ORLANDO | Honor 41 selected three Central Florida LGBTQ activists — Jose Luis Dieppa, Ashley Figueroa and Ricardo J. Negron-Almodovar — as a part of “The 41 List,” an list now in its fifth edition celebrating 41 LGBTQ Latinx individuals around the world who are seen as role models in their communities. Honor 41’s previous lists of honorees were release from 2013-2016.
“Honor 41 promotes awareness and positive images of the Latinx LGBTQ community. Celebrating this year’s honorees and sharing their stories is an incredible personal honor,” said Alberto B. Mendoza, founder of Honor 41 and producer of The 41 List, in a press release April 14. “Their work is paving the way for the Latinx LGBTQ community to come out and embrace their lives with authentically and with orgullo.”
The 41 List 2019/20 honorees represent 10 different countries and consist of professors, journalists, community leaders, actors, elected officials, activists, nonprofit leaders, artists, students, entrepreneurs and more.
Dieppa, Figueroa and Negron-Almodovar are active in Central Florida’s LGBTQ and Latinx communities, working with a variety of organizations including Come Out With Pride, The Contigo Fund, Bliss Cares and more.
“This labor of love done by Honor 41 is nothing short of remarkable,” said Negron-Almodovar in a statement. “As a proud gay boricua, I feel very honored to be included in a list with so many amazing, powerful and fearless people. It’s so important for our community to have a space where we are uplifted, celebrated and where other LGBTQ+ Latinx individuals can find leaders and role models to look up to, learn together and create meaningful connections.”
Honor 41 is a national Latinx LGBTQ nonprofit organization that celebrates community and creates awareness about issues that impact both the LGBTQ and Latinx communities.
The organization’ name originates from a 1901 hate crime that took place in Mexico City in which 41 men were beaten, arrested and eventually disappeared because of their sexual orientation. Since that incident, the number 41 has been used as slang in Mexico to refer to gay men. Honor 41’s mission is to reclaim the number to honor inspirational individuals in the LGBTQ community and their tireless work toward acceptance and equality.
For more information on the organization, visit Honor41.org
and you can see the complete list of 41 honorees in the video below.
