"In this queer bilingual children’s book, Chabelita’s hopes come true when Jimena, the new student whose eyes sparkle like stars, sits next to her. Through shared language and experience they easily connect. The more they learn about each other, the more time they spend together, and the more they like each other. When Chabelita shares her special bow tie with Jimena on picture day, everyone will know that they like one another.

"Coloring into Existence documents the emergence of a North American queer of color children’s literary archive, focusing on the creation, distribution, and potential impact of picture books by and about queer and trans of color authors. This comparative study across Canada, the United States, and Mexico from 1990 to 2020 fuses literary criticism and close readings with historical analysis and interviews.

"The authors of the essays in this unique collection explore the lives and cultural contributions of gay Latino men in the United States, while also analyzing the political and theoretical stakes of gay Latino studies. In new essays and influential previously published pieces, Latino scholars based in American studies, ethnic studies, history, performance studies, and sociology consider gay Latino scholarly and cultural work in relation to mainstream gay, lesbian, and queer academic discourses and the broader field of Chicano and Latino studies.

"This children’s book tells the story of a Mexican-American boy who learns from his parents about serenatas and why demonstrating romantic affection proudly, publicly, and through song is such a treasured Mexican tradition. One day, the boy asks his parents if there is a song for a boy who loves a boy. The parents, surprised by the question and unsure of how to answer, must decide how to honor their son and how to reimagine a beloved tradition."

Reflections Press, 32 pages

Directed by Adelina Anthony Written by Ernesto Javier Martínez 2019 | Short Film / Aderisa Productions

Synopsis: A Mexican-American boy learns from his parents about  serenatas, and why demonstrating romantic affection proudly, publicly, and through song is such a treasured Mexican tradition. One day, the boy asks his parents if there is a song for a boy who loves a boy. The parents, surprised by the question and unsure of how to answer, must decide how to honor their son and how to reimagine a beloved tradition.

"This book is an exploration of the ways that lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer persons exercise power in a Catholic Hispanic heteropatriarchal nation-state, namely the Dominican Republic. Lara presents the specific strategies employed by LGBTQ community leaders in the Dominican Republic in their struggle for subjectivity, recognition, and rights.