May 21, 2024 • 30 mins
When Maria Garcia and her Rainbow Labs Youth Council students step into our studio, they bring stories of courage and the power of queer community that touch the heart. Their voices echo the strength found in unity as we uncover the transformative influence Rainbow Labs has had on LGBTQ youth in Los Angeles. These young trailblazers discuss the invaluable sense of family, safety, and personal growth they've experienced, all while developing leadership skills and financial acumen that promise to shape their bright futures. Our conversation takes a heartfelt turn as they share the solidarity they've found within each other, illustrating the undeniable impact of a nurturing environment amidst the challenges of growing up queer.
Amid the laughter and shared memories, we navigate the evolution of LGBTQ activism and mentorship, delving into the stories . They honor the legacy of advocacy giants like QGLLU, cast light on the crucial role of visibility and representation, and celebrate the strides made by earlier movements. As we listen to Diego recount his artistic journey, which was influenced by Rainbow Labs, it's clear that the push against traditional boundaries continues. This episode stands as a testament to the lasting significance of intergenerational support, reminding us that the fight for a more inclusive world is still very much alive.
Welcome to the RADIO QGLLU podcast, the show that TAKES A DEEP DIVE INTO WHAT THE QUEER, GAY, AND LESBIAN LATINE COMMUNITY IS TALKING ABOUT.
https://www.glluarchive.com/multimedia/radio-qgllu-podcast
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Rita Gonzalez (00:05):
Welcome to the Out Agenda.
Coming to you on Archive atKPFK.
org.
I'm Rita Gonzalez.
On this month's episode ofRadio QGLLU, our guests are
Maria Garcia and some of herstudents at the Rainbow Lab.
So, on that note, here's RadioQGLLU.
(00:26):
Welcome to the Radio QGLLUpodcast, a segment of the Out
Agenda, the show that takes adeep dive into what the queer,
gay and lesbian Latin communityis talking about.
(00:46):
I'm Rita Gonzalez.
I'm Lidia Otero.
Louis Jacinto (00:50):
I'm Eduardo Archuleta and I'm Luis Asicinto
and I'm Mario J Navoa.
Mario J. Novoa (00:57):
Our guests are Maria Garcia from the Rainbow
Labs and some of her students.
Please introduce yourselves.
Maria Garcia (01:04):
Hi everyone, my name is Maria.
I use she, they, ella, ellapronouns, and I'm a program
manager at Rainbow Labs and I'mhere with some of my amazing
students from the Rainbow LabsYouth Council.
We are a mentoring program thatprovides mentoring programs to
LGBTQ youth in Los Angeles, andour Youth Council is a paid
(01:25):
opportunity for students to gainleadership skills and learn
about things like financialliteracy, queer education,
social, emotional wellness,college readiness, etc.
Diego (01:35):
My name is Dio Gonzalez, I use He/They pronouns and I'm a
queer Chicano artist based outof Lenox, California, a small,
unincorporated part of LosAngeles.
I've been with Rainbow Labs andon Under Youth Council for the
last three years, where I'vealso been one of the co-chairs.
Alex (01:50):
I'm Alex, I use all pronouns, I'm from Long Beach,
Mexican, and I'm one of thenewest members of the Youth
Council and I'm really happy tobe here.
Kat (02:00):
Hi, my name is Catalina Aramillo, but most people just
call me Kat.
I go by she, her pronouns.
I live in El Segundo and I ampart of Rainbow Labs Youth
Council and I'm the multimediamanager.
Louis Jacinto (02:15):
Hi, it's me, Luis Jacinto, and I wanted to ask
the students from the RainbowLab are you in high school?
Are you in college?
In between?
We are all high schoolers andmiddle school, so Youth Council
is ages 13 through 18, I believewe have an eighth grader in our
Youth Council, Alex, and thenthe rest of us are all high
(02:37):
schoolers, different levels.
I'm personally, I'm 15.
I'm a sophomore.
Lydia (02:43):
Hi, this is Lydia, and so , now that we know a little bit
more about you, why was findinga queer community at your age so
important?
Because I can see that you allreally like being around each
other.
But can you tell us a littlebit more about the cohesiveness
or the solidarity or somethingabout how you all find strength
(03:05):
in in the group, in rainbow labsand in with each other?
Diego (03:10):
This is Diego, speaking.
For me, rainbow labs and theyouth council and every youth
involved in Rainbow Labs feltlike a family, and so the reason
I continued to join rainbowlabs throughout the years was
because they would meet peoplelike myself, and, if not, they
had a common thing that I wasable to relate to and empathize
with, and so, although there maybe an intersectionality that
(03:33):
doesn't match mine, there'sstill a generosity that comes
with everyone, and just thatsafe space and the safe
environment that I get to be inwith all the youth and the staff
is something so honorable andsomething that I truly value as
someone who, at first, didn'tbelieve there was a community
out there for me, and so when Ifound Rainbow Labs, it was just
(03:55):
huge culture shock and somethingthat I wanted to be a part of
till the day I died.
That's why I chose Rainbow Labs, and that's why I keep being at
Rainbow Labs and continue tostay involved.
Camile (04:07):
I'm Camille Ramos.
I use she, they he pronouns I'ma queer and trans student.
I'm, you know, just I'mcurrently trying to go do
college stuff and I don't knowhectic it's a lot.
I am secretary at Rainbow Labs.
I take notes here and I reallylike it, even though it's like
(04:28):
kind of a lot of work.
But, um, well, I first joinedRainbow Labs um, actually, I
found them at a um through umModels of Pride, and it was
really just like a time where Iwas, I was kind of very early in
like my transition and stuff um, and I wanted to find like
community.
I'm very like I have a lot ofpolitical beliefs that I'm like
(04:49):
very passionate about and I'vealways wanted to be kind of
involved with community andlike-minded individuals.
So after like going to a fewevents, uh that were hosted by
Rainbow Labs, I was like I wantto be part of the.
The youth council wasn't themost social.
Um, I'm, uh, disabled.
I don't really go to school inperson a lot, so I don't have
much of a chance to formcommunity at my school.
(05:11):
So this opportunity was kind ofamazing for me and it was
really perfect.
I mean, it was a greatopportunity for me to meet
people who are like me and whothink like me and I don't know.
Relationships that I've builthere are super important to me
and, like Diego Diego said, Ikind of wish I could be here
forever uh.
Ollie (05:33):
I'm Ollie.
I found out about Rainbow Labsthrough um, an advertisement at
my friend's school, so shetexted me and was like hey,
ollie, I think you should signup for this.
And it was for the.
