What The Jonathan Bleiweiss Case Reveals About Fetishizing Latino Immigrants

More details are being uncovered in the case against Broward County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Jonathan Bleiweiss. Bleiweiss, you recall, is accused of sexual battery against eight undocumented immigrant men. The 29-year-old has also been slapped with at least one count of stalking, and new evidence shows that this is in keeping with the obsession he had with the young men he tormented.

Bleiweiss, it seems, was a prominent and respected figure in the South Florida gay community for being an openly gay sheriff’s deputy who worked to fight discrimination within his agency. It’s always pillars of the community who end up performing unwanted oral sex on undocumented Latinos, no?

It was one of the alleged victim’s lawyers that first alerted authorities about Bleiweiss’ misconduct before seven other men stepped forward with their testimony and positively identified Bleiweiss from a photo lineup. They tell of being continually harassed by the deputy, who would text and call his victims. After initially fondling most of his victims while patting them down during early-morning traffic stops, Bleiweiss got the men’s numbers in order to coerce them into additional sexual encounters. The men, worried about the possibility of deportation should they refuse, would give in although at least one man is said to have begged Bleiweiss to turn him in or call immigration authorities as he was being fondled. Another man recalled the officer whispering Spanish obscenities in his ear as he harassed him.

That these men - undocumented, and mostly young, Latinos - were able to fight social and cultural stigmas associated with homosexuality and law enforcement in order to come forward with their stories is significant. Bleiweiss’ attorney, Eric Schwartzreich, is attempting to call the victims’ credibility into question by bringing up their legal status, saying, ” I do point out that they are allegations by undocumented aliens, that at this point in time I’m not seeing any physical evidence to support the allegations.” As we see it, however, the fact that these men are undocumented makes their stories all the more credible, as they seemingly have everything to lose in this situation. That is, until one notes the existence of ”U visas” - special documentation handed out to immigrant victims of crime in exchange for their court testimony.

That Jonathon targeted a very specific sort of man - Latino, undocumented and likely poor or struggling - points to a fetishization we’ve noticed that exists in the gay and straight communities alike. This isn’t about preferring Latin men or finding them attractive or falling in love with a man who happens to be Latino. It’s about specifically seeking out the object one feels a sexual attachment to and preying on his vulnerabilities in order to ensnare him. We’ve seen a fairly common fetishization, for example, of “Latino thugs” (Just Google the term. You may be surprised what comes up. Chortle.) which probably plays upon the notion that these men are, like, “extra” macho and so the act of having homosexual sex with them is doubly taboo and exciting. Likewise, we suspect Bleiweiss targeted the men that he did not only because he fetishized Latinos - texting his victims with “Que pasa, amigo?” when they neglected to answer his many phone calls - but because these men were relatively easy targets for him to control and exert his power over.

And subverting power and stereotypes and flaunting convention can all be very sexy until one forgets that the other person involved is, well. A person.

Like Michael Rajner, a gay rights activist in South Florida, was quoted as saying in relation to this case:  ”This is not an act that necessarily impacts the gay community. This is an act of an individual, not a community.”

And, yet. Sometimes individuals do not have control over how the public at large chooses to frame their actions. Interestingly, this is something gay men and undocumented Latinos have in common.

Arrested Broward deputy portrayed as ‘manipulative sex offender’ in court documents [Palm Beach Post]