Queer Central America: Important Figures
Gaspar Sánchez
Gaspar Sánchez is a Honduran human rights defender. He dropped out of the fifth grade in 2003 and became a member of the Council of Indigenous and Popular Organizations of Honduras (COPINH). Since 2014 he has served on COPINH’s leadership team as the Coordinator of Sexual Diversity & Rights Equality, which, for the first time in any Latin American Indigenous organization, established a space dealing specifically with LGBTI-related issues..
Gilberto R. Gerald
Gilberto R. Gerald was born in Panama. He temporarily resided in Trinidad and Tobago before immigrating to the United States in 1967 to pursue higher education. While working as an architect, he gradually became involved in the gay and lesbian rights movement. In 1978, he co-founded the National Coalition of Black Lesbians and Gays (NCBLG), becoming (the first paid) executive director of the organization in 1983.
Vicky Hernández
Vicky Hernández was a trans rights defender, sex worker, and a member of Unidad Color Rosa, a collective dedicated to the defense of the rights of trans people in Honduras.
Her murder at the hands of Honduran police in 2009 started a struggle that reached the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. Click to watch her documentary.
Caleb Orozco
Caleb Orozco is the Executive Director of the United Belize Advocacy Movement (UNIBAM), which provides health education and other services primarily to men who have sex with men, and seeks to safeguard their basic human rights. Orozco, a long-time activist for the rights of sexual minorities and HIV/AIDS vulnerable communities, has worked for years to eradicate stigma through local, regional, and international forums. Click to watch his documentary trailer.
Colman Jason Domingo
Colman Jason Domingo is an American actor, playwright and director of both African American, Belizean and Guatemalan descent. Prominent on both screen and stage, he has received various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, and nominations for an Academy Award and two Tony Awards.
Chavela Vargas
Chavela Vargas was a Costa Rican-born Mexican singer, she gained widespread recognition for her distinctive interpretations of Mexican rancheras. However, her impact extends beyond this genre, encompassing various styles within popular Latin American music.
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