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Our Work and Programs

OUR PROGRAMS AT MI CENTRO AND MI SELA

We fight to advocate for safety, equity and wellness for the Latinx LGBTQ+ community through our campaigns. They focus on coalition building, leadership development and policy making to change the systems at play.

RAINBOW EDUCATION COALTION LOS ANGELES:

Audience: Youth Ages 13 - 26
Our Mission: RECLA’s mission is to ensure the well-being and safety of LGBTQI2-S students by holding LAUSD accountable for implementation of policies and allocation of resources that transform cultural and structural systems to end transphobia, homophobia, white supremacy, and cis-heteropatriarchy.

Our Demands: 
  • Creating an accountability board
  • Having goals/objectives in schools’  “Single Plan for Student Achievement”
  • X amount of investment over Y Years​


Bell Gardens Youth Club: In response to the need for queer spaces in Southeast Los Angeles, LEA, in collaboration with the City of Bell Gardens, established a pop-up resource space for LGBTQ+ youth. The Bell Gardens Youth Club meets every second Thursday of the month from 4 to 6 PM at Ross Hall within Veterans Park. The youth group welcomes individuals aged 13 to 26, offering engaging activities that nurture skills and self-confidence in a comfortable environment. For more information, contact angel@somoslea.org.

Boyle Heights Youth Group: The Boyle Heights Youth Group meets every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month from 5 to 7 PM at Mi Centro. This group provides a supportive environment for LGBTQ+ youth to engage in various activities and community-building efforts. For more information, contact jasine@somoslea.org.

DOWNLOAD - RECLA - School Climate Survey Resultsg

TOBACCO CESSATION:

Audience: Transitional Age Youth 18-26
Campaign: As a public health advocate, the Latino Equality Alliance works to reduce health disparities within the LGBTQ+ community by advocating against the use of tobacco by providing resources and services that help folk achieve cessation.  services and resources for people health disparities experienced by the LGBTQ+ community with coalitions such as: Out Against Big Tobacco, We Breathe, and Coalition for a Tobacco Free Los Angeles County, to advocate against the health disparities inflicted by Big Tobacco companies. ​Is a statewide campaign underscores the disproportionate impact big tobacco companies have had on the LGBTQ+ community. We have long been the targets of Big Tobacco's predatory marketing practices, and, as a result, LGBTQ+ people are twice as likely to die from tobacco-related health conditions. "Out Against Big Tobacco's" mission is to remove tobacco marketing from pride parades and queer/trans spaces through public education and awareness.

Latino Equality Alliance is an active member of the "Out Against Big Tobacco Coalition" in Los Angeles.  For more information please visit:  www.eqca.org/outagainstbigtobacco/

Campaign: Latino Equality Alliance supports initiatives that reduce health disparities and promote a healthier environment for the Latinx LGBTQ+ community. We are member of the "We Breathe" campaign coalition, a statewide campaign that aims to bring awareness to tobacco-related disparities within the LGBTQ+ community. The campaign, led by California LGBTQ+ Health and Human Services Network, hopes to consistently prevent and reduce the use of tobacco and eliminate its use by 2035.

​Latino Equality Alliance is an active member of the "We Breathe" Campaign in Los Angeles.For more information please visit: californialgbtqhealth.org/about-us/we-breathe/.
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For more information about our tobacco cessation programming including educational workshops and advocacy, please contact our Program Coordinator, Jesus Suatan (jesus@somoslea.org).​

Community Clean-Ups

Audience: All Ages
LEA's Community Clean-ups were founded in 2020, as a direct response to COVID-19's environmental impact, social isolation, and the need for civic engagement. We gather volunteers like youth, parents, and community members who share a vision for a better and cleaner future and meet once every 2 months in different locations across Los Angeles County. Together, we beautify our cities with queer love and hard work!

PADRES ALIADOS CONECTADOS/P.A.C:

Audience: Parents
Campaign: The Latino Equality Alliance hosts a monthly support group with parents and caretakers of LGBTQ+ community members, on the topics of acceptance, comprehension, and pride. Through a parent to parent perspective lens, this group provides participants with a foundation of knowledge, language, and empowerment by giving them tools to build healthy bonds and relationships with their queer children and relatives. Additionally, it also centers on community building activities, increasing access to resources, and creating awareness around mental health and substance use prevention. Meetings are held every 3rd Wednesday at Mi SELA and every 4th Wednesday at Mi Centro from 6-7:30 PM. For more information, please contact jesus@somoslea.org for more information.

