Antony Montesino was born with a blessing that many LGBTQI+ people in El Salvador can only dream of: a supportive, loving family. But when both his parents died when Antony was 22, he was left to raise his four younger sisters alone. That shift transformed Antony into a dedicated caretaker and leader — a role that is now central to his work with Estrellas del Golfo, an LGBTQI+ collective supported by AJWS.
The collective was formed as a much-needed safe haven for LGBTQI+ people in La Unión, El Salvador.
“The town used to be so dangerous for us,” remembers Antony. “People threatened to kill us. They’d throw rocks at us. But slowly, we have achieved so much. We’re not the weirdos in town anymore. We aren’t insulted or discriminated. We’re here — we’re part of society.”
Antony’s been a catalyst for these changes since he joined the collective. In 2015, he served as the assistant to La Unión’s mayor, and used his influence to convince the mayor to dedicate a full day of La Unión’s annual December festivities (a tradition in each state in El Salvador) to the local LGBTQI+ community. At first, the LGBTQI+ parade was met with sneers and threats, but Estrellas was not swayed. Today, December 13th is the most anticipated day of the annual month-long celebrations.
Antony also helped the collective advocate for fair hiring practices in La Unión, and they’ve had significant wins: One tuna-canning company introduced a policy guaranteeing that 5% of hires must be LGBTQI+ people.
Today, Antony manages the community kitchen that Estrellas opened in 2020 — initially to support local LGBTQI+ people who had lost their income during COVID-19 lockdowns. Since then, the kitchen has become a popular lunch spot for Estrellas’s community and non-LGBTQI+ people alike. He also opened a karaoke bar, situated boldly right next to a discotheque whose DJ was known to harass LGBTQI+ people.
“The collective’s work is to fight for our rights and support our community,” he says. “But we also needed a place to just enjoy — to break free of our worries, to dance, to sing, to laugh with each other.” Antony’s bar is an act of joyful defiance, showing the homophobic DJ and others like him that La Unión’s LGBTQI+ community will not be silenced.
But his most impactful work may be meeting the families of young LGBTQI+ people who are afraid to live their truths for fear of being disowned. Antony’s best friend committed suicide at age 25; he keeps that loss at the front of his mind when speaking with parents.
“I speak from the heart; I am always sincere. I know how these situations can end when parents don’t accept their LGBTQI+ children,” says Antony. “We see our parents as our pillars. When they cannot support us, we must learn how to give ourselves love, and find our own community. Estrellas has helped people to live.”