It was for One Bold Summer,which is our summer storytelling
program, and I was in eighthgrade at the time.
Eighth grade was a really,really horrible year for me.
(05:55):
I experienced a lot of bullying, harassment, like just horrible
treatment because I'm trans,horrible treatment because I'm
trans.
So I signed up for One BoldSummer almost immediately and
got to join the program and Ireally like connected with the
people I met and I felt like Ihad like kind of a community in
(06:17):
a way, and I never really met alot of like other queer people
who were similar to me or I'dnever met queer adults.
So having mentors and otheryouth and you know just all of
these people to hang out withwas really really inspiring and
it just was great for me.
So I was like, okay, they havea youth council, I'm gonna apply
(06:39):
and I don't know.
I've just been a very activemember in whatever programs I
can join since then.
I think connecting with theother youth is really, really
important to me.
I've made a lot of greatfriends.
I still talk to people whoaren't in the program anymore
and I just I get along witheveryone a lot.
(06:59):
I think these connections,especially because we share our
queer identity but we also areindividuals with different
interests and personalities Ithink it's really, really great
to just have people like that,who we can be individuals, but
we do have a connection overbeing queer.
Alex (07:16):
I'm Alex.
I first found Rainbow Labsthrough an Instagram, which you
know isn't the most conventionalway to find it, but it was for
me.
People from all differentbackgrounds that were here for
the same purpose as I did, andwe all have that kind of
familial bond that I'm reallyhappy about.
Mario J. Novoa (07:32):
Hi, this is Mario.
I think it's fascinating thatour guests are really finding a
sense of community in thesespaces.
I think for somebody likemyself that came out in the late
90s a Gen Xer who had adifferent experience in trying
to find community I think thisis a really, really great
(07:55):
program and I know that some ofour listeners probably don't
have this connection with.
They're probably trying to findgroups like Rainbow Labs to
create a sense of community orto find some sort of belonging.
I'm wondering what does thismean to you now, with the people
(08:15):
that you've met so far?
Kat (08:17):
This is Catalina Aramillo speaking, or Kat.
When I was first connected withthe community, honestly, where I
am now, I had never reallyheard like the term of like
choosing your own family.
I come from a family where itwas like very much blood is your
family, that's your family,which can be true in a lot of
cases, um, but for me, honestly,joining Rainbow Labs and like
(08:41):
having a connection right awaywith everyone felt like choosing
my own family.
I didn't have a lot like my moredistant family wasn't very
supportive of me.
So coming here and just feelingso like open, so open and
feeling being able to feel sovulnerable with people who maybe
I haven't known very long, it'sstill like such an amazing
(09:05):
experience to be able to beconnected with the people I am
now and it is a huge thing to dothat when you're so young.
I've never been part of acommunity like this before and
it really is just such abeautiful thing to be part of.
And everybody I'm with now Iformed like a special connection
with everyone in the group, I'dsay, and like I really feel
like these people are like myfamily and I love being in a
(09:28):
group with them like this andbeing able to talk to them and
going on these planes with them,like I've made some really
close friends here.
Mario J. Novoa (09:35):
Well, I just want to add this is Mario.
Again, I just want to add howhow much I admire your group
individually for coming together, and I wish that I had a group
like this when I was your age,so I commend your efforts.
Lydia (09:51):
This is Lydia, and I second what you said, Mario.
Imagine having this kind ofsupport, having these kinds of
friendships, when you were inhigh school.
It just would have beenlife-altering, I think, for me.
But yet I think Oliver saidthat he had never met any queer
(10:14):
adults.
Said that he had never met anyqueer adults, and so, uh, even
that puts it into perspectivethat I I keep hearing that it's
easier to be queer now than itwas when we were younger, and I
think there's elements of thatthat are true, but I think that
it's still really tough to bequeer today.
(10:34):
And the issues are different,but the struggle is still there
and there's a lot that you all,you young people through Rainbow
Labs.
I'm glad that you found eachother and have that resource.
Camile (10:48):
This is Camille and I was just going to say that
related to Mario's question,that I really am grateful to all
the people I've met here.
To Mario's question, that Ireally am grateful to all the
people I've met here and eventhe mentorship that we get
through the program.
It's just like so important tome to like meet people I feel
like I really wouldn't even bein contact with like many people
otherwise, and the fact that Iget to have a support system
that's predominantly queer islike so important to me.
(11:11):
It really makes me feel likeconfident and able to be myself,
to be myself.
I feel like it's often aminefield to walk around being
myself with a lot of otherpeople that I know, the people
I'm related to, like family andstuff, so it's very special for
me to not have to do that here.
Louis Jacinto (11:31):
Hi, this is Louis .
It's just like what.
It's just wonderful seeing thatin high school age you have
discovered this group and eachother.
I think, for those of us whoare members of Gay and Lesbian
Latinos Unidos, who are heretoday, 40 years ago or so, we
were already adults.
(11:52):
We had already gone throughhigh school and college.
So it was pretty different andwe were on our own.
We weren't depending on ourfamilies, you know, on all of
that stuff.
So it was very different and Ijust think that it made me think
about my high school years.
You know, I would go to school,I'd be involved, but then I
never socialized with anybody athigh school, I just had didn't.
(12:16):
I thought it was the mostboring time in my life.
College was different becausethen I started meeting other
queer people.
I think it's absolutelywonderful.
Camile (12:26):
This is Camille speaking .
Again, part of the confidencethat Rainbow Labs has given me
kind of inspires me.
I would like to go to Pridethis year and I'm kind of in the
process of getting crutches formobility because my knees are
kind of getting worse and I needto like.
It's a whole process, it'scomplicated, but I think that
(12:46):
being a queer person walkingaround with crutches in the
Pride parade and being as youngas I am, I think that would be
so important because I remember,even just a few years ago, it
felt so difficult for me to belike the queer disabled kid and
I just want to be that.
I want to show other peoplethat I'm here and that I'm still
(13:07):
standing strongly, even thoughI guess, despite the stigma and
the social backlash that I get,I guess for just stigma and the
social um backlash that I get, Iguess for just being who I am
yeah um, ollie, I also am thequeer disabled person.
Ollie (13:25):
I have albinism, so I'm blind because of that and I use
um like a walking cane, a whitecane as a mobility aid and I do
think, like just having you knowjust a few years ago, or just
like I don't know, I like anypoint in my life being able to
like see someone like me I don'thave a better word than see.
(13:46):
Be able to see someone like meand have that person would have
been so, so beneficial to how Ifelt about myself and how, you
know, I like navigate the world.
