Rosa Yadira Ortizi
President of the Board of Directors, Amigas Latinas
Rosa Yadira Ortiz learned the importance of giving back early on. “My mom involved my sister and me in the local park district and church as a way to find community, given that we had immigrated from Mexico and did not have any family in the U.S.,” Ortiz recalls. “She also found it important to give back and we often volunteered [there] and with other organizations.” Amigas Latinas provides resources to address the needs of LBTQQ Latina women and their families, offering a variety of programs and advocacy. “Given the recent suicides of queer students and the immigration backlash that has become more prevalent with Arizona’s SB 1070,” Ortiz observes, “it is more important than ever to remind LBTQQ Latinas that we are indeed proud to be who we are. We should celebrate our fabulous identities as immigrants, mothers and teachers who are also queer. I am rewarded when someone shares with me that they never knew being a queer Latina was possible until they found Amigas Latinas.”
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