Community Member Spotlight: Luis
Immediately upon hopping onto Zoom, Luis presented a warm disposition accompanied by a wide smile, the kind that crinkles at the corners. Before I could even begin the interview, he was adamant that my colleague, Joshua, and I tell him a little about ourselves.
As I stumbled over my words about informed consent and telling him about myself, there was Luis’ smile again, and — slightly amused — he proceeded to tell me that he “appreciated what I was doing and why I was doing it,” but “I want to talk to you about Openhouse, so ask me questions instead of giving me the procedure.”
It struck me then, that this was part of why Luis had been given the honor of being considered a community leader. There was something so genuine in the way he effortlessly made space for us.
About Luis and his journey…
Luis uses he/him pronouns and identifies as a disabled-gay-Chicano-community activist-elder. He also adds being an artist and a writer.
Luis grew up in Texas and spoke of the importance of his political awakening at the University of Texas at Austin through the Chicano Movement, but without the language of intersectionality that we have today, he felt friction between his sexual and racial identities.
Luis in his younger years. Photo courtesy of Luis.
“I was left thinking: Which is first? Am I Gay first or Chicano first? It was very confusing. And also there was homophobia within my culture.”
For Luis, separating his identities didn’t work.
When sharing about his identity as a person living with a disability, Luis describes himself as “a gray-haired old man who’s Latino in a wheelchair”. He’s shares his experiences in situations where he’s been dismissed before people actually take the time to know him. People usually don’t want to talk about disability or ageism — even though it would be really helpful if we did, Luis said.
“…it’s okay to feel uncomfortable; it’s okay to bring these things to the table, and there may not be a resolution but I think it’s more about being open and not walking away from it because the work starts now…we can engage…and if there’s not an answer that’s okay, but let’s talk about it.”
Over time, he’s been a part of conversations about identity and the intersection of identities – something he didn’t have for himself growing up. Now, he actually celebrates working through the discomfort of the conflicts rather than running away from them.
“Gay, Latino, Disabled…those three intersections have been part of my development throughout my life. I’ve just been dealing with my identities from the get-go as a young man. Being an activist instilled in my being, in my makeup, that these identities are inseparable.”
While these conversations may not be easy for some of us, it’s inspiring that Luis has found a solution that works for him.
Luis finds Openhouse:
In 2014, Luis first encountered Openhouse when he came across an advertisement in the Bay Area Reporter. He was looking for an alternative to aging as a gay man instead of the destructive coping strategies he saw in some of his peers — drinking, drugs, resisting the aging process, trying to stay young. He hoped to find a positive way to embrace this chapter of his life.
Luis recently at the Openhouse Community Center decorated for Pride. Photo courtesy of Luis.
“Your body changes, you feel lonelier. Most of us don’t have immediate family connections in the same city or state, so we foster other relationships…the Chosen Families.”
Luis joined support groups like Healthy Living, and took Yiddish and Japanese language classes, where he formed new friendships that he still has today.
For him, Openhouse’s support groups and classes provide opportunities to meet with other people who want to talk about the struggles of aging — on top of being gay — while being honest about the difficult things associated with that and offering support to one another. That support was not something he had found in friends outside of Openhouse.
“Openhouse is a very integral part of my getting old.”
Luis reignites his activism:
After some time with Openhouse, something happened that left Luis at a crossroads. When he looked around, he realized he wasn’t seeing more people of color…more people like him.
Drawing on his activist background, he weighed his decision. He decided that rather than step away from this community he’d become a part of — not knowing where he would turn to — he would stay and work to make a difference.
”You’re gonna stay and you’re gonna try to improve things at Openhouse so when the next Luis comes through the doors they won’t have to face this.”
Luis led the way partnering with other community members of color and formed the Leadership Council on Queerness, Race, and Privilege, providing an inclusive space to strategize ideas on how to lift up diversity within the organization.
His activism didn’t stop there.
In addition to the Leadership Council, Luis started many groups at Openhouse. One of those groups is the Queer Elder Writers Workshop (a mixed gender group) with fellow writers. The group is now in its 11th iteration with new community members stepping up to facilitate meetings.
“That’s what Openhouse means to me…there are myriad things…not only have I benefited from (the community), but I hope that I’ve contributed to it, helped make it more inclusive as well.”
Thank you, Luis, for your invaluable contributions to Openhouse!
Luis talks about he feels about Pride today:
Luis at the photo booth at an Openhouse Prom. Photo courtesy of Luis.
“You think about the rainbow flag which is now being contested with different groups wanting their say as well. There are two competing celebrations in the city: I know that one of them is very political but it’s good to celebrate too; it’s good to be very visible in society in general and it takes that to change things as well. Whether you’re highly visible with the rainbow flag with the Transgender and Intersex components woven into it…the modes of communication creep into every corner of the globe…if you have these symbols, these words, pride, the rainbow flag, it’s good because the same experiences are happening to folks around the globe and they recognize the symbols.
I like the joy that comes from it…I love watching the parade, I love the excitement, I always have.”
My takeaway from what Luis shared about Pride was that we need to take care of it. The joy and celebration we have today was not easily won.
I wasn't sure what to expect from Luis when I scheduled to meet with him over Zoom. I had heard a little bit about him from staff – he is a member of the Leadership Council, an active member of the community, an artist from Pride Inside 2021, but being told his accomplishments was nothing compared to actually meeting him.
Effortlessly, he shared his challenges and successes with us as he made space for us for us to connect. It’s hard not to with his big, bright smile.
— Theresa
Theresa Arocena
she/they/siya
Theresa Arocena (teh-reh-sah ah-ro-seh-na) is a Filipino folk practitioner, a guinea pig mom and a 2020 Magna Cum Laude graduate of Dominican University of California with a BA in Communications and Media Studies and minors in English & Graphic Design. She currently serves as Marketing and Development Associate at Openhouse.