Oral History with Yolanda Santiago (Queer Capital-Genny Beemyn)

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Yolanda Santiago is a Latina lesbian activist and the former president of ENLACE, an organization dedicated to supporting LGBT+ Latinos. In this interview, she reflects on her dual identity as both Latina and lesbian, and the ways that intersection shaped her experiences within the predominantly white LGBT+ community. She explains how the struggles and priorities of Latino LGBT+ people, such as immigration status, economic survival, and culturally rooted definitions of family, often differed significantly from those of white LGBT+ individuals.

In this interview, she also discusses her leadership within ENLACE, including organizing community dances as acts of political power designed to demonstrate collective strength and demand recognition from both mainstream Latino institutions and the broader LGBTQ+ community. Under her guidance, ENLACE established critical services such as a national Latino gay and lesbian hotline and HIV/AIDS outreach programs. Santiago further reflects on the Mount Pleasant riots and the community response to the murder of Anna Marie Rosario, situating these events within broader struggles for justice and visibility.

Genny Beemyn

Transcription available

1 audio file (37:06)

37:06