Latinas of the GOP
Here are some excerpts from a piece I did for the November issue of Latina Magazine about Latinas in the Republican Party:
Although the majority of Latinos in the United States most often vote for Democrats, those who identify with the Republican Party are a passionate group—and they’re intent on spreading the word.
Phallyn Espinoza
“I’m working hard, paying taxes, finishing school,” notes Phallyn Espinoza, a 27-year-old Houstonian of Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage. “We shouldn’t be paying into the system for people who are not.”
Espinoza—caramel-skinned, wearing a tiny jeweled stud in her nose—is not the image most people conjure up when they think of Republican Party stalwarts. But like the Latino community itself, Hispanic Republicans are a diverse lot. They range from Tea Party candidate supporters to more moderate party members like Espinoza, who espouses conservative fiscal policies yet supports a woman’s right to choose. Some wince at the Republican Party’s stance on immigration, while others wholeheartedly support hard-line measures such as Arizona’s SB 1070 law.
Elizabeth Perez
“I chuckle when people say Latinos should be Democrats. Hispanics have traditionally and culturally been conservative people,” says Elizabeth Perez, a 30-year-old single mother and member of the Latino National Republican Coalition. “We are pro-life, pro-family, small business owners. We believe in the sanctity of marriage and have a strong work ethic.”
Perez proudly describes herself as a lifelong conservative who put herself through college and graduate school, refusing to be sidetracked by an unplanned pregnancy at the age of 18. Her Mexican immigrant parents raised six children in a strict household that emphasized faith, family and an unyielding work ethic—ideals she now wants to pass onto her 11-year-old son.
“I put myself through college with jobs and student loans. I was never a welfare recipient. I don’t get any child support, so don’t tell me it can’t be done,” says Perez, who often juggles her political activism with maternal responsibilities. “I believe a stumbling block can be turned into a stepping stone.”