Radio Soap Operas Will Air on Radio Bilingüe Stations Across California from February 11 through March 31

(Salinas, CA, February 3, 2011)—Proyecto Poderoso, the Family Acceptance Project, and Radio Bilingüe are proud to announce the on-air premiere of their radionovela series, a Spanish-language radio soap opera developed specifically to reach California’s Latino families with stories about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) acceptance and equality.

The three-part series—called “Bienvenidos a Casa,” or “Welcome Home”—will premiere between 6:00-7:00 p.m. February 11, 2011 on Radio Bilingüe’s “Rock-in da House”. The premiere will be followed by a discussion about the key issues addressed in the radionovela. In all, the radionovela will air a total of 10 times from February 11 through March 31 across California’s eight Radio Bilingüe stations, reaching Spanish-speaking radio listeners across the state.

The innovative radionovela—similar to radio soap operas popular during the Golden Age of Radio—is based on groundbreaking research from San Francisco State University’s Family Acceptance Project (FAP), which conducted the first comprehensive study of Latino LGBTQ adolescents, young adults, and families, including family dynamics and the impact of family acceptance and rejection. The series weaves together pivotal social issues into storylines that have historically been difficult for traditional Latino families to discuss and address. This innovative evidence-based series is intended to help begin the dialogue in households by addressing crucial social and political issues, including bullying, coming out, and family acceptance.

“Through this unique storytelling platform, we hope to open up the dialogue in Spanish-speaking Latino households, breaking down the walls of communication, and helping Latino families begin conversations on issues they otherwise would never talk about, and providing them with a greater understanding of the hurt and damage experienced by adults, children, and youth who don’t have their family’s full, loving support and acceptance,” said Proyecto Poderoso Project Manager Dan Torres, Esq.

In 2007, the National Center for Lesbian Rights and California Rural Legal Assistance partnered to create Proyecto Poderoso—or Powerful Project—to provide legal assistance for low-income LGBTQ people in rural California.

Proyecto Poderoso leaders soon recognized a common issue faced by their clients—their clients couldn’t discuss the social struggles and pain they often faced as members of the LGBTQ community with their families.

The series was made possible through a grant awarded to Proyecto Poderoso from the Horizons Foundation. Proyecto Poderoso collaborated with the Family Acceptance Project and Radio Bilingüe to engage the state’s normally hard-to-reach Spanish-speakers by developing the radionovela. Spanish is the second most common language spoken in California households, with more than 26 percent of residents ages 5 and older speaking it at home, U.S. Census data show.

The team used research findings and messages developed by the Family Acceptance Project with Latino families with LGBTQ members to pinpoint the issues and create the storylines. Over the last three months, team leaders have also held several focus groups with LGBTQ Latinos and families to determine the best ways to address key social issues, with field direction provided by Jorge Sanchez, FAP’s Project Coordinator. Delia Saldivar, station manager for Radio Bilingüe KHDH, then used the research and focus group information to draft the series script, with input from FAP. The series will address bullying, and more specifically, the need for LGBTQ youth, or those perceived to be LGBT, to be able to turn to their families for support, to talk about problems, and find solutions together. The series will also address the struggles of coming out as LGBT, family acceptance and a family’s overwhelming support for an adult child in a loving, same-gender relationship.

“We are excited to collaborate with Proyecto Poderoso and Radio Bilingüe on this innovative initiative to help Latino families support their LGBTQ family members,” said Dr. Caitlin Ryan, Director of the Family Acceptance Project. “Since our research indicates that family acceptance and rejection impact the health and mental health of Latino LGBTQ young people—including suicidal behavior, depression, substance abuse, HIV and STDs, self-esteem, sense of the future, and overall health and well-being—the series will have both a health and social impact in supporting LGBTQ individuals and strengthening Latino families.”

Information on the Family Acceptance Project’s research on how family acceptance and rejection affects their LGBTQ children is available on their website, including materials for Latino families, in Spanish and English, at http://FamilyProject.sfsu.edu/publications.

The radionovela will air on Radio Bilingüe network stations from February 11 through March 31:

•KS JV 91.5 FM – Fresno

•KMPO 88.7 – Modesto/Stockton

•KTQX 90.1 – Bakersfield

•KHDC 90.9 – Salinas

•KUBO 88.7 – El Centro