La Familia Lesbiana

 -Mary Beth

       In  Gloria Anzaldua's book, Borderlands/La Frontera, she touches upon what it's like to be a Chicana. More specifically, she hints to the fact that she is not primarily heterosexual, and that in a culture such as hers, anything straying from the norm is not welcomed. Additionally, she stresses the importance of historical and religious values in the Hispanic culture as they apply to women like herself.
     "If a woman rebels she is a mujer mala" (p. 39). After four years of accelerated spanish I can identify "mujer mala" as a "bad woman." Rebellion is an act that is meant to be feared in the eyes of a Chicana. The Hispanic culture is not an individualistic culture, but rather, a collective one. The family and the community come first. Therefore, when the family or community is disrespected, punishment ensues.
     Anzaldua explains that homosexuality is seen as a form of deviance in the Hispanic culture. The Catholic values of the Hispanic community do not stand for anything but heterosexuality. Thus, a woman is not permitted to carry out her life as a lesbian. Instead, he is confined to specific roles as the wife of a man and the mother of his children. "Only the nuns can escape motherhood, and a woman is made to feel that she is a total failure if she does not marry and have children" (p.38). I do not feel that such standards apply solely to women of Latin American descent. Women of all races and ethnic backgrounds are pressured to marry and have children. Historically, it is the norm. It is the culture we are familiar with. It is not easy by any means to come out as a lesbian and to go about living one's life that way. We as a culture must realize this, and many other contributing factors, before we go about labeling mujeres malas.