Julio Salgado

This guardian angel piece is an homage to Julio Salgado’s uncle Chicho (the first gay man he ever met) and a play on the Catholic imagery that is present in many Latino homes. Julio playfully nullifies the virulent homophobia of traditional Catholicism by riffing on this well-known image to affirm that queer folks are likewise deserving of care and guidance—on their own terms. Similarly, he pokes at the fragile masculinity and deep machismo of Vicente Fernández by appropriating his well-known song about the privileges of maleness to declare that gay-ness is just as glorious and worthy. 

Salgado’s artwork centers around the DREAM Act and the fight for migrant rights. He uses his art to give a human face to the experiences of undocumented immigrants and LGBTQ+ people.