>>>
>>> OCTOBER IS LESBIAN GAY, BISEXUAL TRANSSEXUAL AND [NULL]
HISTORY MONTH.
HISTORY MONTH. THE POINT IS TO EDUCATE AND
PROMOTE EDUCATION AND
CONVERSATION.
CONVERSATION. JOINING US IS CHRISTOPHER
GUERRA, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
BEING HERE.
BEING HERE. TELL US, WHY IS THIS SO
IMPORTANT TO YOU AND TO THE
COMMUNITY?
COMMUNITY? >> I THINK AS AN ACTIVIST
WITHIN THE COMMUNITY, IT IS
IMPORTANT TO LOOK BACK AT THE
HISTORY AND THE GAINS THAT WE
HAVE MADE.
HAVE MADE. AND LOOKING BACK AT STONEWALL,
AND BEFORE STONEWALL, A LOT OF
FOLKS REALLY LIVED IN THE
SHADOWS.
SHADOWS.
SHADOWS. WE REALLY DIDN'T HAVE THE
ABILITY TO HAVE OURSELVES
ACTUALIZE.
ACTUALIZE. I THINK FOR ME, IT IS ALSO
REFLECTIVE OF THE WORK THAT
WHAT I HAVE GAINED AS RIGHTS AS
A PERSON WHO IS MARRIED.
ALL THOSE GO BACK INTO THE
LEADERS OF THE PAST.
>> YOU WEREN'T BORN HERE, YOU
MOVE FROM THE MIDWEST?
WHAT WAS THAT LIKE, WHAT DID YOU
SEE LIFELIKE HERE?
>> WITHIN CONTEXT OF TIME, FOR
ME, AS A YOUNG PERSON, NOT
QUITE OUT YET.
IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT, I AM A
MEXICAN -- MEXICAN NATIVE
AMERICAN SO IT WAS VERY
DIFFICULT.
DIFFICULT. >> WHEN DID YOU COME HERE?
>> IT WAS 1999.
SO THERE WERE MULTIPLE
INTERSECTIONS OF MY IDENTITY
AND THAT WAS A LITTLE MUCH AND
I THINK IT WAS TOO MUCH FOR MY
COMMUNITY.
COMMUNITY. SO IN THE MIDWEST IT WAS MORE
DIFFICULT SO IT WAS MORE
LOGICAL TO MOVE TO THE PACIFIC
NORTHWEST.
NORTHWEST. THIS IS PART OF WHY CAME TO
THIS AREA, HIS NAME WAS CALVIN
AND WE MET AND I MOVED TO
SEATTLE AND WE FELL IN LOVE.
WE HAVE BEEN TOGETHER FOR ABOUT
FOUR YEARS AND HE CONTRACTED
HIV AND HE PASSED AWAY FOUR
YEARS AGO.
YEARS AGO. WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE
COMMUNITY AND THE WORK THAT I
HAVE DONE, I WAS PRETTY QUIET
BEFORE I MOVED TO SEATTLE.
MY CONNECTION TO THE COMMUNITY,
WHETHER IT WAS THE RUGBY TEAM
OR THE SOFTBALL ASSOCIATION,
THESE ORGANIZATIONS WITHIN THE
CITY ARE SPECIFICALLY TO THE
LGBTQ FOLKS AND THAT HELPED.
>> AND NOW YOU ARE MARRIED?
>> WE HAVE BEEN MARRIED FOR
FIVE YEARS NOW.
WE'VE BEEN TOGETHER FOR 10
YEARS AND WE HAVE TWO KIDS.
MY SON ALEXANDER AND DAUGHTER
ELLA.
ELLA.
ELLA. THIS IS MY PARTNER ANTHONY.
WE HAVE A WONDERFUL LIFE AND WE
OWE THAT TO OUR COMMUNITY SO
MUCH.
MUCH.
MUCH. TO
MUCH. TO THINK BACK TO THE TIME 14
YEARS AGO, IT WAS SUCH A
DIFFERENT TIME, IT'S HARD TO
RECOGNIZE WHO I AM NOW.
>> YOU GET A CHANCE TO REFLECT
ON THE PROGRESS THAT YOU HAVE
MADE AND HOW MUCH THINGS HAVE
CHANGED.
CHANGED.
CHANGED. AND IT GIVES YOU A TIME TO
THINK ABOUT WHAT WE NEED TO DO
GOING FORWARD.
GOING FORWARD. WHAT DO YOU WISH MORE PEOPLE
UNDERSTOOD ABOUT THE LGBTQ
COMMUNITY?
COMMUNITY? >> FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, FOR
MYSELF, I'M JUST ONE PERSON,
THAT, I THINK SEATTLE IS A GOOD
PLACE TO BE GAY.
I CAN BE MYSELF AND WE CAN BE A
FAMILY TOGETHER.
FAMILY TOGETHER. WE ARE REGULAR, EVERY DAY
FOLKS.
FOLKS.
FOLKS. WE
FOLKS. WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO
AROUND THE SEXUALITY PIECE,
WHETHER IT IS GENDER AND RACE.
WE HAVE THE FREEDOM TO GET
MARRIED BUT THERE'S SO MUCH
MORE WORK TO DO IN THE BLACK
AND BROWN COMMUNITIES.
>> YOU SAID EQUITY IN THE
ENTITY WHAT YOU MEAN?
NEW MAP THAT WE ALL HAVE ACCESS
TO THE RESOURCES THAT THE
COMMUNITY PROVIDES AND THE CITY
PROVIDES.
PROVIDES.
PROVIDES. THAT PEOPLE ACROSS, THE BROAD
STREAM HEALTHCARE, WHO FITS
WITHIN OR SITS ON THE BOARDS OR
EXECUTIVE POSITIONS.
EXECUTIVE POSITIONS. WHO GETS TO THOSE PLACES?
IS IT A [NULL]
OR TRANS PERSON OF COLOR?
>> AND THAT'S INTERSEX ANALOGY
THAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT.
>> OKAY.
>> OKAY.
>> OKAY. YOU DO SOME WORK WITH THE CITY?
>> I WORK AT SEATTLE CITY
LIGHT, I AM THE ACTIVITIES
ADVISOR.
ADVISOR.
ADVISOR. ANOTHER COMPONENT OF EQUITY.
I STARTED THE CITIES AFFINITY
GROUP CALLED SEQUEL TO. WE LOOK
AT THE CITY AROUND POLICIES,
PERSONNEL POLICIES FOR LGBTQ
EMPLOYEES AND THEN OUTSIDE OF
THAT, WE HAVE A COMMISSION ON
THE OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS.
WE WORK ON PRIDE AND OTHER
EVENTS.
EVENTS.
EVENTS. >> I HAVE ENJOYED TALKING TO
YOU AND LEARNING MORE AND TO
REFLECT ON THE PROGRESS THAT
HAS BEEN MADE AND WHERE WE ARE
GOING.
GOING.
GOING. THANKS FOR SHARING A BIT OF
YOUR LIFE WITH US.
>> THANK YOU.
>> WE WILL BE RIGHT BACK.