Stereotypes don't help at moments of reflection.
Anyway, we have to acknowledge that there is something true when certain aspects of Latino culture are characterized as machista and conservative. And almost a month after the Orlando tragedy, where all those young LGBT Latinos were murdered out of hate, I think that there are lessons for all of us, in the US and all over Latin America, in order to prevent contexts that might not be the direct cause of this violence, but that certainly encourage violent and intolerant behaviors against LGBT communities within our countries.
I traveled to San Francisco a few days later of the shooting, and there I perceived, at the same time, the sense of vulnerability, but also the pride; the idea that this cause is bigger and shared, because preventing hate crimes it's a challenge for all: gays and heterosexuals; it's a problem of human and civil rights. Definitively, it's about the kind of society where we want to live.
Indeed, it strikes me that in the articles and testimonies that I found those days, it was very clear that besides the madness of the assassin there are other aspects of this tragedy that must be analyzed. Such as the culture of disqualification and exclusion -even if it's subtle- that creates a hostile environment that enables people like Omar Mateen in their path of hate against a discriminated minority. That kind of attitude may have different shapes and grades. Direct or physical violence and bullying are easier to detect, but what about the jokes, the whispers, the look of disrespect for LGBT community? What about those gay kids that suffer at schools, of adults that fear at their jobs or that are not welcomed in certain places?
I live in a country, Chile, where gay marriage is forbidden, as well as adoption for gay couples, even thou we have a socialist and progressive government. The AUC (Acuerdo de Unión Civil), a law approved last year, was the first -and so far, foremost-, gained battle of the LGBT Chilean community, and it helps regulate financial and health issues, but its not even close to a marriage law. Why? Because this "culture of exclusion" prevails in some groups of the Chilean society. The lack of respect for "the other", "the different", and the one that is outside the boundaries of a classic family is a poison that remains present, and that expands its dangerousness among us.
It's not about being compassionate for LGBT: some people in Chile would say that they don't care if somebody is gay as long as they live this privately. But that's exactly the point: not to "tolerate" them, but to acknowledge that they have the same rights of heterosexuals in every way, because their love and life options are as legitimate as everyone else's. It's not the role of the State to decide about who the citizens decide to love!
So, after Orlando, we Latinos should work to change this realities, and to embrace instead a culture of respect and solidarity to LGBT communities, especially at countries where they have struggled so much for their rights and freedom, and still have so many challenges ahead.