Entre Hermanos, the organization that became Washington's first Latine LGBTQ+ nonprofit, is marking 35 years in operation with a Día de Muertos gala on October 24 at the Sheraton Grand Seattle, complete with a keynote from a nationally known transgender Latina advocate and a lineup of drag performers. Doors open at 5 p.m., with the program beginning at 6 p.m., and organizers say the evening will include live music, dancing and Latin-inspired cuisine alongside fundraising for the group's ongoing health and legal programs.
The organization traces its founding to 1991 in Seattle, when it formed during the HIV/AIDS epidemic to fill gaps in health education, language access and support for the local Latine community, according to a report from Seattle Pride. It has since grown into what a Puget Sound Business Journal listing describes as a vital part of Seattle and Washington State's Latine LGBTQ+ community, and the first Latine LGBTQ+ organization in the state to continue serving that population statewide, according to The Business Journals. Today the nonprofit provides HIV health education and prevention services, immigration legal assistance, support and advocacy, and community-building initiatives, per the same listing.
The gala's theme is First. Fearless. Forever. The organization has expanded its reach statewide. Bamby Salcedo, a transgender Latina advocate and the founder and president of the Los Angeles-based TransLatin@ Coalition, is set to deliver the keynote address, per event listings cited by The Business Journals. Performers Cynthia Lee Fontaine and Aleksa Manila are also billed to appear, with Sasha Summer Cousineau serving as the evening's fundraising auctioneer.
From a Grassroots Support Network to a Statewide Provider
The scale of Entre Hermanos' growth is significant. Between 2019 and 2024 the organization's workforce nearly quadrupled, expanding from eight employees to 29 staff members to keep pace with rising demand for health, housing and legal assistance across the state, according to the City of Seattle. That expansion has allowed the group to serve more than 7,000 individuals annually in the greater Seattle community, offering entirely free services in Spanish as well as Indigenous languages spoken by Central American migrants, per data from the Washington State Department of Health.
Much of that client base intersects with immigration law. More than 80% of the clients served by the organization's legal clinic are transgender asylum seekers, according to Seattle Pride's reporting, a population that often faces compounded risks of violence and discrimination both abroad and during U.S. immigration proceedings. That legal work has also put Entre Hermanos in front of city policymakers: in June, Executive Director Edgar Longoria spoke alongside Seattle municipal leaders in support of a $4 million city investment in the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs Legal Defense Network, which funds representation for low-income immigrants and asylum seekers facing deportation, per the organization's own announcement.
A Return to Central Washington Roots
Much of the organization's recent expansion has centered on Yakima, where it opened a satellite office in 2025 for Latine and migrant communities in Central Washington. The office also provides free and confidential HIV/STI testing, prevention resources and sexual health education, according to the Business Journals listing.
The Yakima office carries symbolic weight beyond its services. Eastern Washington Services Director Martha Zuñiga has noted that Entre Hermanos was originally envisioned in Yakima before its founders relocated to Seattle in 1991, making the 2025 opening something of a homecoming, according to Washington Latino News. Yakima County holds one of the highest proportions of Latine residents in the state. To mark its first year of operation there and lead into the 35th anniversary, the organization hosted “Drágame Yakima,” a drag showcase and community gathering, in May.
Health Disparities Behind the Mission
The organization continues to address health disparities in Washington through its health education, testing and prevention services. Entre Hermanos provides culturally responsive health education, testing and prevention services to the communities it serves.
The organization's visibility has grown alongside its service footprint. During last year's Seattle Pride Parade, Entre Hermanos fielded a contingent of 200 participants, reaching the maximum allowed group size and marking the largest Latine presence in the parade's history, according to the group's own recap. Executive Director Edgar Longoria has also appeared at regional Pride events, including as a scheduled keynote speaker at a Bellevue Pride gathering last year.
Proceeds from the October gala are intended to help Entre Hermanos continue its culturally responsive programs and services, according to the Business Journals listing, which frames the organization's mission as promoting health, advocacy, education, connection and empowerment for Latine LGBTQ+ communities. As the group marks 35 years, its footprint now spans from its original Seattle base to the Yakima office that returned it, in Zuñiga's words, to where it was first imagined.