So I definitely agree withCamille I think it would be
super cool to do something likethat and I think it's definitely
(14:08):
important for people peoplelike us, people who are queer
and people who are queer anddisabled.
People like us, people who arequeer and people who are queer
and disabled like to know thatthere are others like them.
And it's being disabled doesn'tmean you can't be successful,
you can't be happy.
I am like doing the best I'veever been doing.
Maria Garcia (14:26):
I am so happy and I'm still disabled and I'm still
queer do any of the studentshave any questions for any of
the folks from GLOO?
This is Maria.
Ollie (14:37):
I'm Ollie.
I think you know we've beentalking like about how, like
I've heard a lot of you know,people from GLOO saying how
amazing it is that we have thisspace.
I definitely do agree.
So I'm so glad to have thesepeople and I kind of I want to
like just commemorate you guys,because the reason that we can
(14:58):
have Rainbow Labs and have thisspace is because, like you guys
kind of like trailblazed so thatwe can do this, and so thank
you guys for that.
I was wondering, I don't know,how was it for you guys to find
GLU and like find that community?
Like I know what it's like forme and other youth council
members to find that, but d likehow was it for you as adults
(15:22):
rather than as, like teenagers?
Eduardio (15:25):
I'm eduardo.
I found glue after it hadalready started.
I was in, uh, just finishing upcollege.
I was at cal state long and myboyfriend at the time and I were
the only two queer Latinos thatwe knew, and I saw an ad in
Frontiers in the calendarsection saying that there was
(15:46):
this gay and lesbian Latinoorganization that met monthly in
Hollywood at the Gay andLesbian Center.
So I went and I had beeninvolved with Latino politics in
college and so it was a naturalfit.
Everybody was welcoming,everybody was like you were
(16:07):
saying about your group.
That was true for GLU, that wewere.
Everybody was welcome,everybody had a voice, everybody
was allowed to be who they wereand it was.
It was a great fit and that was.
I think that was like 83, maybe84, 1984.
(16:28):
And it was.
It was really cool and it was.
But that's how we found it.
It was there was no, the mediawas.
The was the free magazines thatwere out in the community, and
I saw it in Frontiers and that'show I came to be a part of GLOO
and Radio GLOO, with the rest.
Louis Jacinto (16:50):
Mrs Lewis.
I think for a lot of us thatdiscovered GLOO, and we were in
our early to mid-20s for themost part.
We had already gone through alot of other community
organizing United Farm Workers,the women's movement, just the
(17:13):
things that were happening.
And so with GLOO, I know, forme it was like okay, yeah, this
is like the last frontier, thisis the last thing that I need to
stand up and fight for, becausethis really is who I am.
Because, you know, we talkedabout visibility.
I wasn't seeing anybody thatlooked like me, not in
literature, film, televisionrecords that I was listening to.
(17:38):
I was invisible, but yet I knewI was important and like all of
us.
And so glue allowed me to bewith people who looked like me
and who grew up like me and whowere concerned about what was
going on.
The same way, I was concernedabout things, and so it was the
(18:02):
natural final frontier, if Icould quote Star Trek.
So when I look at all of youfrom Rainbow Lab doing it now,
while you're still at this age,in high school, it's like man,
they are just, you know, cuttingout all the middle folks and
jumping right in and keeping itgoing.
(18:24):
And I think you should because,like Ali thank you, Earlier,
you had said you thanked us forlike paving the way and all of
that.
Yes, I guess we did.
I mean, I don't think that'swhat we're thinking about, but
if we pave the way, then walkright up into it and take it,
because you know it's soimportant for other kids to see
(18:48):
that they are not alone,especially in these times, and
your work is so important.
You have no idea.
Rita Gonzalez (18:58):
And this is Rita.
In our time, before multimediaand all this, we had magazines
that we used to do freemagazines.
Eduardo had mentioned Frontiers.
It was for men, it was a gaymagazine, and then the women had
lesbian news for thesemagazines.
(19:19):
And we went to the bars that'swhere our we'd hear there's no
bars now, but there used to bebars gay bars, women bars and
there'd be flyers on a bulletinboard and that's how we found
out what was going on.
It was just.
It was fun.
It was a lot of fun discoveringthese places, and especially
(19:40):
when you find out that there wasa group you could identify with
GLU.
A lot of us did identifybecause it was a Latino
organization, but some of usbelong to other organizations as
well, too.
What I loved about GLUpersonally, it was co-gender and
it felt like they were mybrothers and my sisters, so it
was awesome.
(20:00):
And it felt like they were mybrothers and my sisters, so it
was awesome.
Mario J. Novoa (20:02):
I have a question for Diego.
How does your work as an artist?
How does that, do you feel,connected in any way with
Rainbow Labs in terms of whatyou're trying to do as an artist
?
Do you feel, for some of youmaybe that are pursuing college,
how does Rainbow Labs assistyou with your next steps into
(20:25):
your adulthood?
Diego (20:27):
So I've always been an artist and I have explored
different mediums, whether itwas through dance, through music
or through painting and drawing.
I was always a visual artistand a performing artist.
And drawing.
I was always a visual artistand a performing artist.
More recently, I've beeninclined to paint and draw, and
(20:47):
I've also recently joined aballet folklórico group at my
school, and so I've been dancingballet folklórico for the past
three years now, and at thebeginning of learning ballet
folklórico, I knew traditionswere really strong and it was
something that was upkept inmany groups, and so what that
(21:08):
meant was that women would onlybe allowed to dance in skirts
and that men would only beallowed to dance in men's attire
.
And so when I would look atballet folklorico, I told myself
that I wanted to dance in askirt, and as a cisgender man, I
knew that would come withsetbacks and obstacles.
(21:30):
And, alina, it came with itsset of obstacles.
And so while I was dancing withskirts, I was getting a lot of
pushback from my family, from mymom, and even just from myself
too, doubting myself that, youknow, this is what I really
should be doing.
Should I be conforming to thestandards or should I be happy
(21:53):
and dance in a skirt, and youknow, keep on dancing.
And so I chose my happiness.
And so I chose to keep dancingin a skirt, my happiness.
And so I chose to keep dancingin a skirt.
And that freedom to justexpress myself in a way that
wasn't harming anyone and in away that was breaking tradition
and like setting forth a newstandard that you know you're,
(22:18):
this, you can also do this wasso inspiring and empowering to
me, and so that was my journeywith Loco Rico and how I gained
the confidence from Rainbow Labs.
Another thing, too, andsomething important to mention,
is that before I joined RainbowLabs, I didn't think that art
would be a living like.
