Charlie Ruiz Vazquez dreams of helping homeless LGBTQ+ youth

​Charlie Ruíz Vazquez has many things in common with her mom, Mary Ruiz. Both are Clínica Romero health promotoras at the Ramona Gardens housing complex where they live, and both self-describe as very friendly people. ​Charlie, who identifies him/herself as a gender-fluid pansexual, learned about community service from her mother, a volunteer and co-facilitator at […]

Gavin Páez: love never changed, only how it’s expressed

Before beginning the recording session, 14-year-old Gavin Páez declared: “today we’re going to ask each other those questions we’ve never asked. It’s only been a year since he identified himself to his parents as a transgender boy and began speaking to them about his identity. Ricardo Páez and Alma Espinosa did not immediately understand the […]

Alex Medina: Fortunate to have a loving family

At 17, Alex Medina is the youngest of Mario and Candelaria Medina’s four children, with whom they form a very united family. Two years ago he decided to come out of the closet and spoke to his parents, who assured him that their love for him would never change. ​Alex Medina and his parents Candelaria […]