We Need More Chulitos

We Need More Chulitos

Recently, I have been reading and watching a lot of gay Latino and Afro-Latino novels and film. Of late, a novel titled Chulito. This book is centered around a young Puerto Rican boy named, Chulito and his best friend, Carlos, growing up in the Bronx. Chulito and Carlos; who grew up on the same corner as kids. Suddenly, they began taking different paths in life when Carlos enrolled in a private school upstate and “left” Chulito in the hood. This eventually drove Chulito to drop out of school and enter the drug game. Even though Carlos still lived directly above him, Chulito began to see less and less of Carlos and when he did see him, he noticed he was different. He began dressing different, speaking differently, and didn’t resemble the same boy from the block that he knew. One day, Carlos came to the hood holding hands with a boy that no one recognized. This infuriated Chulito, not only because “he brought that gay shit to the block” but because he felt a sudden rush of anger and a new feeling he never felt before, jealousy. Why was he jealous of Carlos? Why did he have feelings for Carlos? He was most certainly sure he wasn’t gay, so why did he care? Violence ensues leaving Chulito to choose between the block and Carlos. He chooses the block. Why should he show any allegiance to Carlos when he left him in the hood? And then came to the hood and broke his heart with some “replacement”? Carlos leaves for college and with his departure, Chulito believes that he took their friendship. Chulito begins to think about his feelings for Carlos and wonder why he was so jealous. Was he gay? Chulito tries to mend his relationship with Carlos by calling him and apologizing for his behavior. They begin talking regularly and Chulito again feels that feeling of security that he felt when they were kids, but along with it comes a new feeling, love. Chulito is falling in love with Carlos. Time passes and Carlos comes home from his first year of college, a completely new person. They begin a relationship and at first, it is kept a secret because Chulito is scared of the reaction from his “homies” and he still owes his allegiance to the block. The same block that was his best friend when Carlos left him down in the hood. The same block that took him in when Carlos replaced him with some preppy boy from “up the way”. The summer trudges along and Carlos and Chulito are falling madly in love, still in secret. Carlos, the outspoken, openly gay, and “don’t take shit from no one” dude from the block gives Chulito an ultimatum. Him or the block. Chulito has a decision to make and this time, his decision rocks the whole neighborhood.

This tale about two gay boys of color in a poor neighborhood in New York is more than just a hot, steamy novel that quenches your thirst for erotic fiction. This novel by Charles Rice Gonzalez is developed with emotions and passion all while encompassing many different barriers that impede same sex relationships. Chulito intersects race, religion, economic status, sexuality and masculinity; all topics rarely discussed in Black and Latinx communities. This book is important because it tells boys in the hood that they don’t have to hide who they are simply because others might think less of them or that having feelings for another boy doesn’t make you “soft” or any less of a man. This book spoke to me as it explained how “coming out” isn’t always easy as a person of color. It touched on how sometimes your safety and life as you know it can be threatened based on who you love. Chulito challenged notions of homosexuality and masculinity, expressing how being gay does not equate to being feminine. More novels and fiction giving representation of the LGBTQ+ community of color are very much needed to both inspire young queer boys and girls to be themselves and to expel myths stemmed in homophobia. Film and television can also play a role in this, as they are a more widespread platform and more easily accessible to the majority of society. Homophobia won’t be ended in a day and certainly not because of one book, but eventually one day it will be okay for men and women to love the same sex openly and in that day, books like Chulito will not be avenues to bring hope to kids to who have been told that who they have feelings for is wrong or bad but simply books.