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Past Editions |
 This month I
interviewed Hector Cabrera chair, Children, Youth and Families Advisory
Board for the City of San Fernando and Saul Gonzalez, who works at mental
health facility in the San Fernando Valley. We discussed the need for
social services for LGBT youth in the City of San Fernando.
Conrado: Tell me about the Advisory Board you chair.
Hector: I was appointed three years ago by the City of San Fernando and
elected chair last March. Our purpose is to educate and provide social
service resources to the youth and families. We developed a resource
guide. We will include resources for young gay men in the next printing.
Conrado: What kinds of resources are there for Gay Latino youth?
Hector: We are working to create an LGBT Latino Center in the City of San
Fernando to address the cultural, psychological and health issues for
bilingual and monolingual Hispanics. I’ve also been approached by LGBT
Latino youth about being bashed.
Conrado: Tell me about that.
 Hector: The city
council has turned a deaf ear to the kids. This has occurred even though
the youth have gone to local health centers and police to file complaints.
I met with the Chief of Police and he claims that they are gay friendly,
but there are no reports or follow up.
Saul: The community is conservative. Youth can’t come out to their
parents. They are going to have disappointment in life because they feel
so depressed in high school and in their adult life. I want the kids to
have a voice. Let’s make the community understand them to allow these kids
to the feel proud of themselves.
Conrado: What resources do you plan at the LGBT Youth Center?
Counseling, education, job opportunities, and classes on how to write a
resume. A lot of LGBT kids are intimated with going to Mission College
because they don’t know how they are going to be treated. We want kids can
come to and feel good about themselves.
Hector: There is also a lot of influence by the two Catholic churches.
Santa Rosa, for example, the priests need to be challenged. Many kids feel
that being gay is intrinsically evil behavior. The goal is to educate the
parents that they are not evil.
A young man recently told me he was thrown out of his house by his mother
because he told her was gay. The monolingual Spanish speaking gay youth
are really struggling with this. At least 5 of them have attempted
suicide, because they have no where to go. Through Adelante, I want to
make a wake-up call to non-profit agencies to help us.
There are two city council members that are friendly. But others just want
to hide it under the rug. We are to taping into business people who are
friendly to provide resources to get the center off the ground.
Conrado: What are some of the specific incidents of gay bashing?
Hector: Three individuals that were bashed, ages 17, 18 and 19 years of
age. Normally the bashing occurs at San Fernando High School.
Saul: …and Sylmar High
Hector: The perpetrators follow victims after school and bash them.
Hector: When I went to the Chief of Police for the City of San Fernando,
they told me they did respond but did not write a police report because
part of San Fernando High is in LA and that it is LAPD’s task. Meanwhile
this kid is bleeding and this kid needs medical attention. He’s trying to
give them information and is traumatized. When you try to confront the
police, they say it is LAPD’s job. The chief said they are not prejudiced.
But if this were to happen to a heterosexual, they would have a report.
Conrado: What happened in the bashing?
Hector: They started with derogatory remarks. Calling them faggot and took
them to one of the parks in San Fernando. That is where the beatings took
place. One of these young men was 17 and told me how it happened. They hit
him in the stomach and head and called him a fag.
Conrado: When did this occur?
Hector: About a year and half ago.
Saul: The problem is that they (youth) are very intimidated to speak out.
When they find someone like Hector who listens, they are willing to talk.
I know 19 and 20 year-olds who are intimidated to file a report. They are
waiting for an advocate. Somewhere where they can go and feel safe. That’s
where the center comes into play. If we call the police from the center,
we are going to have to come because it is in the City of San Fernando.
Hector: Also, when I reported to the Police Department to ask what’s
going, Chief Ruelas, emailed the city council. The Mayor Judy Juelas asked
me why was I doing this and that the city council members were upset. I
told her that they should be…what’s the problem? She said I should have
called her first. I told her I chair the Advisory Committee and I have a
moral obligation to be out there to see what the needs of the people are.
