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Cynthia Gonzalez traces how migration from El Salvador, childhood in South Central, and being outed as a queer young adult shape her into a writer and community builder. We connect cultural pride to real-world projects, from a children’s book about Fernando Llort to an all-ages LGBTQ celebration built around joy as resistance.
• leaving El Salvador during the civil war and landing in South Central Los Angeles
• navigating bullying, identity erasure, and Black and Brown community tensions
• claiming Salvadoran pride through education, storytelling, and neighborhood roots
• coming out after being outed and the impact of a split religious household
• being honored by the Salvadoran Consulate and navigating tradition and visibility
• writing La Vida de Llort as a cultural resource for kids and adults
• creating Salvies Who Lunch - Joteria with La Plaza de Cultura y Artes, as an all-ages space for queer Latine community
• choosing the theme “El Amor es resistencia” amid raids and political attacks
• building future events, fundraising partnerships, and the Bichitos and Bichitas youth program

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SALVIE WHO LUNCH: https://www.salvieswholunch.com/

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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. Radio GLLU began in 1986, and now in its continued iteration, features dynamic stories from California and beyond.
https://www.glluarchive.com/multimedia/radio-qgllu-podcast

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A child under the table, listening to elders swap stories about migrant camps and survival, grows up to ask a bigger question: who gets to author our history, and what shifts when we do? We sit down with documentary powerhouse Rick Perez to trace the thread from family lore to festival premieres, from Sundance boardrooms to borderlands studios, and from personal risk to collective visibility.

Rick unpacks the two-track life of an independent filmmaker: the creative highs of works like Caesar’s Last Fast and the hard math of sustaining a career when streamers chase celebrity docutainment. From his time at Sundance and the International Documentary Association, he reveals how the language of “excellence” can hide systemic bias, and offers a vivid “second telescope” analogy that explains why stories told by queer, Latinx, and borderland filmmakers don’t repeat the canon—they correct it. We explore Borderland Cinematic Arts, founded by Alex Rivera and Cristina Ibarra, and how its mission turns local experience into world-class storytelling.

Then we dive into The Four Fs—fighting, fleeing, feeding, and sex—Rick’s new short that probes how primordial drives surface in the lives of gay men. It’s an idea-led film that refuses to sanitize sexuality or fear, inviting honest talk about shame, desire, and adaptation. Rick shares casting choices that center racial, generational, and class diversity, and sketches a bold plan to serialize the concept across communities, from lesbians and trans folks to fundamentalist Christians, mapping how fear shapes behavior and belief.

Along the way, Rick credits Gay and Lesbian Latinos Unidos for giving him a family of choice and the confidence to merge identities that once felt separate. The takeaway is clear: representation isn’t a luxury—it’s the record that prevents erasure. If you value courageous documentary storytelling, hit play, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more listeners can find it. Subscribe for future conversations at the intersection of queer life, Latinx culture, and the borderlands.

Support the show

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. Radio GLLU began in 1986, and now in its continued iteration, features dynamic stories from California and beyond.
https://www.glluarchive.com/multimedia/radio-qgllu-podcast

Send us Fan Mail

A nightclub saved lives. We revisit the story of Jewel Thais-Williams and Catch One, the Black lesbian-owned Los Angeles institution that transformed a dance floor into a command center for HIV/AIDS activism, mutual aid, and cross‑community solidarity. With guest Terry Garay—television producer turned organizer—we map the shift from public panic and Prop 64’s quarantine push to coalition-building that united Black, Latino, and queer communities under one roof.

Terry takes us behind the scenes of the first AIDS public service announcements she helped put on TV, and how media strategy amplified on-the-ground efforts when silence ruled the airwaves. We unpack why Catch One mattered: not just as a celebrity magnet, but as a place where Gay and Lesbian Latinos Unidos raised funds, where leaders met after hours, and where messages spread faster than rumors. The conversation spotlights “Coming Home to Friends,” a gospel-driven fundraiser for the Minority AIDS Project led with the star power of Dionne Warwick and Natalie Cole—proof that faith, culture, and public health can pull in the same direction when trusted voices lead.

We also examine the limits of visibility without grassroots ties, contrasting high-profile Latino galas with the need for neighborhood organizers and culturally fluent outreach. Jewel’s legacy stretches beyond nightlife: wellness clinics, shelters for women, and a relentless focus on health equity. Terry closes with a timeless charge—choose your fights, stand up when it counts, and refuse to shrink to fit other people’s comfort. Press play for a living archive of Los Angeles LGBTQ history, movement strategy, and the blueprint for turning community spaces into engines of care.

If this conversation moved you, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find these stories.

Support the show

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. Radio GLLU began in 1986, and now in its continued iteration, features dynamic stories from California and beyond.
https://www.glluarchive.com/multimedia/radio-qgllu-podcast