As the month of June draws to a close, Pride Month and its celebrations can tend to fade into the background of the ever-present cycle of news. However, some organizations around the country and here in Alabama are working to make a difference in the queer community all year long.
One such organization, the Alabama Latino Access Center (ALAC) is working to provide its beneficiaries with healthcare, housing and support. Formerly the Alabama Latino AIDS Coalition, the ALAC was founded as a part of AIDS Alabama. The Birmingham social services organization works to provide the Queer Latino community with support often not received from traditional programs.
ALAC works with medical providers and community liaisons to connect people with healthcare and other resources. This is specific to Latinx people living with HIV/AIDS in Alabama, their partners and their families. Latinx is the gender-neutral alternative to Latina or Latino in the queer community.
The program also connects Alabama Latinos living with HIV/AIDS to healthcare and services they might otherwise miss out on, such as health insurance enrollment, legal resources, health fairs mental health and substance abuse services and more.
Though HIV affects people of all ages, races, and gender orientations, it disproportionately impacts people of color. Over one million people in the United States have been diagnosed with HIV. Of the more than 36,000 new cases of HIV in 2021, Hispanic people made up 29% of the diagnoses, though they only represent 18.4% of the country’s population, according to AIDSVu.
LGBTQ+ advocates say this is made worse by the limited resources available for people suffering from HIV/AIDS in Alabama, and the language barriers they may face when trying to get help.
Gina Mallisham is the development director for AIDS Alabama. She said the resources ALAC provides are invaluable for Latinos facing language barriers in Alabama.
“When you go to court, you never consider how difficult it might be if you don't speak English,” Mallisham said. “If you are experiencing domestic violence and you need to go down to district court and you need to file a restraining order, you need someone to interpret that for you, and if you want their service to be insured, you have to pay for it.”
Though awareness for the problems faced by the more vulnerable and marginalized LGBTQ+ communities is rising, many opponents still exist, according to Mallisham. She said activists are learning the nuances that come with the advocacy within the state’s Spanish speaking community.
“There are folks that don't like the word Latinx. They're offended by it,” she said. “They don't like the idea of, you know, offering support and services to the queer community, and so I think that's what makes it that much more important for us to wrap our arms around our Spanish speaking queer Alabamians. Because who else is doing it? No one else is doing that.”
Mallisham explained that ALAC and its services aren’t just for the Queer identifying Latino community, but for the greater Latino Alabama community and its allies.
“Opening the community's eyes to our Spanish speaking queer community has further emphasized allyship, which I like to believe is one of the main pillars of Pride,” she explained. “I think it's a really good time to not just wrap our arms around the queer community but show our appreciation for our allies that support us through whole year.”
Services and resources offered by ALAC include:
· Health fairs—including testing for HIV, blood pressure and glucose
· Legal resources—including financial immigration services and free legal clinics
· Healthcare and dental care—including medical interpretation and translation
· Health insurance enrollment
· HIV and health education
· Mental health and substance abuse services
· Domestic violence services
· Housing assistance
· Case management and referrals
· Peer support and support groups
· Transportation—to medical and/or legal appointments
· Policy advocacy and leadership opportunities
More on the Alabama Latino Access Center can be found here.
