Growing Up Gay In Uruguay

Name: Guillermo
Gay.com Member Name: Boy1891
Age: 18
Gender: Male
Ethnicity: Latino
Sexual Orientation: Gay
Birthplace: Uruguay

As a Latino/Hispanic, do you have a "coming out" story specific to your culture? Or do you have any stories describing why you feel you cannot "come out" as an LGBT Latino?
Well I grow up in a small city (population around 100,000) so that describes almost everything. Why it does? Well first gay discrimination is everywhere, you grow up with this idea of being LGBT is bad. Another problem would be that, due to the discrimination, LGBT are hidden from the community, plus there is a small amount of people so that means less LGBT people. In the end, what are your chances of finding someone else? None, so you keep your head down and try to move, try to be straight or fight it, and it's not an easy fight but not impossible.

Who is your favorite Latino/Hispanic icon? Why?
If I have to choose then it would be Shakira. Why? She is great, as a singer and as a person. She doesn't care where people are from or their sexual orientation.

Are you aware of any LGBT Latino/Hispanic celebrities or public figures, or can you name any that you know to be gay-friendly or pro-gay?
I'm not really into the celeb stuff. There might be a few but I wouldn't expect many.

How did you learn about sex and sexual orientation? Was it from family, friends, religion, etc?
I did all my grade school - high school life in Uruguay (well a few years of school in Argentina) and I only learn about sex and safe sex in high school. No sexual orientation talk, they didn't even mention it. Gay is like a forbidden word in our country. Parents might say something about safe sex, same goes for friends. About religion, well I used to go to church when I was a child but as far as I know, they never mention anything about sex(Christian religion).

What are your perceptions of what makes a gay man (top/bottom or other roles?) and a lesbian in Latino/Hispanic culture?
I think that depends on how someone feels, if he/she feels comfortable. It depends on the person and not their ethnicity I guess.

Could you provide an experience where you were a victim of gay bashing/abuse from fellow Latinos vs. non-Hispanic people, whether you were "out" or not?
Luckily I never had any experience in that way, not with latino vs non-hispanic, just the "normal' discrimination for being gay. I think that people who discriminate latinos or hispanic people are just a minority nowadays. At least thats my experience living in Thailand.

How did you learn about STDs and safe sex? Was it culturally specific through organizations or just through personal experiences?
You learn that in the school, I think private schools usually put more pressure on safe sex or STD information.

If you are out to your family, describe how difficult/easy your "coming out" experience was. Was there any particular family member you felt most comfortable telling? Why? Was there someone you felt least comfortable telling? Why?
I'm not out yet but I can say that it won't be easy. If there is any particular member that I'd feel more comfortable telling it would be my mother, as she is a woman and she doesn't feel any kind of discrimination to LGBT. The least comfortable would be my father and one of my brothers, they feel, like many other latinos, discrimination towards gay people. Usually father's in cities like my hometown are like that, and that's how they raise their children, and the circle of hating goes on and on.

If you are actively involved in the larger gay community, do you, as a Latino/Hispanic, ever feel either objectified or discriminated against by others because of your race or ethnicity?
Never, at least in the communities I have been. Again, I think the Latino/Hispanic discrimination is almost over and if there are any then its from a single person or a small group. Anyway, if there is discrimination against someone because of his/her ethnicity then just ignore them, like if we see anyone discriminating someone because he is LGBT, you just ignore them.

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