>> IMAGINE HAVING TOGETHER IN SECRET OR GETTING KICKED OUT OF PLACES BECAUSE OF YOUR ORIENTATION.

WELL, THAT WAS A REALITY FOR HUNDREDS OF LGBTQ PEOPLE DURING THE 1970'S 80'S.

AND EVEN THE 90'S AS A LIBERATION MOVEMENT WAS GAINING MOMENTUM.

CHICAGOANS BEGIN CELEBRATING PRIDE MONTH.

WE HEAR FROM INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE PAVED THE WAY IN CONTINUE TO WORK TO CREATE SPACES FOR THE NEXT GENERATION.

JOINING US NOW, OUR ALICIA VEGA, A LONGTIME LGBTQ+ ACTIVISTS AND FOUNDER THE SAFETY CONSULTING.

I KNOW I LOVE NON THIS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ALMOST CHICAGO.

JOINING US VIA ZOOM IS VIKTOR BOARD CHAIR AT THE CENTER ON HALSTED.

THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR JOINING US.

AT LEAST I WANT TO GO.

DO YOU TAKE ME BACK TO WHEN DID YOU COME OUT AS AN OPENLY WOMAN?

TAKING ME BACK LATE, 80'S EARLY >> YOU KNOW, THERE REALLY WAS A LOT OF LANGUAGE AROUND ME UNDERSTANDING WHAT IT WAS THAT I THE WORD OR OF BUT NEVER HEARD THE WORD BUT I DIDN'T HEAR THE WORD AND IT WASN'T LIKE PART OF ANY REGULAR VOCABULARY.

I REMEMBER A DAY WHERE FRIEND OF MINE, HIS OLDER I DIDN'T KNOW WAS A BUT WAS A AND SHE HAD HAD LIKE GATHERING AT THEIR HOUSE FRONTED BY ME OVER AND WHEN I SHOW IT OFF, I JUST FELT LIKE I WAS AT HOME.

I WAS LIKE I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT MEANT.

AND AND AS I STARTED MEETING PEOPLE AND BUY FRIENDS LIKE MY SISTER IS A AND I WAS LIKE IT CLICKED FOR LIKE THE DISCONNECTION THAT I FELL IN TERMS OF JUST SORT OF UNDERSTANDING THE LONG.

>> AND KNEW THAT MENTIONED THAT YOU'RE COMING OUT DURING EXPERIENCE OVER.

YOU RELATE TO IT FROM THE SCENE TO A COUPLE'S GOAL APPLE TV SERIES IS TO QUICKLY TALK ABOUT IT.

IT'S A SCENE WHERE THE MOM IS TELLING THE YOUNG DAUGHTER LIKE WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?

WHAT ARE PEOPLE GOING TO SAY?

HOW ARE YOU GOING TO HAVE A FAMILY?

DID YOU RELATE TO THAT OH, MY GOD, RELATED SO MUCH TO PARENTS AND THAT'S AGAIN IS BY A MOTHER I JUST LIKE SAUCE AND THOSE MY MOTHER LOVES WE LOST HER LAST YEAR AND SO THAT THE SCENE WAS JUST A MORE IMPACTFUL.

FOR TO HEAR THE CONVERSATION BETWEEN THEM AND >> THE MOTHERS JUST TRIED TO LIKE GRAPPLE WITH.

I CARE ABOUT YOU AND I LOVE YOU.

I WANT YOU TO BE OKAY.

YOU KNOW, I DON'T WANT YOU TO HAVE THIS HARD LIFE THE DAUGHTERS TRYING EXPLAIN WHO SHE IS AND AND RELIGIOUS CATHOLIC COMPONENT OF IT, THE LIVES AND THOSE SCENES AND HAD AN EXPERIENCE RELATE WITH MANY PEOPLE IS NUMBER GOING AND JUST WALKING.

AND MY PARENTS ALSO MY MIND COMES BY AND SHE OPENS HER BEDROOM DOOR AND SHE'S LIKE LIKE, IS IT?

SO I COME IN THE ROOM.

SHE DOESN'T SAY A SINGLE WORD.

TODAY.

SHE IS SAID TO BE ON THE BAD SHE BRINGS OUT HER BOTTLE OF HOLY WATER.

SHE JUST STARTS JUST LIKE WHISPERING HER PRAYERS AND DOES A SIGN ACROSS EMEA AND KISSES ME.

AND THEN THAT WAS IT.

