Eder Díaz Santillan hosts the bilingual podcast “De Pueblo Católico & Gay,” where he openly discusses his identity as a Latino and gay Catholic man. (Courtesy photo)
Los Angeles — Eder Díaz Santillan vividly remembers a massive mural inside the Catholic church where he worshipped as a child in Mexico. The painting depicted nude and rich people, symbolizing money, sex and power, all vices he learned could lead one to hell. Amid flames, they reached out to God for salvation.
The only thing missing in the painting, Santillan thought, was an image of himself.
"It was very instilled in me that I was a sin, that I was going to hell," said Santillan, 35, who is gay.