Our Story

IN 1989, the Association of Latino Men for Action (ALMA) was born out of need to serve gay, bisexual, queer, and questioning Latino men. As the AIDS epidemic continued to wipe out many members of our community, ALMA mobilized to provide immediate culturally and linguistically appropriate supportive services, a safe space for mostly Spanish-speaking gay and questioning men, and advocacy for our small but growing community. Since our founding, ALMA has refrained from replicating HIV/AIDS services that many of our partners already provide, and instead focus on building power through community engagement, policy change, and continue providing safe spaces for all members of our community.

In 2012, ALMA formally changed its name and mission to be more inclusive of our entire lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, transgender, and gender nonconforming Latinx community.

The Association of Latinos/as/xs Motivating Action (ALMA) is the oldest Latinx LGBTQ organization in the Midwest and one of the oldest in the country.

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In late 2019, ALMA reached a major milestone. We celebrated our 30th anniversary. To commemorate, ALMA planed multiple events to celebrate the organization’s history and the strength of the Latinx LGBTQ+ community. Unfortunately, our events were interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to this crisis, ALMA continued its work of building community by using digital platforms to communicate, educate, and linking our familias to vital resources.

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After over three decades as a volunteer-led organization, in 2022, ALMA appointed its inaugural executive director.