Archdiocese Begins Group for Spanish-Speaking Gays

In an effort to overcome cultural taboos among Latinos and ignorance about AIDS, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles has organized its first support group for Spanish-speaking gays and lesbians.

The new program comes as the rate of infection with the human immunodeficiency virus, which causes AIDS, is rising among Latino men and women.

Some experts believe that the disturbing trend is due in no small part to a reluctance of many in the Latino culture to talk about homosexuality, according to Father Juan Santillan, senior pastor at Our Lady Help of Christian parish in Los Angeles.

In the last three years in Southern California, he said, there has been a 169% increase among Latino women carrying the AIDS virus and a 95% increase among Latino men. Among Southland Latino youths in general, the infection rate has jumped 41%, he said.

“Those are frightening statistics,” Santillan said. “The virus is not going to kill us. What’s going to kill us is the ignorance of our people on how to handle, to communicate and to be open about the life of the members of their families.”

Homosexuality is a difficult subject to talk about among Latinos, he said. He added that in Anglo culture, there is a better understanding of sexual orientation, and the terms heterosexual, bisexual and homosexual are widely accepted and understood.

But among many Latinos, the priest said, there are only two types of people: the “normal” and the maricones or manfloras , derogatory Spanish terms for homosexuals.

“Within this mentality someone may be gay or someone may be lesbian, but they will never say it to the family,” Santillan said. “They will never even give hints to the family, because within the mentality of the family you have to be ‘normal.’ ”

Roman Catholic moral teaching holds that a homosexual orientation in and of itself is not sinful, but that any sexual conduct outside of a heterosexual marriage is.

The archdiocese’s outreach to gays and lesbians was initiated by Cardinal Roger M. Mahony in early 1986. Its goal is to “foster a spirit of community and fellowship among gay Catholics so that they can offer and receive mutual support in living out their lives of faith within the church.”

Including the new outreach to the Spanish-speaking, there are seven such parish-based support groups within the archdiocese.

The new support group will be based at St. Camillus Pastoral Center, 1911 Zonal Ave., Los Angeles. It meets the first Sunday of the month from 2 to 4 p.m. Father Stephen Hernandez, associate pastor at St. Camillus, will speak Aug. 6.

More information is available through the Office of Lesbian and Gay Ministry at (213) 251-3337. For information in Spanish regarding the new Spanish language support group, contact Rafael Vega at (818) 673-8081.