10 Famous Latinos Who Are LGBTQ
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On the heels of Caitlyn Jenner's formal introduction to the world via her Vanity Fair cover, VIBE Viva looks back at a bevy of Latinos who subscribe to the queer community, keeping in mind that these diverse figures have brought much needed attention to the LGBTQ nation and what it means to identify as something other than the norm. From Hollywood actress Michelle Rodriguez to fashion designer and advocate of HIV awareness Mondo Guerra, these stars pound the pavement to the beat of their own drums.
Carmen Carrera
Carrera is known for her run on season 3 of RuPaul’s Drag Race and is a transgender of Puerto Rican and Peruvian decent. Thousands campaigned for Carrera to model in the Victoria Secret Fashion show, which would have made her the first transgender to rip their runway. She's an advocate of AIDS awareness and eliminating words like “she-male” and “tranny”.
Wilson Cruz
Ricky Martin
The Puerto Rican superstar singer has expressed support for same-sex marriage in an interview on Larry King Live and commented on his experience of coming out. "Everything about saying that I am gay feels right," he said back in 2012. "If I'd known how good it was going to feel, I would have done it ten years ago."
Zoe Saldaña
Actress Zoë Saldaña admitted to Allure magazine that she is bisexual.
"If I look at beauty, I'm going to admire and love beauty whether it comes in the form of a masculine essence or in the form of a feminine essence. Beauty is just beauty," she said. "Up until now I've known my life to be with men. I've been attracted to the male species, but if one day I wake up and I want to be with a woman, I'm going to do that. And I know that I'm going to be supported by the creatures that have raised me and loved me."
Michelle Rodriguez
"I'm not big on people's opinions, you know? Unless it's somebody I really respect. I don't care what people out there have to say," Michelle Rodriguez told Gay Star News about what has changed since coming out as bisexual. "But I do realize the importance of having the bravery to live as who you are and I feel like a lot of people don't have that bravery. Maybe by me opening my big fat mouth like I usually do and stepping up and owning who I am, maybe it might inspire somebody else to do the same."
Perez Hilton
Mondo Guerra
The Mexican-American fashion designer who finished as runner-up on Season 8 of Project Runway, is not only open about being gay, but also HIV positive.
Linda Perry
Bamby Salcedo
Bamby Salcedo founded Angels of Change, a safe space that offers gender non-conforming youth the opportunity to develop self-presentation skills. She is also the first trans-Latina to have her life story documented. In “Transvisible: The Bamby Salcedo Story,”. “Transvisible” Salcedo recounts her history with police brutality, family rejection, religious prejudice, and prison violence in her native Guadalajara, Mexico and United States. In addition to her work with Angels of Change, she is also serves as co-founder of TransLivesMatter National Day of Action.
Ruby Jade Corado
Born and raised in El Salvador, Ruby Jade Corado has devoted her life to ensuring the protection of Latino LGBTQ communities. She founded Casa Ruby, the first and only bilingual, multicultural safe space for LGBTQ individuals in Washington D.C.. The non-profit provides hot meals, clothing exchanges, support groups, emergency housing referrals, and legal service counseling (criminal and immigration).
