Meet Joaquin Gutierrez

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Joaquin Gutierrez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi JOAQUIN, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?

My resilience comes from my family, chosen family, and community. From my family, I learned to stay true to myself and my values. As a first-generation son of Mexican immigrants, I’ve witnessed my parents face adversities while remaining committed to building a financially stable, united, and hardworking family—an example of resilience that inspires me.

My chosen family, my friends, also embodies resilience. Growing up in Southeast LA, a predominantly Latinx area, we faced many challenges, but we also experienced moments of strength. I surrounded myself with people who supported one another, whether we were achieving goals or navigating difficult times.

As I became an adult, it became important for me to give back to the community that raised me. Throughout this journey, I’ve met incredible individuals with whom I’ve bonded over shared experiences and learned from our diverse backgrounds. Our strongest connection lies in our efforts to highlight the community’s resilience rather than just focusing on struggles and challenges. Whether through my public health work or creative projects, collaborating with the community has always been a source of inspiration for me.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I have worked in the HIV prevention field for over 15 years. I began my career as a health educator, transitioned to program management, and currently lead a local youth-focused sexual health coalition. My work has fostered invaluable relationships with medical service providers, community organizations, and leaders, all aimed at addressing the needs of young people impacted by HIV. One of my primary career goals has been to provide innovative educational approaches on HIV topics. Whether collaborating on creative teams to develop sexual health campaigns, producing PrEP-focused videos, or co-creating the podcast “The Three Brown Jotos,” the intersection of media and HIV has been central to my work.

My commitment to community also manifests through my queer entertainment collective, “Noches de Aay-TÚ.” This collective pays homage to Latinx queer culture, bringing together DJs, drag performers, and musicians from the local L.A. and O.C Latinx community. Early in my career, I recognized that to best serve the community, I needed to meet them where they were—often at local bars, community events, and on the dance floor. I built essential relationships with promoters, bar owners, and organizers to ensure that HIV education and testing was accessible to this segment of the community, a model I have successfully replicated with my own queer collective.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

In my view, the most impactful skills in my journey have been collaboration, infusing my culture into my work, and providing opportunities for others to lead initiatives. I truly believe that it takes a community of passionate individuals to create meaningful change. Effective leadership requires self-awareness about the space we occupy within community. Learning to step back when needed and recognizing the ongoing importance of growth and knowledge has also been invaluable.

The best advice I can offer is to bring your authentic self into the work you do. The universe has given you talents and a voice for a reason: to become the storyteller of your journey. Sharing our stories and fostering connections in community can never be diminished by years of oppression, colonization, or institutional barriers. It doesn’t matter whether you have a degree or not, or whether you’re just beginning to find your voice or have been confident in it for some time—every story is worth telling. Lean into your family, community, and, most importantly, yourself.

What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?

The most impactful thing my parents did for me was coming to this country. They left behind everything they knew to face the challenges of a foreign land, always keeping our family’s resilience as their guiding goal. Starting from scratch, they created a safe and comfortable life for me and my siblings. We spent summers working with my dad, cutting grass all over L.A., which taught me the importance of hard work. My mother provided us with unconditional support and was the backbone of our family.

From my father’s kind and giving nature, I learned the importance of giving back to the community and helping the underserved. From my mother, I learned the value of resilience, the strength of unity within our family, and the significance of establishing boundaries rooted in self-love and genuine connections. I will forever be grateful for the life lessons that challenged me and helped shape the man I am today.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Threebrownjotos.com
• Instagram: Og_goro & noches_de_aay_tu

Image Credits

Kenny Castro
Xelestial Moreno-Luz
Marla-MDR Films