To Be Queer and Latinx: Pláticas of a Jotería Existence at Predominantly White Institutions

• In Event: A Reflexive Plática Honoring the Femtorship of Black and Latina Women in the Ivory Tower

Abstract

My own experiences as a first generation, queer, Latinx of Mexican parents raised in a mixed status home have influenced how I understand, conceptualize, and theorize Jotería Identity and Consciousness in education. I learned how limited academic literature was when it came to scholarship regarding queer people of color and furthermore queer Latinx students in higher education. Additionally, Research has found that too often, queer Latina/os/x and Chicana/os/x and other queer communities of color are pushed aside to the margins of society (Tijerina Revilla & Santillana, 2014). Finally, homophobia, patriarchy and white supremacy are deeply embedded in academia and our communities; consequently, there is a lack of literature that speaks to the collective experiences that speaks to Jotería, queer people of color, and Latinx students (Tijerina Revilla & Santillana, 2014).

In order to fully conceptualize the power and use of Tijerina Revilla and Santillana’s theory (2014) of Jotería Identity and Consciousness, I found it essential to incorporate Strayhorn’s theory (2018) of Sense of Belonging. Jotería Identity and Consciousness can be defined as “A politic of social transformation simultaneously rooted in resistance against oppression and jotx/queer triumph, joy and healing” (Tijerina Revilla, Nuñez, Santillana & Gonzalez, under review). The theoretical frameworks fit the topic as it centers queer Latinx students’ queerstories as “counterstories” in the Critical Race Theory tradition to illustrate who they are as individuals. Using Jotería Identity and Consciousness and Sense of Belonging provides a holistic look at queer, Latinx students’ experiences within institutions of higher education. Additionally, I am intentionally incorporating the concept of a pláticas methodology as they “are different form interviews because they are reciprocal exchanges in which participants are co-collaborators and co-creators in the production of knowledge and the research process” (Fierros & Delgado Bernal, 2016; Garcia & Mireles-Rios, 2019). Therefore, the purpose of this exploratory study is to understand how sense of belonging influences the identity development of queer Latinx students at Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs).

Author

• Sergio A Gonzalez, Claremont Graduate University