QT CONNECT:

Audience: Ages 18+
Campaign: The QT Connect campaign focuses on providing Harm Reduction and Substance Use education, prevention and navigation  services to the LGBTQ2S+  community with a focus on transitional age youth, queer women, non-binary and trans individuals in Boyle Heights, East Los Angeles, Southeast Los Angeles (SELA) and gateway cities, please contact lojero@somoslea.org for more information.

YOUTH AND FAMILY SERVICES

Audience: Youth & Families
LEA supplies a variety of resources and spaces for LGBTQ+ individuals to be in community and conversation with one another through arts, educational workshops, and social justice organizing. For more information, contact our Program Coordinator, Jasine Cumplido (jasine@somoslea.org).
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Boyle Heights LGBTQ Youth Club at Mi Centro - Every 2nd and 4th Tuesday at 5pm
Bell Gardens LGBTQ Youth Club at Veterans Park Family Center - Every 2nd and 4th Thursday at 5pm
Winter Solstice Festival: Queer Clothing Exchange
LEA Summer Youth Leadership Camp Series
Parent Education Workshops - In English & Spanish

MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE USE AWARENESS

Audience: All Ages
LEA offers support groups and resources for our community members in order to address how Queer and Trans youth are disproportionately impacted by substance dependency and misuse and identify healthy coping mechanisms and mental health resources through restorative justice practices. For more information, contact our Program Coordinator, Angel Elizalde (angel@somoslea.org).

LGBTQ Youth Groups
Cannabis 101 Education Workshop
Decolonizing Mental Health Workshop
Navigational Support and Referrals 
Tobacco Impacts and Policy Education
HIV Prevention and Substance Misuse Education

ARTS AND CULTURE

Audience: All Ages
LEA celebrates our Queer and Trans existence and artistic/cultural contributions to the world through the values of familia, orgullo y corazon. While it is important to advocate for our safety and wellness, we are more than the violence and trauma that we experience as queer and trans people of color. For more information, contact our Program Coordinator, Angel Elizalde (angel@somoslea.org).
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Queer Narratives and Storytelling
Annual LGBTQ Calavera Festival
Musical Cultural Enrichment
Drag Performance and Art
Youth Community Murals
Cultural Art Workshop

EDUCATION AND TRAININGS

Audience: Adults, Parents, Educators
LEA trains all members of our community around the issues and topics of LGBTQ identity as part of our educational empowerment. For more information, please contact our Program Coordinator, Angel Elizalde (angel@somoslea.org).

LGBTQ+ Safety and Empowerment Trainings for Schools and Teachers
Family Acceptance and LGBTQ Identities for Parents and Family
Aceptacion Familiar y Identidades LGBTQ para Padres y Familia
HIV Prevention for the Queer/Trans Latine Community
Unpacking Anti-Blackness in  Latine Communities
QTPOC Reclaiming Community Cultural Wealth
QT Connect - Substance Use and Harm Reduction workshops

OUR COMMUNITY CENTERS

Mi Centro - Boyle Heights

553 S. Clarence Street, Los Angeles, CA 90033

Mi Centro in Boyle Heights houses the main offices of the Latino Equality Alliance and offers various services and resources in partnership with the Los Angeles LGBT Resource Center. This center provides vital community support, including HIV testing, legal consultation, and other services on specific days.

Mi SELA - Bell

4265 Florence Avenue, Bell, CA 90201

Mi SELA is the first LGBTQ+ Youth Resource Center located in the City of Bell, providing a safe and supportive environment for LGBTQ+ youth. The center offers a range of programs and resources designed to foster community and personal growth.

IMAGES COURTESY OF LATINO EQUALITY ALLIANCE STAFF

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We invite you to join us in our mission to champion equity, safety, and wellness for the Latine/x Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer+ Community.

By joining LEA’s monthly membership campaign, you ensure youth’s academic success by increasing their self-confidence, family acceptance, scholarship funding, and access to resources in our community. As a member, you gain access to exclusive merch, ticketed event opportunities, website recognition, and more! 

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Your donations to the Latino Equality Alliance (LEA) are tax-deductible, thanks to our fiscal sponsor, Community Partners. The Tax ID for Community Partners is 95-4302067.