Mission Statement
Our mission is to provide a platform for the Latino/a
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and
intersex communities. We are working as individuals
and organizations to foster our unity and advancement
through educational, cultural, social, political and
leadership development activities. The basis of all
our efforts is rooted in our Latino/a heritage and
queer pride.
The Latino Forum is responsible for creating and hosting community wide educational, social, cultural and civic activities targeting the Latino LGBT community. Past activities include: Cinco de Mayo Celebration, Latino Community BBQ, and Latino performance and art nights.
As a Community Initiative of the Center, Latino Forum is volunteer-run and depends on the ideas and energy of the organizing committee and other volunteers for its success. If you are interested in joining Latino Forum, please contact Jennifer V. at 415.865.5649 or jenniferv@sfcenter.org
Past
Events
November 2nd, 7pm - 9pm
Day of the Dead Celebration
Dia de Los Muertos: Celebramos la Vida
July
26, 6pm - 8pm
COMPOSING
CULTURES: Queer Women Writers Speak About Diversity
EQUAL RIGHTS AND PROTECTIONS FOR ALL LATINO FAMILIES
A Latina/o Community Town Hall Meeting In San Francisco

presented by the Latino Forum in coalition
with
Association of Gay Latinos/Latinas United to Empower
Ourselves (AGUILAS)
Equality California (EQCA)
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC)
Latino Equality
The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR)
Thursday, August 18, 2005 -
The
Latino Forum, in coalition with the above named organizations,
was proud to sponsor the first ever Latina/o Community
Town Hall to discuss same sex marraige and the repercussions
of the proposed California state constitutional amendment.
Along with Assemblymember Mark Leno and NCLR Executive
Director Kate Kendall, local community leaders and
members addressed the religious, financial, political,
and legal aspects of this amendment. Robert Ortega,
Representative to Mayor Gavin Newsom, candidly spoke
of the multiple hurdles that must be overcome when
coming out in a Latina/o family and the Montesino
family showed the love and security that will be
jeopordized if this amendment passes.

Details of the constitutional amendment are described
below in a statement issued by EQ|CA and NCLR.
Ballot
Initiatives
Proposed
constitutional amendments will repeal the existing
safety net for legally recognized domestic partners
and permanently ban marriage protections for same-sex
couples. The impact of any one
of these amendments would be devastating to hundreds
of thousands of California families by taking away
nearly all the responsibilities and protections currently
afforded to legally recognized domestic partners.
In
May 2005, and unprecedented number of organizations
launched the Equality for All campaign. Equality
for All aims to defeat any proposed ballot initiative
that would amend California’s constitution to
permanently deny marriage protections for same-sex
couples and eliminate the rights, protections and responsibilities
afforded to legally recognized domestic partners.
The
Sacramento Bee notes that "Two separate groups
have won approval to gather signatures for proposed
constitutional amendments that would outlaw same-sex
marriage in California and strip domestic partners
of rights they gained in recent years," and that "Backers
must collect 598,105 signatures by Dec. 22 to qualify
the measures for the June ballot."
Get
Involved!
The Center is active in providing education about
the effects of the ballot initiatives on the community.
Thom Lynch, Executive Director of The Center sits on
the Equality for All Campaign Board and chairs the
media committee for the state campaign.
The Center needs you to be involved with its Project
to Protect Marriage and Domestic Partnership! Help
educate and inform about the terrible effects a ballot
initiative for a proposed California constitution amendment
to remove existing protections for domestic partners
and to permanently ban same-sex marriage.
Register as a volunteer for The Center and sign up
here to be connected to voter ID projects, community
forums, data entry and other activities coming soon!
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