EDGE Interview: Tony Zuniga is Leading the Latino Community Toward LGBTQ+ Acceptance One Hilarious Post at a Time

Latino artist Anthony Zuniga is quickly becoming a gay social media icon. He uses his platform to bring two communities together. He hopes to not only cross-foster acceptance within them but to educate those judging him from the outside, and he does it with a comedic edge. He appreciates being reminded that his purpose goes beyond views and likes.

"I feel like sometimes I forget some of those things, and it's good to hear it every now and then," he says in a phone interview with EDGE. "It's like a reminder to keep doing what you're doing."

Social media celebrities have become a mainstay in pop culture. As long as there are apps that promote virtual communities there will be people who are more popular than others within them. Zuniga, who goes by the handle Tony Directs, has reached nearly 1 million subscribers on TikTok and 262,000 on Instagram; his Facebook boasts 656,000 subscribers.

Zuniga grew up in San Bernardino County in the city of Fontana, Calif. It's situated in the the vast section of the state known as the Inland Empire, a place where, according to the 2020 Census, Latinos make up over half of the population. It's a thriving community with affordable housing and plenty of jobs. Culturally, San Bernardino has a high religious presence with over 29% being Catholic. All of the conservative beliefs that come with Catholicism can be stifling for gay people who are not only oppressed by their faith-based elders but chastised by their homophobic straight peers.

@tonydirects It went DOWN! 😂 @lgndfrvr @jaymendoza @marrkadams @mexicangueys @thecrazygorilla #walkitback #viral #foryou #challenge #knuckifyoubuck ♬ original sound - Tonydirects

Zuniga's content finds humor in the latter. His videos often feature young Latino men wearing bandanas, white T-shirts, and dark glasses, a fashion choice that epitomizes local gangster culture and contemporary urban street wear. As intimidating as that might be, Zuniga uses it as a bit. In a recent video, he is confronted by three beefy gangster men. Not afraid, Zuniga calls in his own posse; a trio of gay men wearing crop tops, makeup, and distressed jeans. The punchline is that the gangsters aren't interested in fighting but whether or not one of the gay men can do his sister's makeup for her quinceañera.

It's a joke drenched in stereotypes but not necessarily in a bad way. Yes, Zuniga uses basic tropes in some of his skits, but ironically, it's a tool for subverting expectations rather than bolstering them. He is slowly chipping away at the generations of Latino men and women who think being gay is an abomination or worthy of hatred. He says the mentality is changing, just not fast enough.

"It's like the Hispanic community is very prideful and it's unfortunate that being gay still isn't as accepted," he explains.

He says it might be because the elder Hispanics have an old-school mindset so sexual orientation isn't a household discussion.

"For the most part, in the Latino community, it's not taken lightly," he says. "I don't see a lot of change, but I do see some change. We have siblings and aunts and uncles that step up and speak out."

@tonydirects You're only a Gangster until you see someone cute!😂 @LGNDFRVR @TrinoxAdam @thehomohomie ♬ original sound - Tonydirects

Zuniga, 31, is one of six siblings. He has two older brothers, one younger brother, and two younger sisters. When he came out, he says his family turned their back on him, "Except for one of my brothers who stood by my side. When I came out on social media in 2018, all of my aunts and uncles welcomed me," he says, adding that his mom and dad were against it.

"For my dad, I think it was more prideful. For my mom, it was more based off of religion."

That uneasiness isn't just limited to his family. For as many fans as Zuniga has, there are plenty who voice their disapproval via death threats and DM vitriol. Most of that hatred comes from within the Latino community. It's a backlash that Zuniga thinks could be avoided.

"No one's forcing you to watch these videos, no one's forcing you to come on my page," he says with frustration in his voice. "So for me, it's more of like, these people have problems within themselves, and, I just try my best to avoid it. I try to keep a positive mindset because ultimately, my goal is to just make people laugh and make people smile."

Zuniga, who currently lives in Los Angeles with his boyfriend of five years Brendon, isn't just interested in directing social media shorts. He's also an actor and a model. Last year he worked with George Lopez on the holiday film "How the Gringo Stole Christmas." And recently he was featured on the cover of Moevir Homme, a Paris fashion magazine.

He is a creative person who has plans to go beyond social media. It's a dream he has had for as long as he can remember. "I never once growing up as a kid saw myself being behind a desk or going into, like, law enforcement or anything like that. I always saw myself doing something creative."

As a kid, he wanted to be on Disney Channel or Nickelodeon, but those were just daydreams.

"Never did I see myself being in entertainment, but it feels right and I love it. I also feel like as a kid, I was confused - or, not confused - but I was obviously hiding. I knew that I was gay since I was five years old. And it was one of those things where I'm like, one day I'm gonna be able to come out, and that day, I'll finally be free."