Andrés Duque
Encyclopedia
Andrés Duque is a Colombian American
gay
rights activist
, journalist, and award-winning blog
ger. He is best known for his blog Blabbleando, where he discusses LGBT
politics, culture, and daily life in New York City and around the world. He is also well known for his advocacy for human rights
. Duque lives in Jackson Heights, Queens
, New York City
.
and directed Mano a Mano, a coalition of Latino and Latina lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender activists; Mano a Mano is best known as an informative electronic mailing list or "listserv
" that forwards articles that appear around the world (but especially in Latin America) about LGBT issues. Daniel Hendrick has described Mano a Mano as "bringing together 15 gay Latino groups and 400-plus activists to share information--including job listings and legislative updates--on the web." Duque was especially involved in activism related to the murder of the gay Colombian Eddie Garzón on August 15, 2001, in Jackson Heights, demanding that the New York City Police investigate this case as a hate crime
. He is also a founding member of the Audre Lorde Project
and of the Out People of Color Political Action Club. Duque is one of the most visible leaders involved in queer
people of color issues in New York City and has gained additional renown due to his interviews with leading personalities such as Michael Musto
.
.
Colombian American
Colombian Americans are citizens of the United States who trace their nationality or heritage from the South American nation of Colombia. They are the largest South American ethnic group in the United States.-Causes of migration:...
gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
rights activist
Activism
Activism consists of intentional efforts to bring about social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activism can take a wide range of forms from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism such as boycotts or preferentially patronizing...
, journalist, and award-winning blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
ger. He is best known for his blog Blabbleando, where he discusses LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
politics, culture, and daily life in New York City and around the world. He is also well known for his advocacy for human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
. Duque lives in Jackson Heights, Queens
Jackson Heights, Queens
Jackson Heights is a neighborhood in the Northwestern portion of the borough of Queens in New York, New York, United States. The neighborhood is part of Queens Community Board 3...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Life and Achievements
Andrés Duque moved with his family at a young age from Colombia to the United States. In 1996 he co-founded the Colombian Lesbian and Gay Association, or COLEGA, with Daniel Castellanos. For many years he worked at the Latino Commission on AIDSLatino Commission on AIDS
The Latino Commission on AIDS is an advocacy and service nonprofit membership organization formed in 1990 with a mission to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS in the Latino community in the United States of America including its territories...
and directed Mano a Mano, a coalition of Latino and Latina lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender activists; Mano a Mano is best known as an informative electronic mailing list or "listserv
LISTSERV
LISTSERV was the first electronic mailing list software application, consisting of a set of email addresses for a group in which the sender can send one email and it will reach a variety of people...
" that forwards articles that appear around the world (but especially in Latin America) about LGBT issues. Daniel Hendrick has described Mano a Mano as "bringing together 15 gay Latino groups and 400-plus activists to share information--including job listings and legislative updates--on the web." Duque was especially involved in activism related to the murder of the gay Colombian Eddie Garzón on August 15, 2001, in Jackson Heights, demanding that the New York City Police investigate this case as a hate crime
Hate crime
In crime and law, hate crimes occur when a perpetrator targets a victim because of his or her perceived membership in a certain social group, usually defined by racial group, religion, sexual orientation, disability, class, ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, gender identity, social status or...
. He is also a founding member of the Audre Lorde Project
Audre Lorde Project
The Audre Lorde Project is a Brooklyn, New York-based organization for queer people of color. The organization concentrates on community organizing and radical nonviolent activism around progressive issues within New York City, especially relating to queer and transgender communities, AIDS and HIV...
and of the Out People of Color Political Action Club. Duque is one of the most visible leaders involved in queer
Queer
Queer is an umbrella term for sexual minorities that are not heterosexual, heteronormative, or gender-binary. In the context of Western identity politics the term also acts as a label setting queer-identifying people apart from discourse, ideologies, and lifestyles that typify mainstream LGBT ...
people of color issues in New York City and has gained additional renown due to his interviews with leading personalities such as Michael Musto
Michael Musto
Michael Musto is an American columnist for the The Village Voice, where he writes La Dolce Musto. Musto was born in Brooklyn to an Italian American family. He attended Columbia University graduating in 1976. During his studies, he was a theater critic for the Columbia Spectator...
.
Awards
Duque was one of the honorees at a ceremony held by New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. on Thursday, June 15, 2006, as part of that year's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Celebration. The event was co-hosted by the Empire State Pride Agenda and Gay Men's Health CrisisGay Men's Health Crisis
The Gay Men's Health Crisis is a New York City-based non-profit, volunteer-supported and community-based AIDS service organization that has led the United States in the fight against AIDS.-1980s:...
.
See also
- LGBT social movementsLGBT social movementsLesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender social movements share inter-related goals of social acceptance of sexual and gender minorities. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their allies have a long history of campaigning for what is generally called LGBT rights, also called gay...
- List of gay, lesbian or bisexual people