8 Queer Hispanic Influencers You Need to Be Following Right Now
From fashion rule-breakers to political truth-tellers, these Hispanic creators are shifting culture and carving space.
Featured Image: Tim Robberts/ Getty
Queer Hispanic voices are too often left out of the conversation. When the media does make space, it’s usually a side character, a stereotype, or a fleeting cameo that never gets developed. That’s why it felt groundbreaking to watch Ariana DeBose command the screen in West Side Story, Vico Ortiz bring swashbuckling brilliance to Our Flag Means Death, or Coleman Domingo—an openly gay Afro-Latino actor—snag an Emmy and headline Rustin with the kind of gravitas that Hollywood can’t ignore. These moments prove how powerful it is when queer Hispanic talent actually gets the spotlight—because they deserve more than breadcrumbs.
Until Hollywood catches up, these influencers are leading the way, building community and visibility on their own terms. Follow them not just for the culture shift, but also because, let’s be real—the algorithm is way more fun when it serves looks, laughs, and a little gay chaos for the girlies.
Miguel Peña
Miguel Peña, a Venezuelan-American trans content creator, is known for his hilarious TikToks and IG posts, which have also become deeply grounding for his 200,000 followers. With a sharp sense of humor and an open heart, Miguel shares the ups and downs of transition—voice dysphoria, gym routines, hormone updates—without ever falling into pity narratives. In 2024, he leveled up with his Substack build a boy workshop 🙂, where he dives deeper into topics like how to work out when dysphoria feels heavy, or what his first year on testosterone taught him about joy.
Miguel doesn’t just share his journey; he builds a community around it. Every skit, every story, every candid reflection feels like an invitation to laugh, relate, and feel seen.
Jojo & Dayra
My personal favorite podcast? Les Chat. Jojo and Dayra, a queer Latina couple, run the raw, unfiltered show about everything from dating to astrology to the weird pressure of “when are you getting married?” they get from their tias. Their banter is messy, hilarious, and affirming—can you tell they’re both Virgos? And you’re basically eavesdropping on two besties unpacking love and labels without shame.
Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube, Les Chat is one of the few spaces where queer Hispanic listeners can hear themselves reflected fully. Their joint Instagram doubles as a lifestyle diary of their adventures, proving that queer joy is content worth tuning into every single week.
Jillian Mercado
If you don’t know Jillian Mercado by now, you’re late, babes. The Dominican-American model and actress is a powerhouse who’s carved her way into fashion and TV while refusing to compromise her identity as a disabled Latina. Diagnosed with muscular dystrophy in her teens, Jillian saw early on how ableist beauty standards erased people like her. Instead of waiting for the industry to change, she became the change—appearing in campaigns for Olay, Nordstrom, and Target, and covering Teen Vogue’s first digital September issue.
She’s perhaps best known for her role as Maribel on The L Word: Generation Q, where she pushed forward nuanced, authentic disability representation on-screen. And while the series has wrapped, Jillian hasn’t slowed down. From partnering with the UN to fight inequality to dropping gems in interviews reminding us that “representation is power,” she continues to prove that glam and activism not only can coexist—they look damn good together.
Dez the Lez
Sometimes the most powerful activism is telling your story with humor. Enter Dez, AKA Dez the Lez, whose TikTok storytimes about coming out, long-distance love, and her very Puerto Rican abuelita have turned into viral lesbian canon. Her videos mix comedy with real talk about identity and self-discovery—proving that navigating queerness in a Latino family can be awkward, messy, and laugh-out-loud funny all at once.
Whether she’s reflecting on her first big coming-out moment or riffing on cultural quirks, Dez’s content is a reminder that our everyday lives are worth celebrating.
Vico Ortiz
If you’ve seen Our Flag Means Death, you know Vico Ortiz. The Puerto Rican actor, drag king, and activist plays Jim Jimenez—a role that unapologetically centers nonbinary identity in pirate realness. Offscreen, Vico is just as impactful, using their platform to advocate for trans rights, antiracism, and gender-inclusive Spanish.
Raised backstage by actor parents, Vico brings the drama and the politics. They’ve spoken candidly about connecting with Puerto Rico’s queer community, voguing at Kiki balls, and finding joy even amid waves of anti-trans legislation. Their message is clear: queer Puerto Ricans have always been here, and they’re not going anywhere. And if you want to keep up with Vico beyond the screen, their Substack is full of reflections, essays, and dispatches straight from their revolutionary heart.
Eric Sedeño
Better known as Rico Taquito, Eric Sedeño is the Texas-born designer, podcast host, and TikTok star who somehow makes heartbreak look like a glow-up. After a breakup sparked his content creation, Eric’s videos—equal parts funny, stylish, and heartfelt—blew up to an audience of over a million. His podcast Gay and Afraid (GLAAD Media Award-nominated!) digs into queer identity with humor and vulnerability, while his candle company Groove Gives has donated over 23,000 meals to Texans facing food insecurity.
What makes Eric special isn’t just his creativity—it’s his authenticity. From fans telling him he helped them come out, to him admitting he sometimes feels disconnected from the Latino community because he doesn’t speak Spanish, Eric gives us the realest version of queer Southern Latinidad.
Annie Segarra
You might know Annie as “Annie Elainey” on YouTube, where she’s been fearlessly chronicling her life as a queer, disabled Latina for over a decade. Diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome after 17 years of medical gaslighting, Annie turned her story into activism. Campaigns like #TheFutureIsAccessible and #HotPersonInAWheelchair call out ableism while centering disabled joy.
Annie isn’t afraid to get personal—whether she’s unpacking doctor horror stories, disability hacks, or queer identity. Her work proves that disability justice and queer visibility are inseparable. If the future is accessible, Annie is the reason why.
Alyssa
Holis! Meet Alyssa, the Colombian-Puerto Rican eldest daughter turned founder of Queer Latines—a growing national community centering queer Hispanic connection. What started as Alyssa trying to find queer Spanish practice meetups in New York quickly became a movement. After hosting over 40 in-person events across the boroughs (even when no one showed up at first), Queer Latines exploded post-Pride 2024, answering a need for spaces where queer identity and Latinidad don’t have to cancel each other out.
Alyssa’s content is equally refreshing—think curly-hair routines, eldest-daughter comedy, and heartfelt reflections on friendship and vulnerability. Her mission is simple: build the spaces we’ve been waiting for, because our communities deserve joy, culture, and solidarity.
