Nails which is located in Milpitas. Since it was his first time, Luis felt more comfortable going with friends but they were unable to make it and he was forced to go alone. “I wasn’t scared, I just felt uncomfortable because when I walked in, other customers (mainly females) kept staring” (L. Lucero). Despite the tension in the nail salon, the lady doing his nails kept a positive attitude and made sure that Luis felt comfortable. After getting them done and happily going home, he was greeted with a family who was in shock but completely supportive. Being surrounded by this much support, Luis continued to gain more confidence. Since he’s always been more feminine than masculine, he’s never felt the need to officially come out because he figured everyone already knew. However, he felt like he needed to officially tell his dad since he’d never told him directly and didn’t want things to be weird if he found out a different way. He felt it was better if his dad found out directly through him. Luis didn’t have any big fears except for his relationship changing with his dad but despite that, he was ready. On January 3rd, Luis verbally confessed to his dad what his sexuality was. “I remember getting in the car and the first thing he asked me was about my nails” (L. Lucero). Coming forward to his dad about it, Luis felt safe enough to boldly tell him that he decided to get the nails himself. After revealing this, his dad took some time to process it but quickly accepted him. Compared to other coming out stories, Luis is very fortunate to have an understanding family. In most Latinx families, they see being gay as weakness and it often reflects poorly on the father. But for Luis, this was defi-
nitely a rewarding experience. “When he told my dad, it just made everything official but it didn’t affect me because it wasn’t anything new to me” (J. Lucero). Even for Luis’ sister this was a little shocking because now she knew that it was real. Since he had always been comfortable showing his femininity, Luis didn’t feel the need to confirm his sexuality; even so, once he did, it felt like a big step forward in his life. Another significant moment is when he wore a dress to homecoming. This might’ve been one of Luis’ biggest moments because it was the very first time he’s ever worn a dress to a dance. In previous school dances, he would wear normal dress shirts for men but this time he really wanted to express himself. He wore a full face of makeup, long acrylic nails, and high heels which no other gay male had done at his school. I asked him what he felt when he walked into the dance and he confidently said, “I felt good about myself!” Being able to express himself in ways like these and feel safe is one thing that many other gay Latinos struggle with. Many don’t have a supportive family and they’re forced to hide who they naturally are. Luis has been lucky enough to have a mom who supports him through buying him makeup and a sister who lets him practice on her. Because of living in this safe household, Luis has never had to experience the pressure of being masculine. Even on his dad’s side, he is comforted by his uncles who accept him for who he is. “I love my tio, he’s always defending me at family events and making jokes with me” (L. Lucero). Having a whole supportive family, Luis is one of the few gay Latino men that don’t have to struggle with their identity. Many other gay Latino men have been forced to hide their true selves and live under the pressure of being masculine.
“I felt good about myself” - Luis 5
Machismo
Patriarchal society has created many standards for men, but they are more potent in Latin American cultures because of the machismo tradition. An ideal personality for a Latino male would show no signs of being feminine, and any signs of femininity in a male would be considered shameful. Many men are taught at a young age to ignore any weakness in order to keep a masculine image. This type of pressure has left many men worried and fearful of being themselves. In a study focused on toxic masculinity and its effects on men, many reported to have more psychological distress due to masculine ideals. Pleck believed that men’s distress was due to one of three types of gender role strain: “failure to live up to internalized ideas on masculinity, persistence to meet the masculine standards, and/or trauma experienced at an early age from being exposed to gender roles” (Sánchez). Countless men struggle with their masculine image because it limits them from showing their true identity. For gay men, this pressure is significantly worse. Among gay men, “certain masculine ideals are associated with lower self-esteem, greater depression, and anxiety” (Sánchez). Gay men struggle even more when it is time to define their masculinity. Overall, masculine traits that are forced upon men can hurt their mental health in the future. For gay Latino men, it is more common to be struggling with their persona because of machismo. It makes coming out a bigger deal and far scarier. Joe Rodriguez, an interviewer and multimedia storyteller known to write articles on mental health interviewed three gay Latino men. Throughout this interview, he hoped to spread awareness and to learn how Latinx gay men managed through the harsh machista standards in their lives. In all three of their stories, they all shared the same problem which was being ashamed of their feminine side because of the standards set on them by male figures in their lives. Masculinity being forced upon them, they often had to hide their queerness. Not being able to express themselves led to much self hatred but they later learned to overcome it. Johnny Sibilly, a successful actor and social media influencer also struggled through these problems. One significant story he shared was how he went to great lengths just to satisfy his parent’s machismo ideals. In elementary school, he had won a fight and hoped to impress his parents because of it. “I stood up to him one day and beat him up. I felt so proud of being able to tell my mom and dad that I won the fight, because I felt like they would like me better for some reason” (Rodriguez). Big situations like these are moments where men feel good about their masculinity but oftentimes, it hurts more because they’re basically lying to themselves. Having to do such acts just to hide their femininity tends to lead to more self-hatred. After realizing that this wasn’t what he wanted, Sibilly learned to pursue his femininity through drama club and practicing drag. Like many other queer Latino men, they learn to embrace their feminine side from other activites that help them gain confidence. Like Sibilly, Fran Tirado also struggled with his identity growing up. Having to meet the masculine standards to please male figures in his life, Fran found himself unhappy and unsatisfied with himself. All his life, he put much effort into hiding who he truly was because of machismo. However, he learned to overcome this through lots of self judgement. “Having the mentality that who you naturally are is bad can be a poisonous lesson to teach yourself over and over again” (Rodriguez). After realizing how toxic his masculinity was, Fran also learned to embrace his feminine side. Having been exposed to different aspects that define masculinity, he has been able to challenge these ideals.