I didn't think that becoming anartist would be a possible
(22:41):
future for me, and so, afterlearning what storytelling was
and how I can tell my story indifferent forms of art, I was
encouraged to become a filmmaker, and so the next four years
I'll be studying filmmaking andfilm production at Loyola
Marymount University, and sohopefully that that goes well.
(23:02):
But without Rainbow Labs, Iprobably wouldn't have had a
direction or probably wouldn'thave that inclined idea of
becoming a filmmaker.
Mario J. Novoa (23:11):
So Diego, thank you for sharing that.
You know I'm a filmmaker.
That's film is in my heart.
I'm really happy that you'rethat you're taking that route,
but also that you mentioned thatyou're pushing boundaries and
continue to do that you're.
That is the kind of the legacyof glue is.
They didn't know that they werecreating a space for us in
(23:32):
future generations and and youcontinue doing that.
Um, just that's fantastic tohear.
I'm really, really fascinated.
I'd like to find out if howRainbow Labs is assisting all of
you and your next steps as well.
Camile (23:46):
If anybody else wants to add, Well, I'm more of a hobby
artist.
I'm actually going to be goingto CSUN and majoring in public
health sciences.
I'm a huge STEM geek and mycareer goals Camille again.
But Rainbow labs has helped mea lot.
I mean mostly just findingscholarships, because it's
(24:07):
really hard to uh afford college, but also, like through the
scholarships and uh meeting thepeople who represent them and
other groups that rainbow labsworks with, um like finding
other organizations that I thatdo activism, that do queer
activism, like in at the collegecampuses, has been something
(24:29):
important to me and, like Idon't know, something that I'm
looking into and I think thathas uh kind of inspired me from
uh my experience with RainbowLabs.
Kat (24:40):
Hi, uh, this is Kat speaking.
I wanted to to say that RainbowLabs has done a lot for me too.
Honestly, I decided that Iwanted to go to Santa Monica
College and I only figured thatout because we did a tour there
and they showed us all of theresources that were there for
(25:00):
LGBTQ youth and, honestly, had Ididn't have a super bad like
view of community college.
I was just always told thatlike you need to get into a
four-year because, like youdon't want to go to a community
college.
But after seeing like thecommunity college we toured and
knowing more about it and beingconnected with resources on what
you can do, uh, opening that upmade me like okay with wanting
(25:23):
to go to community college andthat's the college I'm gonna now
go to.
That's like a for sure I'mgonna go there.
So it's, it's a really it's areally good school.
But and they've also helped mea lot with like being able to I
decided that I want to startlooking into being more part of
being part of communities thatdo help LGBTQ youth.
(25:45):
I didn't it's been like my dreamsince I was like in middle
school to have run like a prideclub at my school and I was able
to do that this year.
I'm now the president of mypride club and I've been trying
to get that started since sixthgrade.
But it it's really it's.
It made me realize how muchmore I want to be involved in,
like my community and what Iwant to do for people who are my
(26:06):
age.
And having a younger sister whois actually 10 now and she came
out to me when she was veryyoung and she told me that she
she told me that she was gay butshe didn't have a safe place to
go and so I couldn't tellanybody like and I would never.
So I couldn't tell anybody likeand I would never but be seeing
(26:26):
like.
Having LGBTQ youth in my lifemade me realize I wanted to be
there for LGBTQ youth and createsafe spaces, so it's really
helped me decide what I want todo in the future um, ollie, kat,
that is so amazing.
Ollie (26:37):
I didn't know that, like any of that, um, as the younger
queer sibling, my older sisteris also queer and I came out to
her when I was around like nine.
I think it's so important to youknow, do that stuff.
So thank you, kat, and I also,you know, rainbow Loves has also
helped me find like that spaceto just figure out I want to be
(27:00):
while educating me and like I'ma poet and I don't think I would
be as confident in like sharingmy writing or just writing in
general, without having had likeRainbow Labs just, you know,
improve my confidence and alsogive me that space to share.
I've been recently likesubmitting to literary magazines
(27:20):
and signing up to be a part oflike different teams, trying or
at least trying to apply.
I'm planning on auditioning tobe a get lit poet.
Get lit is a non-profitorganization that does stuff
with poetry and like I'm justtrying to do all these things
and I'm trying to accomplishthese things that I never would
have even thought about tryingto do without Rainbow Labs, like
(27:41):
showing me that I can make adifference and that I never
would have even thought abouttrying to do without Rainbow
Labs, showing me that I can makea difference and that I can
accomplish these things.
So I think Rainbow Labs hasdefinitely put me where I am.
Alex (27:52):
Yeah, Hi, it's Alex speaking.
I think I'm in middle school.
End of this month I'm going tobe graduating and I'll head to
high school in a few months andstart that part of my life.
But I like theater, I likepoetry and, honestly, as much as
you see it online, I never metpeople in the community who kind
(28:14):
of had those similar interests,who had those paths they wanted
in life.
I want to study psychology.
I want to find out why we allthink the way we do and I think
Rainbow Labs really helped mesee that there's a whole range
of people.
Everything they do is different.
Everyone is unique.
As cliche as that sounds, Iactually think that's just an
important thing and part of life.
(28:35):
And honestly, I really enjoyRainbow Labs.
I enjoy all of you.
All of your stories are sounique and they're just
fascinating.
And you know, I think RainbowLabs specifically has just
helped me see that everyone outthere has something they want to
say and we should listen to it.
Lydia (28:54):
Young people.
Thanks for showing up and youknow inspiring us and you know
making us feel all mushy insidebecause we're so proud of you.
Uh, that you know life, it'ssuch a blessing and to know that
, queer folks, we're still outthere and we still have dreams
and aspirations.
(29:14):
And you know, maybe I, wedidn't all fulfill what we
wanted to do, but you are, Ihave a lot of not to put
pressure on you, but you knowyou like, you feel free, like to
embrace with the world and toyou know, express yourself in so
many ways, and so thank you forjoining us today thank you for
(29:35):
having us and thank you for thework that you do.
Camile (29:37):
It's very inspiring and, uh, it helps me to like imagine
myself in the future.
Yeah, thank you guys so much.
Ollie (29:45):
It's really really inspiring.
Maria Garcia (29:47):
Some of the amazing students that are on our
youth council program atRainbow Labs.
Louis Jacinto (29:51):
And don't forget that Unidad Gay and Lesbian
Latinos Unidos.
The documentary is stillstreaming on PBS.
Camile (30:00):
My dad saw some of that.
He thought you guys were cool.
Just putting that out there.
Rita Gonzalez (30:05):
Well, thank you so much for joining us.
You're awesome and you are ourfuture.
