Being A Closeted Queer Latinx Woman Was Lonely. Then Santana On 'Glee' Opened The Door.

On Halloween in 2011, I went out in public for the first time as a girl, and a few days later I told my very first friend that I was trans. And while I was trying to figure out who to tell next, less than two weeks later,In the episode, Santana Lopez, a mean Latina girl played by Afro-Latina and Puerto Rican actor Naya Rivera, is outed as a lesbian in a local political ad and immediately cries out, “I haven’t even told my parents yet.” And at that moment, I froze.

When her character is at her lowest and most vulnerable in the episode, Santana, alongside Mercedes Jones , puts on the best performance in the history ofThroughout the entire song, Rivera’s face is on the brink of sometimes tears, sometimes a scream, and sometimes both. She's singing Adele, but she’s not full of white woman sadness; she’s singing from a place of primal rage and existential fear.

Even before I was out, I had never seen a character on television who was as similar to me as Santana Lopez. I felt her fear of rejection deep in my Mexican bones. Just like her I pushed people away before they could push me, and I was afraid to be myself even around my own friends. I was afraid my Catholic family wouldn’t understand or accept me.And I watched her come out to her abuela, which gave me the confidence I needed to come out to mine.

Being a queer Latina is as tough as uncooked tripe, and even tougher in a place like Ohio or Idaho . But Santana always made sure her voice was heard and that she was seen. She gave queer Latinas an example of how to stand up for ourselves. She gave us instructions on how to fight back against all the bullshit we face from white people, from straight people, from religious people, from our families, from our schools, and from our friends.

Of course, they did its glee.

United States Latest News, United States Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Demi Lovato Posted A Tribute To Naya Rivera And Called Her 'Glee' Character 'Groundbreaking For Tons Of Closeted Queer Girls''The character you played was groundbreaking for tons of closeted queer girls (like me at the time) and open queer girls.'
Source: BuzzFeed - 🏆 730. / 51 Read more »

How Naya Rivera Became an Icon for the LGBTQ Community (Guest Column)The actress, whose death was confirmed Monday, saved lives with her performance as 'Glee's' Santana Lopez. dorothysnarker Give me a break. No one even gave her a second thought for years. 🙄 dorothysnarker Checkout this amazing engineer tshirt dorothysnarker Who?
Source: THR - 🏆 411. / 53 Read more »

Opinion | Naya Rivera's performance on 'Glee' changed lives — and queer TV historyOpinion | Dana Piccoli: Naya Rivera is missing no more. But the 'Glee' star's queer legacy will last forever. - NBCNewsTHINK THINK Y’all add me on snapchat: 👻buds_pills 👻 📲4242835018 to order your top shelf cannabis and other thc products THINK how? THINK God is great
Source: NBCNews - 🏆 10. / 86 Read more »

The Above Ground Pool Is The Gift That Keeps On Costing Me MoneyI am too far in to quit, though. This cracked me up! Been there done that in the early days! I had some issues at first, too. Some things that helped me: 1. Upgrade pump to one that will handle twice the amount of water. 2. Spray out filter every few days. 3. (The tough one) Don't get muddy and jump in! Ugh!!! I was ok with everything I spent on the pool. Then a week ago a crappy neighbor filed a complaint. Evidently pools deeper than 18” need a permit. $350 pool + $333 permit. Contender for fav neighbor award? 😝
Source: ScaryMommy - 🏆 116. / 63 Read more »

New Photo Could Be Key for Authorities in Finding Naya Rivera's BodyAn update on the search for the missing 'Glee' star still leaves us with questions.
Source: CafeMom - 🏆 701. / 51 Read more »

'Glee' Cast Comes Together To Say Goodbye to Naya Rivera at the Lake Where She Died'Glee' Cast Comes Together to Say Goodbye to Naya Rivera at the Lake Where She Died
Source: CafeMom - 🏆 701. / 51 Read more »