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Moving Forward In the future, masculine standards must change so that Latino gay men can lead a healthier life. As more gay Latino men challenge these ideals, society as a whole can change. Since machismo is usually seen in cultures in Latin America, many have been trying to overcome these obstacles for years and have actually been able to change some parts of the culture. In 2010, Argentina became the first Latin American country to legalize same-sex marriage and even created laws that protect the LGBT+ community. Following their footsteps, Colombia, Brazil, Uruguay, Mexico City and twelve other Mexican states have also shown acceptance to the LGBT+ community. It was difficult to get basic human rights for the LGBT+ community because of religious resistance but they overcame the obstacle after continuing to voice their opinions. However, these are just a few places out of the whole area considered Latin America. Places like Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Honduras still have reported to have the least approval ratings for same sex marriage showing that there’s still forms of resistance to accept the LGBT+. So far, both the US and some countries in Latin America have been able to recognize the LGBT+ community and their rights but no laws have been placed to protect them from discriminatory violence. In 2015, there was a study done by the Inter-American Commision on Human Rights and they reported that there were nearly, “600 LGBT murders across Latin America from January 2013 to March 2014” (Brigida). Clearly, there is still a lot of discrimination against the LGBT in Latin America which proves how gay Latino men still have a long way until they reach full acceptance. In the US, there have been reports about hate
crimes against the LGBT+ community as well. In 2018, approximatley 700 hate crimes were reported to be anti-gay which is roughly 60%. These statistics show how even yet, young gay men in the US have to struggle. Having family in Mexico, Luis often visits and is exposed to these different social norms. When he walks around the heavy populated streets of Mexico with his family, he notices the judgement, “People do stare but I don’t mind it” he says. Since Luis doesn’t live there and only stays there temporary, he doesn’t experience the violence that many other gay Latinos unfor-
“600 LGBT murders across Latin America from January 2013 to March 2014” tunatley do. However, being a gay male, Luis hopes to continue pushing the boundaries despite people’s ignorance. As he moves forward through his life, he is going to continue doing what he loves which is makeup. He hopes to start a business in the makeup industry and become well known within the LGBT+ community. People like Jeffree Star are main important figures that he looks up to because of how successful they’ve been in the makeup world despite all the struggles they’ve gone through. By being successful and well known, Luis hopes to be able to change how society views gay Latino men in both the US and Latin America. 7
The LGBT+ community has gone through so much fighting for their rights and yet, society hasn’t been able to fully accept them. Gay Latino men still struggle through a lot of discrimination, homophobia, and detrimental effects through their life. Even though there’s still some resistance, if more activists strive for change to better the LGBT+ community, they can certainly gain more rights. If more people are supportive and keep an open mind, toxic masculine standards can be eliminated. In Luis’ case, he’s always been lucky enough to live in a healthy household with a family that not only accepts him but also supports him. Because of that, he’s felt comfortable in showing his femininity and expressing himself in ways that go against machismo. If more gay Latino men act and stand against these masculine ideals, it can help younger generations who are struggling with their identity. Gay Latino men like Johnny Sibilly and Fran Tirado act as a role model for younger men because of how much they’ve been able to achieve despite living in a toxic machista culture. Both of these brilliant men provide support and hope for younger generations who might still be forced to hide their femininity. As more younger people follow these examples, they can continue to push masculine boundaries. For the younger Latino LGBT+ community, these are big steps into feeling more comfortable in their own skin. Within our own community in Mountain View, Luis continues to break barriers and pave the way for younger generations.
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WORKS CITED Arana, Gabriel. “Gay Men's Obsession with Masculinity Is Hurting Their Mental Health.” Them., 23 Aug. 2019, https://www.them.us/story/gay-men-masculinity-mental-health. Brigida, Anna-Catherine. “Latin America Has Become an Unlikely Leader in LGBT Rights.” Quartz, Quartz, 6 June 2018, https://qz.com/1288320/despite-its-catholicroots-latin-america-has-become-an-unlikely-lgbt-rights/. Fitzsimons, Tim. “Nearly 1 in 5 Hate Crimes Motivated by Anti-LGBTQ Bias, FBI Finds.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 12 Nov. 2019, www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/nearly-1-5-hate-crimes-motivated-anti-lgbtq-bias-fbi-n1080891 Lucero, Luis, Personal interview, March 25, 2020. Lucero, Jasmine, Personal interview, April 3, 2020. Ramirez, Tanisha Love. “How Machismo Culture Impacts Gay Latinos.” HuffPost, HuffPost, 5 Sept. 2015, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/inside-the-world-of-being-machismo-and-gay-in-latino-culture_n_55e5ec03e4b0b7a9633a6de3. Rodriguez, Joe. “How 3 Gay Latinos Learned to Navigate Their Queerness in a Machista Culture.” Remezcla, 26 June 2018, https://remezcla.com/lists/culture/how-3-gay-latinos-learned-to-navigate-their-queerness-in-a-machista-culture/. Sánchez, Francisco J, et al. “Reported Effects of Masculine Ideals on Gay Men.” Psychology of Men & Masculinity, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Jan. 2009, https://www.ncbi. nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2902177/. Steinmetz, Katy. “Why Federal Laws Don't Ban Discrimination Against LGBT.” Time, Time, 21 Mar. 2019, https://time.com/5554531/equality-act-lgbt-rights-trump/.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I’m Karla Oregon and I’m a junior at Los Altos High School/Freestyle Academy. I’ve always been interested in art and have been lucky enough to pursue design at Freestyle. Outside of school, I spend most of my time with family, going out with friends, and taking pictures. From everything I’ve learned at Freestyle, I hope to continue to build those skills in college. To achieve that, I plan on majoring in product design and once I have a stronger foundation in my design skills, I’d like to shift towards being an illustrator.
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