So for Radio Q Blue.
Eduardio (30:12):
I'm Rita Gonzalez.
Louis Jacinto (30:13):
I'm Eduardo Archuleta, I'm Luis Jacinto.
I'm Mario J Navarro.
Rita Gonzalez (30:18):
I'm Lidia Otero.
Once again, our guest has beenMaria Garcia and some of her
students from Rainbow Lab, andwe want to hear from you.
Like us on our Facebook page,follow us on X, formerly known
as Twitter, or email us attheoutagenda at gmailcom.
I'm Rita Gonzalez.
(30:40):
Thanks for listening, and havea wonderful week, and remember
that being out is the first stepto being equal.
Now stay tuned for this Way Out.
Welcome to the Out Agenda.
Coming to you on Archive atKPFK.
org.
I'm Rita Gonzalez.
On this month's episode ofRadio QGLLU, our guests are
Maria Garcia and some of herstudents at the Rainbow Lab.
So, on that note, here's RadioQGLLU.
(00:26):
Welcome to the Radio QGLLUpodcast, a segment of the Out
Agenda, the show that takes adeep dive into what the queer,
gay and lesbian Latin communityis talking about.
(00:46):
I'm Rita Gonzalez.
I'm Lidia Otero.
Louis Jacinto (00:50):
I'm Eduardo Archuleta and I'm Luis Asicinto
and I'm Mario J Navoa.
Mario J. Novoa (00:57):
Our guests are Maria Garcia from the Rainbow
Labs and some of her students.
Please introduce yourselves.
Maria Garcia (01:04):
Hi everyone, my name is Maria.
I use she, they, ella, ellapronouns, and I'm a program
manager at Rainbow Labs and I'mhere with some of my amazing
students from the Rainbow LabsYouth Council.
We are a mentoring program thatprovides mentoring programs to
LGBTQ youth in Los Angeles, andour Youth Council is a paid
(01:25):
opportunity for students to gainleadership skills and learn
about things like financialliteracy, queer education,
social, emotional wellness,college readiness, etc.
Diego (01:35):
My name is Dio Gonzalez, I use He/They pronouns and I'm a
queer Chicano artist based outof Lenox, California, a small,
unincorporated part of LosAngeles.
I've been with Rainbow Labs andon Under Youth Council for the
last three years, where I'vealso been one of the co-chairs.
Alex (01:50):
I'm Alex, I use all pronouns, I'm from Long Beach,
Mexican, and I'm one of thenewest members of the Youth
Council and I'm really happy tobe here.
Kat (02:00):
Hi, my name is Catalina Aramillo, but most people just
call me Kat.
I go by she, her pronouns.
I live in El Segundo and I ampart of Rainbow Labs Youth
Council and I'm the multimediamanager.
Louis Jacinto (02:15):
Hi, it's me, Luis Jacinto, and I wanted to ask
the students from the RainbowLab are you in high school?
Are you in college?
In between?
We are all high schoolers andmiddle school, so Youth Council
is ages 13 through 18, I believewe have an eighth grader in our
Youth Council, Alex, and thenthe rest of us are all high
(02:37):
schoolers, different levels.
I'm personally, I'm 15.
I'm a sophomore.
Lydia (02:43):
Hi, this is Lydia, and so , now that we know a little bit
more about you, why was findinga queer community at your age so
important?
Because I can see that you allreally like being around each
other.
But can you tell us a littlebit more about the cohesiveness
or the solidarity or somethingabout how you all find strength
(03:05):
in in the group, in rainbow labsand in with each other?
Diego (03:10):
This is Diego, speaking.
For me, rainbow labs and theyouth council and every youth
involved in Rainbow Labs feltlike a family, and so the reason
I continued to join rainbowlabs throughout the years was
because they would meet peoplelike myself, and, if not, they
had a common thing that I wasable to relate to and empathize
with, and so, although there maybe an intersectionality that
(03:33):
doesn't match mine, there'sstill a generosity that comes
with everyone, and just thatsafe space and the safe
environment that I get to be inwith all the youth and the staff
is something so honorable andsomething that I truly value as
someone who, at first, didn'tbelieve there was a community
out there for me, and so when Ifound Rainbow Labs, it was just
(03:55):
huge culture shock and somethingthat I wanted to be a part of
till the day I died.
That's why I chose Rainbow Labs, and that's why I keep being at
Rainbow Labs and continue tostay involved.
Camile (04:07):
I'm Camille Ramos.
I use she, they he pronouns I'ma queer and trans student.
I'm, you know, just I'mcurrently trying to go do
college stuff and I don't knowhectic it's a lot.
I am secretary at Rainbow Labs.
I take notes here and I reallylike it, even though it's like
(04:28):
kind of a lot of work.
But, um, well, I first joinedRainbow Labs um, actually, I
found them at a um through umModels of Pride, and it was
really just like a time where Iwas, I was kind of very early in
like my transition and stuff um, and I wanted to find like
community.
I'm very like I have a lot ofpolitical beliefs that I'm like
(04:49):
very passionate about and I'vealways wanted to be kind of
involved with community andlike-minded individuals.
So after like going to a fewevents, uh that were hosted by
Rainbow Labs, I was like I wantto be part of the.
The youth council wasn't themost social.
Um, I'm, uh, disabled.
I don't really go to school inperson a lot, so I don't have
much of a chance to formcommunity at my school.
(05:11):
So this opportunity was kind ofamazing for me and it was
really perfect.
I mean, it was a greatopportunity for me to meet
people who are like me and whothink like me and I don't know.
Relationships that I've builthere are super important to me
and, like Diego Diego said, Ikind of wish I could be here
forever uh.
Ollie (05:33):
I'm Ollie.
I found out about Rainbow Labsthrough um, an advertisement at
my friend's school, so shetexted me and was like hey,
ollie, I think you should signup for this.
And it was for the.
It was for One Bold Summer,which is our summer storytelling
program, and I was in eighthgrade at the time.
Eighth grade was a really,really horrible year for me.
(05:55):
I experienced a lot of bullying, harassment, like just horrible
treatment because I'm trans,horrible treatment because I'm
trans.
So I signed up for One BoldSummer almost immediately and
got to join the program and Ireally like connected with the
people I met and I felt like Ihad like kind of a community in
(06:17):
a way, and I never really met alot of like other queer people
who were similar to me or I'dnever met queer adults.
So having mentors and otheryouth and you know just all of
these people to hang out withwas really really inspiring and
it just was great for me.
So I was like, okay, they havea youth council, I'm gonna apply
(06:39):
and I don't know.
