WashBlade.com
Unid@s directors to focus on human rights issues
A new Washington-based, national organization for Latino gays has formed and announced its board of directors. The group?s first meeting is tentatively planned for April.
Unid@s board member Pedro Julio Serrano describes the organization as a grassroots, national advocacy group that will function as a liaison between resource providers and local organizations.
?Unid@s means ?everybody together,?? Serrano said. ?We use the ?at? symbol because when you want it to refer to females you use ?unidas? and males, ?unidos.? We use ?unid@s? to show our diversity, unity and inclusivity.?
He said that the organization will not offer direct programming at first because the board does not want to overstep work being done by other Latino agencies at the local level. Serrano, who is also on the communications team for the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, said the Task Force will work with Unid@s to help with movement and capacity building as well as technical assistance. The Gill Foundation has provided seed money to help the organization get started.