Fossil products, wine packages among give-aways set for fundraiser
 |
| Oscar Gutierrez, Gay LULAC president, hopes to pump up membership in the organization. |
With immigration issues and gay rights on the front burner of political change, the first and only Gay LULAC council couldn’t have picked a better time for its debut.
At the Fairmount Hotel’s swanky Pyramid Room, the newly-elected officials of Dallas’ Gay LULAC will schmooze partygoers with treats and eats on Tuesday, Jan. 23 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Raffle tickets will be sold for $1 at the inaugural social event and include prizes such as various Fossil products and wine packages.
According to Oscar Gutierrez, president, the event is meant to pump up the membership ranks and raise money to pay for representatives to attend both the state and national LULAC conventions. The state convention will take place in May in El Paso, while the national convention is scheduled for July in Chicago.
“We want to go to these conferences to make our presence known to the national LULAC community,” Gutierrez said. “LULAC’s been around for over 77 years, so it took that long to create a gay council. We’re moving in the right direction, just a little bit slowly. But we’re here.”
Jesse Garcia, the council’s secretary, said that Gutierrez has already done a great job partnering with area schools that need books and supplies.
Gutierrez said that the group will have a book drive at its March meeting for Lipscomb Elementary School in Dallas.
“By doing this work in the Hispanic community, our fellow Latinos are seeing the LGBT community giving back and investing time in their community and just asking for their support of LGBT rights,” said Garcia.
Gutierrez also noted that even though LULAC is a Hispanic-based organization, all races and orientations are represented in their membership.
Garcia reiterated that coalition building is one of the most important goals of the organization.
“I think it is important to attend events like this because it gives you a chance to learn about issues that are being talked about right now, and to put a face to it,” Garcia said. “Farmers Branch, the border fence, English-only laws, the ending of birth-right citizenships these are issues that are just as crucial to some members of the LGBT community who are immigrants.”
The group hopes that younger members will infuse the group with new life and energy, according to Gutierrez.
“When you go to the state convention, you see a lot of people in their seventies and eighties, and it’s great that they’re still active. But sooner or later, we need to have some new, fresh blood in there,” he said.
Speakers are booked for the monthly meetings, which occur on the fourth Tuesday of the month. More information can be found at the group’s Web site: www.GayLULAC.com.
E-mail freed@dallasvoice.com
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition January 19, 2007