Despite the growing size and influence of the LGBTQ+ Latinx community, the national LGBTQ+ Latinx civic infrastructure is relatively weak. There are many talented LGBTQ+ Latinx leaders and organizations across the country, but they are under‐resourced and lack a strong system to facilitate consistent connection, support and coordination. Moreover, institutional racism within the LGBTQ+ movement and homophobia in Latinx communities continue to marginalize LGBTQ+ Latinx and prevent them from achieving their full potential as leaders for both LGBTQ+ rights and racial justice.
The Unión=Fuerza (which translates to “unity equals strength”) Latinx Institute was founded to address these issues. Established in 2012, the Latinx Institute convenes a fully bilingual and culturally competent national LGBTQ+ Latinx day-long convening to foster supportive relationships and build our capacity to advance LGBTQ+ Latinx activism. We are committed to communicating bilingually (English and Spanish) and addressing language marginalization; inter-generational interactions from grassroots to grasstops; and prioritizing underrepresented populations such as transgender people, undocumented individuals, women, youth, families, and allies, for example.
The Unión=Fuerza Latinx Institute aims to develop LGBTQ+ Latinxs through (1) capacity‐building, (2) leadership development, and (3) creating alliance‐building opportunities for LGBT Latinx. At its core, the Latinx Institute is a strategic collaboration between LGBT+ Latinx organizations, Latinx organizations with LGBTQ+ projects, and LGBTQ+ organizations with Latinx projects.
Although the Institute convenes once a year, the networks of dedicated activists created at the Unión=Fuerza Latinx Institute are maintained year-round. Best practices and skills learned at the Institute by local community members and grassroots organizations create meaningful change nationwide for both LGBTQ+ Latinx and Latinx at large. The Unión=Fuerza Latinx Institute strengthens LGBTQ+ Latinx leaders, which strengthens both the LGBTQ+ and Latinx movements, allowing both to operate more effectively through intersectional strategies that advance a wider progressive agenda.