AND I KNOW WHAT IT WAS ABOUT WE DON'T TALK OPENLY ABOUT A WHOLE LOT OF THINGS THAT, BUT I UNDERSTOOD WHAT SHE WAS DOING AND WHAT I SHARE THAT WITH OTHER FOLKS WHO MAY NOT BE HAVE LIKED THAT'S GOING ELECTING BACKGROUND.

A TERRIBLE LIKE NO, IT WAS ACTUALLY IT WAS HER WAY OF SHOWING AFFECTION, YOU KNOW, FOR MOTHER LIKE WHEN YOU NEEDED SOMETHING, YOU CALLED HER AND SHE WOULD LIKE TAKE THE SAINT.

JUDE ARE THE THE B ONE A LITTLE BIT CAN DO FOR SOMETHING WAS ONE OF THOSE MOMENTS THE SECOND I CAN RELATE STORM.

ALSO MEXICAN.

MY PARENTS ARE.

>> A VERY CATHOLIC.

SO I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU WENT THROUGH I WANT TO GO TO WHAT WAS YOUR COMING OUT?

JOURNEY LIKE?

>> WELL, MY COMING OUT IN I ALSO GREW UP IN VERY, REALLY JUST HOME.

I GREW UP PENTECOSTAL.

AND SO THE FIRST TIME IN WHICH I SAID ANYTHING CLOSE TO BEING.

I WAS 8 YEARS OLD.

AM WHERE MY STEPFATHER ASKED ME IF I HAD A GIRLFRIEND IN SCHOOL, HE WAS ASKING ABOUT MY DAY AND THEN DO YOU HAVE A AND IN MY INNOCENCE, I'M TOLD HIM NOW.

BUT I ALSO THINK BOYS ARE KEY WELL AT 8 YEARS OLD, MY UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THAT BUT I SAW REACTION IN HIS FACE AND HIS REACTION.

WE THINK A BIT OF SURPRISE AND SHOCK.

BUT I MADE HIM PROMISE THAT HE WOULD NEVER TELL MY MOM.

BECAUSE I KNEW OF OUR UPBRINGING AND HOW SHE MAY HAVE REACTED TO THAT.

I CAN'T BELIEVE IT.

I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW THAT FELT.

I WANT TO TALK ABOUT ALMA, WHICH IS THE OLDEST LGBTQ ORGANIZATION IN THE MIDWEST, FOUNDED IN 1989 WHEN THE AIDS EPIDEMIC.

>> WAS IN FULL SWING.

TELL ME HOW FUNDAMENTAL THE ORGANIZATION WAS DURING THAT PERIOD.

YES.

SO DURING THAT TIME AT THE HEIGHT OF THE HIV AIDS EPIDEMIC.

>> WE SAW PRIMARILY GAME AD GRANT BEING THE COMMUNITY DEVASTATED BY THIS PANDEMIC.

BUT IT WAS ALSO DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTING NOT IN A GAME AND SO THE ORGANIZATION CREATED WHERE THESE MEN CAN COME TOGETHER AND FIND SUPPORT WITH ONE ANOTHER.

THAT WAS ALSO CULTURALLY RATHER AND LINGUISTICALLY HAS SUPPORT GROUPS AND ALSO JUST GETTING TO BUILD COMMUNITY WITH ONE ANOTHER.

SINCE THEN, THE ORGANIZATION HAS GIRL WITH MULTIPLE PROGRAMS EVEN FOR YOUTH.

CORRECT?

CORRECT.

AND SO ORGANIZATION THAT WAS FOUNDED AS AN ORGANIZATION FOR MEN FOR LATINO MAN IS NOW AN ORGANIZATION THAT ENCOMPASSES EVERYONE WITHIN THE LAW TEAM COMMUNITY, ESPECIALLY FOCUSING ON YOUTH ENGAGEMENT AND ENCOURAGING THEM TO TAKE ON THE LEADERSHIP TO ADVOCATE FOR THEIR COMMUNITIES IN THEIR THAT THEY'RE COMING FROM.

AND SO NOW WE HAVE PROGRAMMING THAT'S GEARED TOWARDS CONNECTING ARTS WITH ADVOCATING THEM THAT SPACE, GIVING THEM THE SPACE.

AND I WANT I WANT TO BRING VICTORY HERE ON THE CENTER IN HALF AND OPEN BACK IN 2007.

>> BUT YOUR HISTORY DATES BACK TO THE 1970'S AS HORIZONS.

TELL ME HOW PROGRAMMING HAS GROWN OVER THE YEARS.

>> YEAH, I MEAN THAT THE PROGRAM HAS EVOLVED QUITE A BIT TO TO MEET THE GROWING NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITY N, YOU KNOW, CHICAGO, SUCH A DIVERSITY WHERE FOLKS OF ALL SORTS OF CULTURAL LIVED EXPERIENCES.

