Via The NY Transfer News Service ~ All the News that Doesn't Fit Latina lesbians and Latino gay men hold first nationwide conference By Gloria Rubac Houston "We made history in Houston this weekend," declared Mike Rodriguez, a member of Gay and Lesbian Hispanics Unidos and an organizer of El Primer Encuentro Nacional, held in Houston May 21-25. "Latina lesbians and Latino gay men met for the first time in our history in the United States in a national conference to discuss our identities and survival in the face of the AIDS/HIV crisis." The conference was sponsored by LLEGO (National Latino Lesbian and Gay Organization), which is based in Washington. Over 350 people came--from California, New York, many other states, and the colonized nation of Puerto Rico. Martin Ornelas, conference co-chair, said: "Gay men and lesbians live under the constant threat of exposure and harassment for no other reason than the fact that we choose to live our own lives as we see fit. Latino gay men and Latina lesbian women deal with different and equally serious threats to our lives and well-being. Economic and social challenges that all Latinos face in our society compound the obstacles to good physical and mental health and happiness that are faced by gay men and lesbians." The conference's goals were to discuss issues pertinent to the Latino lesbian and gay community. These included the disproportionate risk of contracting HIV infections, conflicts with strong religious and family values, and limited access to health care. The women at the conference gathered special strength from each other as they shared their experiences as women, Latinas and lesbians. According to conference organizers, one of the most exciting developments was a youth caucus formed by the many young people who attended. The caucus asked LLEGO's national board of directors to include the youth on the board, and this was accepted. There were many fascinating workshops. One, titled "Discovering Our Herstory/History," discussed the question "500 years after the conquest, where are we as Latina/o lesbians and gay men?" Three lesbian and gay Latino historians made presentations. One, Dennis Medina, told about a corrido--a ballad that tells a story about an important event in Mexican history--about a raid on a gay bar in the Rio Grande valley in 1901 in which 40 people were arrested. One got out the back door and lived to tell about their struggle against the cops. Because of the success of the conference, organizers are planning for either an annual or biennial conference in future years. The conference was co-sponsored by GLHU, AVES (Amigos Voluntarios Educando sobre el SIDA), AMIGA (All Mujeres Interested in Getting Active), and the Houston Hispanic AIDS Coalition. (Copyright Workers World Service: Permission to reprint granted if source is cited.) --- LESBIAN & GAY Newsfeed - NY Transfer News Service Modem: 718-448-2358 nytransfer@igc.org nyxfer@panix.com