Dear Editor,

The Census 2000 figures show that Latinos are the largest minority group in the country. Because of this, it is imperative that that the media not only be inclusive of the Latino community, but also cover it in all of its diversity.

We encourage you to run stories and profiles about the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Latina/o community. The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) has developed a resource kit in partnership with several LGBT Latina/o organizations around the country, including Mano a Mano (New York), Latitud 0º: The Ecuadorian LGBT Movement (New York), Las Buenas Amigas (New York), GALDE (New York), QuisGLeya (New York), HoMoVisiones (New York), Latino Gay Men of New York (New York), Colombian Lesbian and Gay Association (New York), Ellas En Acción (San Francisco), Proyecto ContraSIDA Por Vida (San Francisco), The Wall/Las Memorias (Los Angeles), Bienestar (Los Angeles), Rio Grande Adelante (El Paso), Grupo Vida (Dallas) and ALLGO (Austin).

GLAAD recognizes the contributions of the LGBT Latina/o community and has begun to work in Spanish language and Latino media. GLAAD has held media symposiums that discussed images of LGBT Latina/os. Invisibility and defamation by omission were cited as key reasons why homophobia and stereotypes of the LGBT Latina/o community prevail in the media.

We encourage you to use the media resource kit to develop stories about the LGBT Latina/o community, and hope that the information will serve as a resource in your research throughout the year and beyond.

If you should have any questions about issues and events in the LGBT Latina/o community, please do not hesitate to call any of the people on the enclosed media contact list. For specific questions about the media resource kit, please contact Mónica Taher, GLAAD's People Of Color Media Director, at (323) 634-2025, or by email at taher@glaad.org.