This did not show much compassion when she asked why was I stirring up
things in this very conservative city and complaining at the lack of
response.
Conrado: When did the other incidents occur?
Hector: In December. After the first incident, friends of the victim came
forward and related their stories. Two of the kids asked that a report be
taken, but it was not. They felt discrimination from the officers based on
their body language, not being compassionate.
The problem is no written reports are made; it’s my word against the
officers. I told the youth that if they can identify the officers, let’s
go in and make a report. If there is no response, then we can take it to a
different level.
I also asked them to call me and have their friends call me anytime, but
that it is very difficult for me to advocate for them when they don’t come
out. If they are not behind me, I can’t do much for them. They are now
responding.
Saul: With you help, when they read this interview, they will see that
there are people in the City of San Fernando who care. They can call me
they can call Hector. I will advocate for them. They don’t have to be
afraid. I want agencies to come out there. I want to see APLA, the Gay and
Lesbian Center to realize that there is a need in San Fernando.
Conrado: What does Bienestar do out there.
Saul: Bienestar does a lot of testing. They and other agencies don’t
advertise much in the City of San Fernando. Not many 18-year-olds will go
into an agency. The agencies need to come to them. The closest Bienestar
Center is in Panorama City, but we need a center in San Fernando.
Hector: We’d like to bring a testing van to the City of San Fernando.
Saul: For Bienestar or any other agency that wants to do testing, we will
help bring people; we’ll find a place in San Fernando to set it up.
Conrado: Which HIV agencies service San Fernando with mobile testing?
Saul: El Proyecto Del Barrio and Valley HIV. The Tarzana Treatment Center
has a unit, but is not up and running yet.
Hector: The dynamic has changed, because my colleagues voted me as chair.
At our next meeting I plan to present bringing out a mobile van. We
already have a place for a van, where we can advocate and raise awareness.
I plan to go to St. Ferdinand and Santa Rosa Catholic churches and ask the
clergy there to put the van on their bulletin to start discussing the fact
that HIV is growing in the community. That’s part of their mission
statement, to speak to the poor.
Conrado: When do you want to get the center running and where will you get
funding?
Saul: We don’t want to involve the government funds from the City of San
Fernando because they are not sold on it yet. When they see agencies
stepping up, then the city will see it as a need. I’d like to see agencies
expand there services into the City of San Fernando. I’d us to do an event
around World AIDS Day on December 1st. I’d like to raise awareness among
parents and grandparents that some of their children and grandchildren are
gay.
Hector: We have a realtor who is willing to lend us office space. Once we
get this started, the City Council they are going to be forced to address
this issue.
Saul: In addition to youth health awareness, we want domestic violence
counseling and counseling on other issues youth may have.
Conrado: What kind of community work have you done?
Saul: I’ve been involved with community work for 11 years. I started out
at the HIV Division of Northeast Valley as a social worker and then at
Children’s Hospital where I worked in their violence prevention programs.
I saw a lot of kids growing up gang banging and they were gay. I now work
with foster kids at a mental health agency in the valley.
There are a lot of LGBT kids here in the City of San Fernando and I want
to work to bring resources to them.
Conrado: In closing, what is your last message?
Hector: Only through unity can we make things change. You have to stand
behind us. I make a plea not only to the gay and lesbian community, but to
all those who thirst for social justice to help us. The community leaders,
non-profit organizations, The Democratic Party especially the Stonewall
Democratic Club and gay elected officials.
Saul: We’d like your readers to understand that there are voices who are
willing to help in the City of San Fernando. They just need to feel
comfortable and step up, give us their ideas, what they envision for their
city. I’d like them to feel comfortable coming to the center, coming to me
and Hector. We’d like the kids know that we are not only going after them,
but also to educate their parents.
If you are interesting in working with on behalf of LGBT youth in the City
of San Fernando contact Hector Cabrera at 818-362-2284 hectorfcabrera@aol.com;
Saul Gonzalez at SaulGonzalez08@gmail.com. |