MARLON MORALES, MR. LA LEATHER 2012
“Honor 41” promotes awareness and positive images of the Latino LGBTQ Community.
BY ORLY LYONNE
“Honor 41” is proud to announce the 2014 edition of “The 41 List” honoring and celebrating 41 Latina/o LGBTQ role models. This year’s list includes activists, actors, community leaders, activists, and artists, elected officials, students and more.
“Honor 41” is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting awareness and positive images of the Latino LGBTQ Community.
This year’s honorees include: Helen Jaramillo, Azusa Unified High School District Board Member, Alfredo Pedroza, Wells Fargo Executive, Ralfa Gonzalez, international artist, Daniel Armando, film maker, Yojanze Jimenez, hairstylist to the stars, and various community leasers/activists such as Ari Gutierrez, Co-Chair of LA’s Latino Equality Alliance, George Raya longtime LGBTQ Leader in CA, Herb Sosa, Founder of Florida’s Unity Coalition and Marlon Morales, Mr. LA Leather 2012, philanthropist.
“Everyone has a story, so having the opportunity to capture the stories of these amazing role models and sharing them with others is incredible,” said Alberto B. Mendoza, Founder of “Honor 41” and Producer of “The 41 List.”
“I know by sharing these stories, we are making it easier for Latino LGBTQ individuals to come out and live their lives with honor and pride.”
“Honor 41”’s name originates from a hate crime in Mexico City in which 41 men were beaten, arrested, and eventually disappeared for their sexual orientation.
Since the incident in 1901, the number 41 has been used as slang in Mexico to refer to a person of different sexual orientation. “Honor 41” confronts the terrible history behind the number and reclaims it to honor inspirational individuals in the LGBTQ community and proudly remember the arduous path toward acceptance and equality.
For more information about this year’s honorees or “Honor 41,” visit their website at www.honor41.org.