I've just been a very activemember in whatever programs I
can join since then.
I think connecting with theother youth is really, really
important to me.
I've made a lot of greatfriends.
I still talk to people whoaren't in the program anymore
and I just I get along witheveryone a lot.
(06:59):
I think these connections,especially because we share our
queer identity but we also areindividuals with different
interests and personalities Ithink it's really, really great
to just have people like that,who we can be individuals, but
we do have a connection overbeing queer.
Alex (07:16):
I'm Alex.
I first found Rainbow Labsthrough an Instagram, which you
know isn't the most conventionalway to find it, but it was for
me.
People from all differentbackgrounds that were here for
the same purpose as I did, andwe all have that kind of
familial bond that I'm reallyhappy about.
Mario J. Novoa (07:32):
Hi, this is Mario.
I think it's fascinating thatour guests are really finding a
sense of community in thesespaces.
I think for somebody likemyself that came out in the late
90s a Gen Xer who had adifferent experience in trying
to find community I think thisis a really, really great
(07:55):
program and I know that some ofour listeners probably don't
have this connection with.
They're probably trying to findgroups like Rainbow Labs to
create a sense of community orto find some sort of belonging.
I'm wondering what does thismean to you now, with the people
(08:15):
that you've met so far?
Kat (08:17):
This is Catalina Aramillo speaking, or Kat.
When I was first connected withthe community, honestly, where I
am now, I had never reallyheard like the term of like
choosing your own family.
I come from a family where itwas like very much blood is your
family, that's your family,which can be true in a lot of
cases, um, but for me, honestly,joining Rainbow Labs and like
(08:41):
having a connection right awaywith everyone felt like choosing
my own family.
I didn't have a lot like my moredistant family wasn't very
supportive of me.
So coming here and just feelingso like open, so open and
feeling being able to feel sovulnerable with people who maybe
I haven't known very long, it'sstill like such an amazing
(09:05):
experience to be able to beconnected with the people I am
now and it is a huge thing to dothat when you're so young.
I've never been part of acommunity like this before and
it really is just such abeautiful thing to be part of.
And everybody I'm with now Iformed like a special connection
with everyone in the group, I'dsay, and like I really feel
like these people are like myfamily and I love being in a
(09:28):
group with them like this andbeing able to talk to them and
going on these planes with them,like I've made some really
close friends here.
Mario J. Novoa (09:35):
Well, I just want to add this is Mario.
Again, I just want to add howhow much I admire your group
individually for coming together, and I wish that I had a group
like this when I was your age,so I commend your efforts.
Lydia (09:51):
This is Lydia, and I second what you said, Mario.
Imagine having this kind ofsupport, having these kinds of
friendships, when you were inhigh school.
It just would have beenlife-altering, I think, for me.
But yet I think Oliver saidthat he had never met any queer
(10:14):
adults.
Said that he had never met anyqueer adults, and so, uh, even
that puts it into perspectivethat I I keep hearing that it's
easier to be queer now than itwas when we were younger, and I
think there's elements of thatthat are true, but I think that
it's still really tough to bequeer today.
(10:34):
And the issues are different,but the struggle is still there
and there's a lot that you all,you young people through Rainbow
Labs.
I'm glad that you found eachother and have that resource.
Camile (10:48):
This is Camille and I was just going to say that
related to Mario's question,that I really am grateful to all
the people I've met here.
To Mario's question, that Ireally am grateful to all the
people I've met here and eventhe mentorship that we get
through the program.
It's just like so important tome to like meet people I feel
like I really wouldn't even bein contact with like many people
otherwise, and the fact that Iget to have a support system
that's predominantly queer islike so important to me.
(11:11):
It really makes me feel likeconfident and able to be myself,
to be myself.
I feel like it's often aminefield to walk around being
myself with a lot of otherpeople that I know, the people
I'm related to, like family andstuff, so it's very special for
me to not have to do that here.
Louis Jacinto (11:31):
Hi, this is Louis .
It's just like what.
It's just wonderful seeing thatin high school age you have
discovered this group and eachother.
I think, for those of us whoare members of Gay and Lesbian
Latinos Unidos, who are heretoday, 40 years ago or so, we
were already adults.
(11:52):
We had already gone throughhigh school and college.
So it was pretty different andwe were on our own.
We weren't depending on ourfamilies, you know, on all of
that stuff.
So it was very different and Ijust think that it made me think
about my high school years.
You know, I would go to school,I'd be involved, but then I
never socialized with anybody athigh school, I just had didn't.
(12:16):
I thought it was the mostboring time in my life.
College was different becausethen I started meeting other
queer people.
I think it's absolutelywonderful.
Camile (12:26):
This is Camille speaking .
Again, part of the confidencethat Rainbow Labs has given me
kind of inspires me.
I would like to go to Pridethis year and I'm kind of in the
process of getting crutches formobility because my knees are
kind of getting worse and I needto like.
It's a whole process, it'scomplicated, but I think that
(12:46):
being a queer person walkingaround with crutches in the
Pride parade and being as youngas I am, I think that would be
so important because I remember,even just a few years ago, it
felt so difficult for me to belike the queer disabled kid and
I just want to be that.
I want to show other peoplethat I'm here and that I'm still
(13:07):
standing strongly, even thoughI guess, despite the stigma and
the social backlash that I get,I guess for just stigma and the
social um backlash that I get, Iguess for just being who I am
yeah um, ollie, I also am thequeer disabled person.
Ollie (13:25):
I have albinism, so I'm blind because of that and I use
um like a walking cane, a whitecane as a mobility aid and I do
think, like just having you knowjust a few years ago, or just
like I don't know, I like anypoint in my life being able to
like see someone like me I don'thave a better word than see.
(13:46):
Be able to see someone like meand have that person would have
been so, so beneficial to how Ifelt about myself and how, you
know, I like navigate the world.
So I definitely agree withCamille I think it would be
super cool to do something likethat and I think it's definitely
(14:08):
important for people peoplelike us, people who are queer
and people who are queer anddisabled.
People like us, people who arequeer and people who are queer
and disabled like to know thatthere are others like them.
And it's being disabled doesn'tmean you can't be successful,
you can't be happy.
I am like doing the best I'veever been doing.
Maria Garcia (14:26):
I am so happy and I'm still disabled and I'm still
queer do any of the studentshave any questions for any of
the folks from GLOO?
This is Maria.
Ollie (14:37):
I'm Ollie.
I think you know we've beentalking like about how, like
I've heard a lot of you know,people from GLOO saying how
amazing it is that we have thisspace.
I definitely do agree.
