Queered Approach for Latinx LGBTQ+ Culturally Responsive Evaluation Practice

Abstract Information: The evaluation of programs within Latinx LGBTQ+ communities requires a culturally responsive and equity-focused methodology that fully acknowledges the diversity and complexity of experiences within these groups. The integration of Latino Critical Race Theory (LatCrit) and Queer Theory, enriched by the contributions of feminisms of color, provides a robust theoretical foundation for such evaluations. This approach, which we term a "queered" LatCrit, represents a paradigm shift towards a more inclusive and empathetic evaluation practice, one that is attuned to the nuances of identity, trauma, and resilience inherent in the Latinx LGBTQ+ experience. The queered LatCrit approach challenges traditional evaluative frameworks by centering the lived experiences of Latinx LGBTQ+ individuals, thus ensuring that evaluations are not only reflective of these communities' realities but are also instrumental in fostering environments of safety and empowerment. This methodology rejects deficit-based narratives, which often pathologize marginalized communities, in favor of highlighting the strengths, assets, and resilience developed in response to navigating complex social, cultural, and political landscapes. By focusing on the "in-betweenness" of identities — the spaces where gender, race, sexuality, and culture intersect — queered LatCrit offers a more nuanced understanding of Latinx LGBTQ+ lives and struggles. Moreover, this evaluative approach demands a critical engagement with historical trauma and systemic oppression, recognizing that these factors significantly impact the well-being and social outcomes of Latinx LGBTQ+ individuals. It calls for evaluation practices that are trauma-informed and that actively work to mitigate the risk of retraumatization, ensuring that the process of evaluation itself does not perpetuate harm. This requires evaluators to employ methods that are not only sensitive to the impacts of trauma but are also designed to empower participants and validate their experiences and identities. In advocating for a queered LatCrit approach to evaluation, this article underscores the importance of cultural responsiveness, empowerment, and transformative evaluative practices. It challenges evaluators to go beyond mere acknowledgment of diversity and complexity, urging them to actively engage with and contribute to the empowerment of Latinx LGBTQ+ communities. Our approach provides evaluators with the tools to critically examine the dynamics of power, privilege, and oppression that shape the experiences of Latinx LGBTQ+ communities, and to advocate for evaluation practices that are liberatory and transformative in nature. We advocate for evaluation as a practice that not only assesses the efficacy of programs and interventions but also serves as a vehicle for social change, embodying the principles of equity, justice, and inclusivity.