Breaking The Silence
Jose Luis Partida talks to qvMagazine
about "Mi Hijo, Mi Hija: Amor," a public
service campaign that aims to end homophobia within the Latino
community.
by qvStaff Roldán
 It is quite apparent that Latino
visibility is growing across the country. The latest example
of this powerful emergence is a new public service campaign called,
"Mi Hijo, Mi Hija: Amor." This multi-level campaign
will consist of a feature length documentary that will cover
various aspects of being QV and Latino. In addition, there will
also be several television public service announcements, an interactive
website, and a "Latinos Rock Against AIDS" concert.
Spearheading the project is Jose Luis Partida, a man whose enthusiasm
and diligence are paying off with major support from both the
Latino and QV communities.
The campaign's documentary
is the centerpiece of the program. The film will consist of five
main components dealing with the topics of machismo, religion,
AIDS, racism, and music. Each segment will consist of dramatic
reenactment scenes as well as interviews.
Racism will be seriously
addressed in the documentary. "We're going to look into
the racism that some Latinos feel within the QV white majority,"
he explains. "It seems like the only time the QV white
community really accepts the Latino community is when they're
sexually attracted to Latinos."
The fifth segment is going
to be music. "We want to be able to speak to everyone,"
says Partida. "Music for some reason brings people together...it's
the language of love. The music is going to be very important
in this documentary. We want to capture people's attention not
only visually, but musically. Overall, we want people to be dancing,
moving, and crying when they see this documentary."
Ultimately, Partida's vision
for the project is to capture the attention of straight Latinos
who for one reason or another have disowned their relationships
with a QV son or daughter.
He explains, "I feel
that if (straight) Latinos knew the real picture of what they've
done to their QV children because they've not accepted their
child's homosexuality, then we'd have a much stronger community.
Right now, no matter where you go, the Latino community is known
for family ties and family relationships, except for those who
are QV or lesbian. I feel that we need to accept our kids for
who they are. If we do that, then everyone else will respect
us more as a culture-knowing that we stick together no matter
what."
Partida sees the "Mi
Hijo/Mi Hija: Amor" project as something schools can use,
too. He says, "I would like parts of it to make its way
to the educational school circuit, even college circuit, where
it could be used as a reference. I want to help change people's
minds to try to get along with each other."
He concludes, "I feel that if I could gain the attention
of 2% or even 1% of the straight Latinos and 1% of the QV white
people after watching this documentary, then I think we've done
justice."
Though the film itself
is not an autobiography, Jose says that some of the scenes such
as the opening scene are taken right out of his life. He explains,
"The opening scene shows two 15-year-old kids who are rushing
home from school. They get to one of their parent's homes, and
they're hanging out, drinking milk and eating cookies. Then they
rush downstairs to the basement, begin to disrobe, and proceed
to make love. Five minutes later, the mother walks in!"
Jose reflects on this actual
experience, "When this happened to me, I was so embarrassed.
My mother was in shock. We said nothing for 20 years. We didn't
discuss it or anything. And I'm sure this experience has happened
to a lot of teenagers."
He continues, "I tried
to discuss it (with my mother) in my own special way, but the
only thing she said that day was, 'Que cochino! How dirty that
was! You can't be doing that, anymore!' There was no sitting
down to discuss it."
Jose is not the only QV
man in his family. Two of his younger brothers are also QV.
Jose says he hasn't had a chance to develop close ties with his
brothers, much less talk to them about their sexualities.
"Before we came out,
it was tense," Jose says. My brothers were obvious. I don't
think I was obvious. My youngest brother, Gabriel, was very obvious,
and he'd say things to my dad just to hurt him. When he did that,
I would just ignore it. For some reason, I really don't talk
to my brother Gabriel about my relationships with men. We don't
really talk about it much. It's easier for me to talk to my sisters
than with my brother Gabriel."
Jose's other QV brother,
Arturo, left home right out of high school because Arturo felt
his family didn't accept him. Jose says, "His attitude was,
'I'm not going to live my QV life here. I'm going to live it
elsewhere.' So when he turned 17, he moved to Chicago and even
changed his name from Arturo Partida to Sterling Andrews because
he didn't want to be part of our family nor the Latino race."
He continues, "When I came out to him, he was already diagnosed
with AIDS and looking bad. We didn't get to have these great
conversations about men. The first time I saw my brother again
after five years, I broke down."
Arturo passed away and
was one of Jose's biggest inspirations for the project. "I
think this project first came to my mind after the death of my
brother," Jose says. "He was disowned by a lot of people,
including family members. He was lonely but didn't complain about
it. He sought out other people who were just as lonely as he
was, and he comforted them."
With the "Mi hijo,
Mi Hija: Amor" project, Jose now gets a chance to not only
pay tribute to his brother, but to speak to others who have had
similar experiences, and to help families unite with their QV
kids.
Jose concludes, "I think once QV and lesbian Latinos and
Latinas unite, we're going to make a big difference. We're going
to be able to participate as a group and people are going to
take notice of us and respect us more."
To learn more about "Mi
Hijo, Mi Hija: Amor," please visit www.noovision.com
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