So I'm so glad to have thesepeople and I kind of I want to
like just commemorate you guys,because the reason that we can
(14:58):
have Rainbow Labs and have thisspace is because, like you guys
kind of like trailblazed so thatwe can do this, and so thank
you guys for that.
I was wondering, I don't know,how was it for you guys to find
GLU and like find that community?
Like I know what it's like forme and other youth council
members to find that, but d likehow was it for you as adults
(15:22):
rather than as, like teenagers?
Eduardio (15:25):
I'm eduardo.
I found glue after it hadalready started.
I was in, uh, just finishing upcollege.
I was at cal state long and myboyfriend at the time and I were
the only two queer Latinos thatwe knew, and I saw an ad in
Frontiers in the calendarsection saying that there was
(15:46):
this gay and lesbian Latinoorganization that met monthly in
Hollywood at the Gay andLesbian Center.
So I went and I had beeninvolved with Latino politics in
college and so it was a naturalfit.
Everybody was welcoming,everybody was like you were
(16:07):
saying about your group.
That was true for GLU, that wewere.
Everybody was welcome,everybody had a voice, everybody
was allowed to be who they wereand it was.
It was a great fit and that was.
I think that was like 83, maybe84, 1984.
(16:28):
And it was.
It was really cool and it was.
But that's how we found it.
It was there was no, the mediawas.
The was the free magazines thatwere out in the community, and
I saw it in Frontiers and that'show I came to be a part of GLOO
and Radio GLOO, with the rest.
Louis Jacinto (16:50):
Mrs Lewis.
I think for a lot of us thatdiscovered GLOO, and we were in
our early to mid-20s for themost part.
We had already gone through alot of other community
organizing United Farm Workers,the women's movement, just the
(17:13):
things that were happening.
And so with GLOO, I know, forme it was like okay, yeah, this
is like the last frontier, thisis the last thing that I need to
stand up and fight for, becausethis really is who I am.
Because, you know, we talkedabout visibility.
I wasn't seeing anybody thatlooked like me, not in
literature, film, televisionrecords that I was listening to.
(17:38):
I was invisible, but yet I knewI was important and like all of
us.
And so glue allowed me to bewith people who looked like me
and who grew up like me and whowere concerned about what was
going on.
The same way, I was concernedabout things, and so it was the
(18:02):
natural final frontier, if Icould quote Star Trek.
So when I look at all of youfrom Rainbow Lab doing it now,
while you're still at this age,in high school, it's like man,
they are just, you know, cuttingout all the middle folks and
jumping right in and keeping itgoing.
(18:24):
And I think you should because,like Ali thank you, Earlier,
you had said you thanked us forlike paving the way and all of
that.
Yes, I guess we did.
I mean, I don't think that'swhat we're thinking about, but
if we pave the way, then walkright up into it and take it,
because you know it's soimportant for other kids to see
(18:48):
that they are not alone,especially in these times, and
your work is so important.
You have no idea.
Rita Gonzalez (18:58):
And this is Rita.
In our time, before multimediaand all this, we had magazines
that we used to do freemagazines.
Eduardo had mentioned Frontiers.
It was for men, it was a gaymagazine, and then the women had
lesbian news for thesemagazines.
(19:19):
And we went to the bars that'swhere our we'd hear there's no
bars now, but there used to bebars gay bars, women bars and
there'd be flyers on a bulletinboard and that's how we found
out what was going on.
It was just.
It was fun.
It was a lot of fun discoveringthese places, and especially
(19:40):
when you find out that there wasa group you could identify with
GLU.
A lot of us did identifybecause it was a Latino
organization, but some of usbelong to other organizations as
well, too.
What I loved about GLUpersonally, it was co-gender and
it felt like they were mybrothers and my sisters, so it
was awesome.
(20:00):
And it felt like they were mybrothers and my sisters, so it
was awesome.
Mario J. Novoa (20:02):
I have a question for Diego.
How does your work as an artist?
How does that, do you feel,connected in any way with
Rainbow Labs in terms of whatyou're trying to do as an artist
?
Do you feel, for some of youmaybe that are pursuing college,
how does Rainbow Labs assistyou with your next steps into
(20:25):
your adulthood?
Diego (20:27):
So I've always been an artist and I have explored
different mediums, whether itwas through dance, through music
or through painting and drawing.
I was always a visual artistand a performing artist.
And drawing.
I was always a visual artistand a performing artist.
More recently, I've beeninclined to paint and draw, and
(20:47):
I've also recently joined aballet folklórico group at my
school, and so I've been dancingballet folklórico for the past
three years now, and at thebeginning of learning ballet
folklórico, I knew traditionswere really strong and it was
something that was upkept inmany groups, and so what that
(21:08):
meant was that women would onlybe allowed to dance in skirts
and that men would only beallowed to dance in men's attire
.
And so when I would look atballet folklorico, I told myself
that I wanted to dance in askirt, and as a cisgender man, I
knew that would come withsetbacks and obstacles.
(21:30):
And, alina, it came with itsset of obstacles.
And so while I was dancing withskirts, I was getting a lot of
pushback from my family, from mymom, and even just from myself
too, doubting myself that, youknow, this is what I really
should be doing.
Should I be conforming to thestandards or should I be happy
(21:53):
and dance in a skirt, and youknow, keep on dancing.
And so I chose my happiness.
And so I chose to keep dancingin a skirt, my happiness.
And so I chose to keep dancingin a skirt.
And that freedom to justexpress myself in a way that
wasn't harming anyone and in away that was breaking tradition
and like setting forth a newstandard that you know you're,
(22:18):
this, you can also do this wasso inspiring and empowering to
me, and so that was my journeywith Loco Rico and how I gained
the confidence from Rainbow Labs.
Another thing, too, andsomething important to mention,
is that before I joined RainbowLabs, I didn't think that art
would be a living like.
I didn't think that becoming anartist would be a possible
(22:41):
future for me, and so, afterlearning what storytelling was
and how I can tell my story indifferent forms of art, I was
encouraged to become a filmmaker, and so the next four years
I'll be studying filmmaking andfilm production at Loyola
Marymount University, and sohopefully that that goes well.
(23:02):
But without Rainbow Labs, Iprobably wouldn't have had a
direction or probably wouldn'thave that inclined idea of
becoming a filmmaker.
Mario J. Novoa (23:11):
So Diego, thank you for sharing that.
You know I'm a filmmaker.
That's film is in my heart.
I'm really happy that you'rethat you're taking that route,
but also that you mentioned thatyou're pushing boundaries and
continue to do that you're.
That is the kind of the legacyof glue is.
