Advocacy

Since its inception, ALMA has been at the forefront of LGBTQ and Latinx-rights movements. As people that exist at the margins and intersection of two communities, our voices and perspectives have been historically ignored. ALMA’s advocacy strength comes from our brave community members who have dared to come out, speak out, share their story, break barriers, and build alliances.

In that spirit, ALMA continues to build on that legacy by building power to change policies to protect and affirm the various needs of the Latinx LGBTQ communities.

Policy Priorities: Healthcare and Public Health, Immigration, Legal and Justice Reform, and Homelessness and Housing

Community Organizing
& Education

ALMA builds power by engaging, educating, and mobilizing the Latinx LGBTQ community members and our allies across Illinois. By working with our members, we work to understand community conditions, and work with them to find long-term solutions to those problems, including policy and systems change.

Allyship Building

ALMA believes in the power of building allies. While the Latinx LGBTQ community are our core members, our allies have stood side by side with us to help push our agenda. We believe in building institutional allies, namely Latinx-serving agencies, heterosexual and cisgender Latinx community leaders, and members of our families.

Public Policy
& Legislation

In order to improve the lives of the Latinx LGBTQ community, including protecting our rights, ALMA works to push policies and legislation at the state and local level. ALMA has built strong relationship with the Latino Caucuses in the Illinois General Assembly and the Chicago City Council so that they can promote the interests of their own constituents, especially since Latinx LGBTQ people mostly live in predominately Latino communities.

Media
& Communication

To reach a larger audience and educate our communities, ALMA has used media to speak on issues that are critical to the Latinx LGBTQ community. ALMA has built extensive partnership with the media, especially with Spanish-speaking ones, to ensure that our community’s voice is heard.

Previous Campaigns

Marriage Equality

ALMA led the efforts to build support for marriage equality in Latino communities across Illinois. The last public poll right before the vote in the Illinois General Assembly had Latinos as the group most supportive for marriage equality. As a result, all members of the Latino Caucus voted in favor of the legislation.