Born and raised in Philadelphia, louie ortiz-fonseca is a queer creative and storyteller living with HIV. He is the creator of gran varones, a digital project that centers LGBTQ pop culture history and community storytelling through a Black Latinx lens. Music and pop culture history are integral to louie’s storytelling practice, serving as both archive and inspiration. When louie is not spreading the powerful gospel of Patron St. Mariah Carey, he hosts Kikis with Louie, a YouTube series created for and with LGBTQ youth.