They didn't know that they werecreating a space for us in
(23:32):
future generations and and youcontinue doing that.
Um, just that's fantastic tohear.
I'm really, really fascinated.
I'd like to find out if howRainbow Labs is assisting all of
you and your next steps as well.
Camile (23:46):
If anybody else wants to add, Well, I'm more of a hobby
artist.
I'm actually going to be goingto CSUN and majoring in public
health sciences.
I'm a huge STEM geek and mycareer goals Camille again.
But Rainbow labs has helped mea lot.
I mean mostly just findingscholarships, because it's
(24:07):
really hard to uh afford college, but also, like through the
scholarships and uh meeting thepeople who represent them and
other groups that rainbow labsworks with, um like finding
other organizations that I thatdo activism, that do queer
activism, like in at the collegecampuses, has been something
(24:29):
important to me and, like Idon't know, something that I'm
looking into and I think thathas uh kind of inspired me from
uh my experience with RainbowLabs.
Kat (24:40):
Hi, uh, this is Kat speaking.
I wanted to to say that RainbowLabs has done a lot for me too.
Honestly, I decided that Iwanted to go to Santa Monica
College and I only figured thatout because we did a tour there
and they showed us all of theresources that were there for
(25:00):
LGBTQ youth and, honestly, had Ididn't have a super bad like
view of community college.
I was just always told thatlike you need to get into a
four-year because, like youdon't want to go to a community
college.
But after seeing like thecommunity college we toured and
knowing more about it and beingconnected with resources on what
you can do, uh, opening that upmade me like okay with wanting
(25:23):
to go to community college andthat's the college I'm gonna now
go to.
That's like a for sure I'mgonna go there.
So it's, it's a really it's areally good school.
But and they've also helped mea lot with like being able to I
decided that I want to startlooking into being more part of
being part of communities thatdo help LGBTQ youth.
(25:45):
I didn't it's been like my dreamsince I was like in middle
school to have run like a prideclub at my school and I was able
to do that this year.
I'm now the president of mypride club and I've been trying
to get that started since sixthgrade.
But it it's really it's.
It made me realize how muchmore I want to be involved in,
like my community and what Iwant to do for people who are my
(26:06):
age.
And having a younger sister whois actually 10 now and she came
out to me when she was veryyoung and she told me that she
she told me that she was gay butshe didn't have a safe place to
go and so I couldn't tellanybody like and I would never.
So I couldn't tell anybody likeand I would never but be seeing
(26:26):
like.
Having LGBTQ youth in my lifemade me realize I wanted to be
there for LGBTQ youth and createsafe spaces, so it's really
helped me decide what I want todo in the future um, ollie, kat,
that is so amazing.
Ollie (26:37):
I didn't know that, like any of that, um, as the younger
queer sibling, my older sisteris also queer and I came out to
her when I was around like nine.
I think it's so important to youknow, do that stuff.
So thank you, kat, and I also,you know, rainbow Loves has also
helped me find like that spaceto just figure out I want to be
(27:00):
while educating me and like I'ma poet and I don't think I would
be as confident in like sharingmy writing or just writing in
general, without having had likeRainbow Labs just, you know,
improve my confidence and alsogive me that space to share.
I've been recently likesubmitting to literary magazines
(27:20):
and signing up to be a part oflike different teams, trying or
at least trying to apply.
I'm planning on auditioning tobe a get lit poet.
Get lit is a non-profitorganization that does stuff
with poetry and like I'm justtrying to do all these things
and I'm trying to accomplishthese things that I never would
have even thought about tryingto do without Rainbow Labs, like
(27:41):
showing me that I can make adifference and that I never
would have even thought abouttrying to do without Rainbow
Labs, showing me that I can makea difference and that I can
accomplish these things.
So I think Rainbow Labs hasdefinitely put me where I am.
Alex (27:52):
Yeah, Hi, it's Alex speaking.
I think I'm in middle school.
End of this month I'm going tobe graduating and I'll head to
high school in a few months andstart that part of my life.
But I like theater, I likepoetry and, honestly, as much as
you see it online, I never metpeople in the community who kind
(28:14):
of had those similar interests,who had those paths they wanted
in life.
I want to study psychology.
I want to find out why we allthink the way we do and I think
Rainbow Labs really helped mesee that there's a whole range
of people.
Everything they do is different.
Everyone is unique.
As cliche as that sounds, Iactually think that's just an
important thing and part of life.
(28:35):
And honestly, I really enjoyRainbow Labs.
I enjoy all of you.
All of your stories are sounique and they're just
fascinating.
And you know, I think RainbowLabs specifically has just
helped me see that everyone outthere has something they want to
say and we should listen to it.
Lydia (28:54):
Young people.
Thanks for showing up and youknow inspiring us and you know
making us feel all mushy insidebecause we're so proud of you.
Uh, that you know life, it'ssuch a blessing and to know that
, queer folks, we're still outthere and we still have dreams
and aspirations.
(29:14):
And you know, maybe I, wedidn't all fulfill what we
wanted to do, but you are, Ihave a lot of not to put
pressure on you, but you knowyou like, you feel free, like to
embrace with the world and toyou know, express yourself in so
many ways, and so thank you forjoining us today thank you for
(29:35):
having us and thank you for thework that you do.
Camile (29:37):
It's very inspiring and, uh, it helps me to like imagine
myself in the future.
Yeah, thank you guys so much.
Ollie (29:45):
It's really really inspiring.
Maria Garcia (29:47):
Some of the amazing students that are on our
youth council program atRainbow Labs.
Louis Jacinto (29:51):
And don't forget that Unidad Gay and Lesbian
Latinos Unidos.
The documentary is stillstreaming on PBS.
Camile (30:00):
My dad saw some of that.
He thought you guys were cool.
Just putting that out there.
Rita Gonzalez (30:05):
Well, thank you so much for joining us.
You're awesome and you are ourfuture.
So for Radio Q Blue.
Eduardio (30:12):
I'm Rita Gonzalez.
Louis Jacinto (30:13):
I'm Eduardo Archuleta, I'm Luis Jacinto.
I'm Mario J Navarro.
Rita Gonzalez (30:18):
I'm Lidia Otero.
Once again, our guest has beenMaria Garcia and some of her
students from Rainbow Lab, andwe want to hear from you.
Like us on our Facebook page,follow us on X, formerly known
as Twitter, or email us attheoutagenda at gmailcom.
I'm Rita Gonzalez.
(30:40):
Thanks for listening, and havea wonderful week, and remember
that being out is the first stepto being equal.
Now stay tuned for this Way Out.
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