By Paulina Rojas

COACHELLA, Calif. – “There wasn’t a time when I realized, ‘Hey I’m gay,’” says Alejandra Zamora, a community activist and member of the indigenous Purepecha community. “I always knew that I was very different.”

From the time she was a teenager, Zamora, now 24, refused to fit the mold of traditional gendered expectations that her community had set for her. Her environment, she notes, “made me see how different I was and that kind of forced me to come out.”

I met Zamora at a local French restaurant in La Quinta. Over a plate of French toast she tells me about her career plans. She is currently studying political science at College of the Desert, and plans on becoming a lawyer. Her purple hair framing her warm eyes.  She also shared with me that she enjoys writing poetry and going for hikes.

Then she told me her story, about growing up queer and Purepecha, and the challenges of being gay in the eastern Coachella Valley.

The Purepecha are an indigenous group from the Mexican state of Michoacan. Ardent Roman Catholics, they are known for their artwork, including ceramics and woodwork. There are about 2000 Purepecha living in the Coachella Valley, mostly in Duros and Chicanitas, two trailer camps on the Torres Martinez reservation. Many work in the surrounding fields and speak little to no Spanish or English.

Zamora grew up in Thermal with a single mother who raised her and her brothers while working as many as three jobs to keep food on the table and a roof over her children’s heads.

“Often times we were left on our own ‘cause my mother had to work so much,” Zamora says.

Coming out under these conditions was not easy, she admits, even though she had the support of her brothers and cousins. “I was trying to avoid being hurt. I was already being told, ‘If you wear shorts and you’re showing your legs, you’re a slut … If you have guy friends you’re a slut.’”

Zamora’s voice is unwavering as she relates her experience, including the time she witnessed a group of students at her high school trying to purge a classmate of “evil spirits” because they believed he was gay.

Such memories are what fuel her current activism. “It made me realize there’s a lot that can be done,” she said.

Aside from her focus on LGBTQ issues in the eastern Coachella Valley, Zamora also advocates on behalf of undocumented immigrants and is an outspoken champion of environmental causes.

She says education and creating safe spaces are the two biggest priorities when it comes to addressing the needs of the LGBTQ community in Coachella.

“From my experience growing up, I wish we had community centers” she says. “That’s something we lack in the east valley.”

Having an LGBTQ center would mean the availability of much needed services, including but not limited to education on LGBTQ issues and counseling, she says. It would also help establish safety zones for LGBTQ members in the east valley.

In addition, she believes that elected officials and local decision makers need to get involved in conversations about the LGBTQ community in the east valley.

“What are our (political) leaders doing for members of the LGBTQ community?” she asks.

Although she has developed a thick skin over the years, Zamora says she still feels the sting of discrimination, like when she and her fiancée were looking for a venue to host their wedding reception. Zamora says it took a lot of time and effort even to secure an appointment to view possible locations.

She also described the disapproving stares while doing things that many heterosexual couples might take for granted, such as going for dinner or kissing each other goodbye.

Still, her message to those just starting to come to terms with their sexual identity is to stay strong and to keep fighting.

“Be confident about who you are, no matter how many hurtful things you go through,” she said. “If you remain in the shadows nothing will change.”

About the author:

Paulina Rojas joined Coachella Uninc. as a beat reporter in February 2016 after working as a city reporter in the eastern Coachella Valley for more than a year. Although born and raised in New York City, Paulina feels right at home in the eastern Coachella Valley. She loves the warmth of the people and buying fresh bread from her favorite bakery in downtown Coachella. Paulina is a graduate of the University of Houston, and her work has appeared in The Las Vegas Review – Journal, The Houston Chronicle, HelloGiggles and Vivala. View her author page here.

By Paulina Rojas

COACHELLA, Calif. — A new study shows one in ten youth surveyed in the eastern Coachella Valley identify as LGBTQ.

The study, conducted by the Building Health Communities Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) group, collected data on LGBTQ youth issues in the eastern Coachella Valley earlier this year.

The group of students from Desert Mirage High School and Coachella Valley High School originally hoped to collect 200 survey responses from young people, ages 14-24, living in the eastern Coachella Valley but by second day, the group had already received 350 responses. By the end of the two-week survey period, the group received more than 600 responses.

Sahara Huazano, a YPAR coordinator, said she and the group of YPAR scholars strategized to get the survey in front of as many young people as possible.  

“[The survey] was being passed through social media and email,” Huazano said.