AND, YOU KNOW, ITS A LOT ALSO ADDRESSING THE THE HIV IT.

IT HAS EVOLVED SINCE THEN.

AND NOW WE HAVE YOU HOUSING.

WE HAVE WORKFORCE TRAINING.

WE PROVIDE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES WE ASSURE THAT IT'S IT'S ARE TRANS SIBLINGS ARE MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY ARE SAYING I HAVE TO SHARE AFTER SHARE THAT ONE POINT WHEN I WAS MY EARLY TEENS, I ACTUALLY >> WAS LOOKING FOR A SPACE WHERE I WAS HAVING TROUBLE COMING UP TO MY FAMILY AND I WENT TO A GROUP.

IT WAS A GROUP SESSION AT THE CENTER ON HALSTED WERE PEOPLE OF ALL AGES ARE COMING TOGETHER EXPRESSING HOW THEY WERE HAVING A HARD TIME COMING OUT.

SO IT JUST SHOWS HOW IMPACTFUL PROGRAMS ARE.

DO YOU SEE THAT WITH THE COMMUNITY IS THAT WHAT YOU HEAR FROM THE PEOPLE IN WHO GO TO THE CENTER AT ALL SAID?

>> YEAH, IT'S A IT'S A FANTASTIC PLACE FOR FOLKS TO COME FIND IN IN SUPPORTING THEMSELVES THROUGH EITHER COMING OUT YOU KNOW, DEALING WITH THEIR AND THEIR FAMILY SUPPORT AND HOW THEY'RE BEING EMBRACE ITS BOOKS GENERATIONS.

THEY FIND A PLACE AND WE FIND GROUPS SOCIAL PRIVATE PROGRAMMING THAT SUPPORTS HIM.

>> AND WE SHALL WANT TO TALK AT LEAST WANT TO TALK ABOUT.

I MEAN, THAT THE NURSE, WHICH WAS A HUGE THING BACK IN THE 90'S, WHICH WAS A SPACE FOR GET.

THEY GAVE LATINA WOMAN AN OUTLET TO COME TOGETHER.

WHAT IS SOMETHING THAT YOU STILL REMEMBER ABOUT THAT TIME?

>> GOT THE SO SO MANY YOU KNOW, I THINK ABOUT WHAT I REALIZE SOME OF THE THE CHANGES IN CULTURE.

YOU KNOW, THE ORGANIZATION, YOU KNOW, STARTED OUT FOLKS LIKE PUTTING SOMETHING IN A NEWSPAPER LOOKING FOR OTHER PEOPLE US THAT THERE'S A LIKE THEMSELVES.

AND FOR ME, I HAD JUST STARTED.

I STARTED COLLEGE AND I WAS JUST COMING TO TERMS WITH MY SEXUALITY.

AND THERE'S A SMALL GROUP OF FOLKS AT UNIVERSITY THAT THERE WAS WAS ALLIANCE WITHOUT THE OTHER LETTERS.

AT THAT POINT, THE UNIVERSITY NOT ALLOWING THE ORGANIZATION TO EXIST.

SO I KIND LEARNED ABOUT MY ADVOCACY THROUGH THIS GROUP, BUT ALSO WANTED TO CONNECT WITH THE LIKE THE NOSE AT THE ORGANIZATION TO.

BUT I FELT LIKE WHAT I WENT TO LATINO ORGANIZATIONS THAT I COULDN'T BRING LIKE MY SOFT IN THERE.

AND THEN WHEN I WENT TO THE GROUP, THE REALLY WORKING FOLKS OF COLOR.

SO I FELT LIKE I HAD THE LIKELY PIECES OF MYSELF AT THE DOOR.

AND I MEAN, WAS LIKE GOT TO BRING EVERY SINGLE PERSON EVERY EVERY LET THE YOU KNOW, WAS COMING TO THIS.

>> ORGANIZATION COMING TOGETHER SAID THAT YOU HOLD CONVERSATIONS.

IT WAS REALLY A SPACE TO EXPRESS YOURSELF.

PEOPLE OPEN THEIR HOME JUST IN WE WOULD MEET OVER MEAL.

SO WE'LL JUST HAVE TOPICS AND JUST COME TOGETHER AND JUST TALK CONNECT SEE PEOPLE LIKE OURSELVES.

THANK YOU.

SO SORRY.

WE RAN OUT OF TIME, BUT THANK YOU FOR THIS CONVERSATION.