Cruces de arcoíris
Author: Ronak Shetty
Made for: ILAC 128: Spanish Literature and Language through Comics
As a queer person of color, I find it important to tell queer stories. Therefore, Rainbow Crosses is a comic that deals with the treatment of members of the LGBTQ+ community in religious settings. This comic will be based on the Santos family, a conservative and religious family that lives in a small town outside of the city of Valencia. In this family, Ana Lucía Paulina Reyes-Santos, the youngest daughter of the family, is growing up and realizes her sexual orientation as a lesbian. However, from the beginning of the story, it is noticeable that his social environment does not allow him to express himself as such. In fact, through the first comic frames, it is noted that Juan Gabriel García-Santos, the father of Los Santos, dictates the behavior of others. Through the character of Juan, you will see a connection between religion, abuse, and his extremely macho perspective. His restless attitudes make us see the malice of this character. In addition, he will realize that Juan is a hypocrite speaking ill of people from the LGBTQ+ population while, as a university professor, he is being unfaithful to his wife with María Bernarda Paula Reyes de Santos, his children's teacher. The abusive and macho actions of the father do not allow the daughter to feel safe. Of course, at the Catholic school, the lesbian daughter doesn't feel safe until a new father named Padre Esperanza arrives, who comes to the school and talks about the importance of love and his desire to reform the church. Padre Esperanza talks with Ana and the two become friends. At the end of the play, the church father tries to convince the family of the fact that the daughter's sexual orientation is not a sin. Although the conservative father rejects the truth about his daughter, the mother walks away from her cheating husband and accepts her daughter for who she is. In short, this comic makes a social criticism because it shows the hypocrisy of human beings who cling to their religious beliefs without understanding the human perspective like that of members of the LGBTQ+ population.
