Watsonville’s first ever gay pride day is set to happen August 24
“In the Latino community there is a secrecy; a don’t ask don’t tell policy in regards to sexual preferences,” says Maria Perez President of SOMOS Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT), a nonprofit coalition based in the Watsonville area, “And if you do tell me, I can usually accept your sexual preference, but don’t talk to me about it.”“The biggest barrier towards change and acceptance is the denial of racism in our proudly liberal community,” she adds. “There are not safe service providers for Latino LGBT even though Santa Cruz residents claim to be a part of one of the most progressive trendy counties in the nation. As it is now, many Latinos and Latinas report to SOMOS LGBT that they do not feel comfortable nor welcome to be ‘out of the closet’ on a daily basis.” A March, Rally and Celebration Festival will be happening for the first time from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Aug. 24 at the Watsonville Plaza. It will be the first of its kind in the South County city. The event is sponsored by SOMOS LGBT, with support from dozens of local organizations and community volunteers to bring attention to the needs and faces of the LGBT community. Santa Cruz has had a pride event for more than two decades. Monterey has had one for 18 years and Salinas threw its first pride parade last year. This is a movement at least 13 years in the making for the Watsonville community. “Watsonville deserves its own gay pride parade because there’s a big community that wants to feel special itself,” says Olivia Pelayo, the pride parade’s subcommittee chair. “They would like to have a little more of a Latino flavor to it. As an ally, I see that need myself. I see that often the people in Watsonville have different culturally specific needs.” “It has nothing to do with throwing our sexuality in other people’s faces,” says Cassandra Mowatt, a community promoter of the event. “It’s just about being proud of who you are, and being around people like you and being able to have good, safe fun for at least one day.” “There are not safe public places for Latinas/Latinos LBGT in Watsonville,” adds Perez, “That is why SOMOS LGBT is currently working to promote visibility, and establishing our presence as Latino leaders and bring awareness about our most critical needs.” Their goals are grand: to eliminate all forms of oppression, domestic violence, health and substance abuse, and help with relationship issues, communication, job training, and more. Maria Perez was forced out of the closet by her family when she was 15. “I am still dealing with layers of homophobia and oppression within my family,” says Perez. “One of the issues obviously is the trauma of coming out of the closet. Not only do you have to define yourself as a sexual being, but now you have to define it as a part of your family, your community and your culture. Being uprooted from your family is kind of like a blessing in disguise, being uprooted means that I have nothing left to lose. Being outspoken on the one hand has closed many doors, and on the other has opened many others, many that have been closed for centuries.” In 1995, Maria Perez met Shirley Lopez, a middle school teacher who came out of the closet publicly as a lesbian teacher and was instrumental in bringing the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network as well as other similar efforts to the Pajaro Valley Unified School District. Around the same time, Lopez, a social service provider named Maribel Cuervo and Perez began to contribute to the Triangle Speakers’ efforts to be more inclusive of Latinos. They became some of the first Latina faces in the local activist and nonprofit organization. On Aug. 25, 2007, Elizabeth Tapia, Gina Elizondo, Monica Enriquez and Maria Perez had their first retreat to contemplate the idea of creating a nonprofit organization, and SOMOS LGBT was founded. The pride parade is a kickoff event for SOMOS LGBT. Among the many other main supporters are the Watsonville City Government and their staff, Inner Light Ministry Church, the Santa Cruz Diversity Center, Leo’s Taqueria, and Watsonville Printers. “This coalition is a huge phenomena. For the first time the LGBT agenda is on the agenda of labor issues, civil rights issues, race issues, homophobia, et cetera,” says Perez. With the energy generated at the event, SOMOS LGBT hopes to create a home, “nuestra casa,” a physical Latina LGBT resource center that promotes safety and fosters acceptance. “We need all the support we can get. It sends a very powerful message to see allies standing up to support the LGBT members of our community,” says Pelayo. “We’re getting ready for the pride event and everyone is really excited. We have a lot of other agencies and individuals that are supporting us. There is great energy.”
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