Huazano also said the young people focused much of their outreach efforts on DMHS and CVHS, where some teachers encouraged their students to fill out the survey.

On Saturday, the YPAR scholars hosted the second of two community forums at Coachella Valley High School to discuss the survey results and make a call to action for an LGBTQ youth center in the east valley. More than 30 community members and partners showed up at the event.

The first forum was held at CVHS on May 25 and focused on sharing the survey results with young people at the high school.

During the YPAR4Change community forum, east valley LGBTQ activist, Alex Portillo shared her coming out story. Portillo, a communications student at College of the Desert, described what it felt like to date men although she was interested in women.

“I started to think that this what relationships were like and then I got to the point where I was honest with myself and admitted I am attracted to women,” Portillo said.

YPAR scholars also said the survey revealed that a majority of LGBTQ youth in the eastern Coachella Valley feel most comfortable at school, though LGBTQ students say they still face harassment and bullying.

Having this data will help bring more resources for LGBTQ youth to the east valley, according to Huazano.

“One of the action items would be to bring a LGBTQ center to our community,” Huazano said.

The center would offer resources such as counseling and educational materials on LGBT issues to the entire east valley.

The YPAR group plans to continue engaging in conversations with local leaders, nonprofits and elected officials about the LGBTQ center in the east valley and hopes to have the center up and running in a year.

“People that represent the community should try to help us with getting the LGBTQ center because it gives you more support and it shows that you are a people person,” YPAR scholar, Alejandro Mesa Aguilar said.  “It will get more people to vote for you and apart from that, it shows that you care about the community.”

About the author:

Paulina Rojas joined Coachella Uninc. as a beat reporter in February 2016 after working as a city reporter in the eastern Coachella Valley for more than a year. Although born and raised in New York City, Paulina feels right at home in the eastern Coachella Valley. She loves the warmth of the people and buying fresh bread from her favorite bakery in downtown Coachella. Paulina is a graduate of the University of Houston, and her work has appeared in The Las Vegas Review – Journal, The Houston Chronicle, HelloGiggles and Vivala. View her author page here.

By Alejandra Alarcon,
Coachella Unincorporated

La Quinta, Calif. — Gay Straight Alliance Clubs from all over the Coachella Valley united at the first Rainbow Youth Summit held March 10 to create safety in their community and schools for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) youth.

Sponsored by Equality California, Trevor Project, and Safe Schools Palm Springs/Desert Communities, the event drew approximately 160 students from Coachella Valley High School, Desert Mirage High School, La Quinta High School, Cathedral City High School, Palm Desert High School and Palm Springs High School. According to event organizers, only 10 youths attended a similar event last year.

The summit, held at the Desert Sands Unified School District offices, had a packed schedule with different sessions, presentations and workshops for participants with the overall purpose of ending sexual orientation and gender identity prejudice. Students also viewed “On these Shoulders We Stand,” a film by Glenne McElhinney telling the stories about people that have had impact on the gay community.

“We are available to any school in the Coachella Valley, elementary, middle school and high school who wants us to come in and talk to their faculty about their laws of the state of California,” said Doug Hairgrove, co-president of Safe Schools Palm Springs/Desert Communities. “But we can’t help you unless you let us know what you want us to do.”

Hairgrove’s organization works to eliminate discrimination and harassment on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools by providing in service for school districts and individual school sites.

“We are often contacted by students, families, and teachers when there are bullying situations against individual students and or staff by fellow students, fellow staff members or administrators,” added Hairgrove.

The youth summit encouraged participants to stand up for their equality by presenting gay local residents that have overcome struggles and achieved success, such as Raymond Gregory, chief deputy at the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

“Law enforcement was once a profession for those who where solely a straight white male,” said Gregory. “We should be proud of how far we’ve come both as individuals and a community. My grandmother was very wise and she would tell me ‘It’s fine to be proud of how much you have done but most importantly to pay attention to the work still ahead.’”

Joey Hernandez and Franchesca Gonzalez, representatives from the American Civil Liberties Union, educated the youth about the rights they have in their schools.

There has been much improvement in the Coachella Valley, but the youth will continue to fight for the rights of LGBTQ people and Gay Straight Alliances.

Students came together not only to learn how to prevent hate crimes, but also to have fun.  The summit ended with entertainment, including live music, and time for participants to get to know one another.

Event sponsors are planning another event in the near future. For more information, please visit http://www.facebook.com/rainbowyouthsummit.