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A child under the table, listening to elders swap stories about migrant camps and survival, grows up to ask a bigger question: who gets to author our history, and what shifts when we do? We sit down with documentary powerhouse Rick Perez to trace the thread from family lore to festival premieres, from Sundance boardrooms to borderlands studios, and from personal risk to collective visibility.

Rick unpacks the two-track life of an independent filmmaker: the creative highs of works like Caesar’s Last Fast and the hard math of sustaining a career when streamers chase celebrity docutainment. From his time at Sundance and the International Documentary Association, he reveals how the language of “excellence” can hide systemic bias, and offers a vivid “second telescope” analogy that explains why stories told by queer, Latinx, and borderland filmmakers don’t repeat the canon—they correct it. We explore Borderland Cinematic Arts, founded by Alex Rivera and Cristina Ibarra, and how its mission turns local experience into world-class storytelling.

Then we dive into The Four Fs—fighting, fleeing, feeding, and sex—Rick’s new short that probes how primordial drives surface in the lives of gay men. It’s an idea-led film that refuses to sanitize sexuality or fear, inviting honest talk about shame, desire, and adaptation. Rick shares casting choices that center racial, generational, and class diversity, and sketches a bold plan to serialize the concept across communities, from lesbians and trans folks to fundamentalist Christians, mapping how fear shapes behavior and belief.

Along the way, Rick credits Gay and Lesbian Latinos Unidos for giving him a family of choice and the confidence to merge identities that once felt separate. The takeaway is clear: representation isn’t a luxury—it’s the record that prevents erasure. If you value courageous documentary storytelling, hit play, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more listeners can find it. Subscribe for future conversations at the intersection of queer life, Latinx culture, and the borderlands.

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Welcome to the RADIO QGLLU podcast, the show that TAKES A DEEP DIVE INTO WHAT THE QUEER, GAY, AND LESBIAN LATINE COMMUNITY IS TALKING ABOUT. Radio GLLU began in 1986, and now in its continued iteration, features dynamic stories from California and beyond.
https://www.glluarchive.com/multimedia/radio-qgllu-podcast

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A nightclub saved lives. We revisit the story of Jewel Thais-Williams and Catch One, the Black lesbian-owned Los Angeles institution that transformed a dance floor into a command center for HIV/AIDS activism, mutual aid, and cross‑community solidarity. With guest Terry Garay—television producer turned organizer—we map the shift from public panic and Prop 64’s quarantine push to coalition-building that united Black, Latino, and queer communities under one roof.

Terry takes us behind the scenes of the first AIDS public service announcements she helped put on TV, and how media strategy amplified on-the-ground efforts when silence ruled the airwaves. We unpack why Catch One mattered: not just as a celebrity magnet, but as a place where Gay and Lesbian Latinos Unidos raised funds, where leaders met after hours, and where messages spread faster than rumors. The conversation spotlights “Coming Home to Friends,” a gospel-driven fundraiser for the Minority AIDS Project led with the star power of Dionne Warwick and Natalie Cole—proof that faith, culture, and public health can pull in the same direction when trusted voices lead.

We also examine the limits of visibility without grassroots ties, contrasting high-profile Latino galas with the need for neighborhood organizers and culturally fluent outreach. Jewel’s legacy stretches beyond nightlife: wellness clinics, shelters for women, and a relentless focus on health equity. Terry closes with a timeless charge—choose your fights, stand up when it counts, and refuse to shrink to fit other people’s comfort. Press play for a living archive of Los Angeles LGBTQ history, movement strategy, and the blueprint for turning community spaces into engines of care.

If this conversation moved you, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find these stories.

Support the show

Welcome to the RADIO QGLLU podcast, the show that TAKES A DEEP DIVE INTO WHAT THE QUEER, GAY, AND LESBIAN LATINE COMMUNITY IS TALKING ABOUT. Radio GLLU began in 1986, and now in its continued iteration, features dynamic stories from California and beyond.
https://www.glluarchive.com/multimedia/radio-qgllu-podcast

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LA poet Vicky Vertiz shares her journey from Bell Gardens to literary acclaim, exploring how her queer Latinx identity has shaped award-winning poetry collections that center working-class immigrant experiences without translation or apology.

Step into the vibrant world of queer Latine poetry with acclaimed Los Angeles writer Vicky Vertiz as she shares her remarkable journey from the working-class neighborhoods of Bell Gardens to literary recognition. Growing up along the LA River to Mexican immigrant parents, Vertiz crafts award-winning poetry that refuses to translate or apologize for its bilingual, bicultural essence.

"There is no place you can go in Los Angeles without us," Vertiz asserts, speaking of immigrant communities that form the backbone of her writing. Her first collection, "Palm Frond with its Throat Cut," won the 2018 Pan America Award by centering working-class queer experiences in unapologetic Spanglish. Her newest work, "Auto Body," which earned the 2023 Sandeen Poetry Prize, explores repair across feelings, time, harm, and literal cars—a powerful metaphor for resilience in challenging times.

What makes Vertiz's story particularly compelling is her unconventional path to becoming a writer. Libraries were her sanctuary from childhood, but she never imagined herself an artist until witnessing other writers from her neighborhood succeed. "I had to see other people exactly like me from my neighborhood be artists in order for me to know that I could do it too," she reveals, after decades working in organizing, education, and public policy.

As both poet and educator at UC Santa Barbara, Vertiz approaches teaching with radical honesty about the political pressures affecting marginalized communities. She creates space for students to express fears while connecting them with resources and alternative perspectives. Her current memoir project serves as "time travel to repair the gaps I didn't have" growing up queer in Los Angeles.

For aspiring writers, Vertiz offers golden advice: read widely, especially works from outside the United States; document your stories without worrying initially about genre; and most importantly—share your work. "Writing only thrives and is nourished when you talk about it with your fellow writers," she emphasizes, highlighting how community sustains creativity.

• Born and raised in Bell Gardens to Mexican immigrant parents, Vertiz's second book "Auto Body" won the 2023 Sandeen Poetry Prize
• First poetry collection "Palm Frond with its Throat Cut" won the 2018 Pan America Award, described as a love letter to Los Angeles
• Found her path to writing through libraries and reading, seeing other writers from her neighborhood succeed
• Poetry centers working-class, queer life using both Spanish and English without translating
• Uses writing and teaching to counter white supremacy, homophobia, and transphobia
• Emphasizes the importance of reading widely, documenting your stories, and building community
• Currently working on a memoir in poetry about being queer and coming of age in Los Angeles
• Writing communities like Macondo, Canto Mundo, and her San Gabriel Valley Food Club sustain her creative practice

You can find Vicky Vertiz at vickyvertiz.com or on Instagram @vickyvertiz.

Support the show

Welcome to the RADIO QGLLU podcast, the show that TAKES A DEEP DIVE INTO WHAT THE QUEER, GAY, AND LESBIAN LATINE COMMUNITY IS TALKING ABOUT. Radio GLLU began in 1986, and now in its continued iteration, features dynamic stories from California and beyond.
https://www.glluarchive.com/multimedia/radio-qgllu-podcast