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Doreen Gonzales was born on February 13th, 1957, in Pasadena California. Raised in a “traditional Latin home” as the second oldest and the oldest girl of 9 children, she quickly assumed parenting responsibilities.
Advocacy came early for Doreen. Through her grandmother, she learned the act of giving without receiving, when she was forced on a trip to Tijuana where she was moved to donate her favorite sweater to a girl in need. She reflects on this moment as one “where I found my humanity”. At 14 she happily volunteered to paint the historic symbol for the United Farm Workers Union–a black eagle on a red background–for a protest calling for the boycott of grapes in her local market. Too young to attend the protest, Doreen watched her artwork on TV, amongst protestors and Cesar Chavez.
Doreen grew up with mountain hikes and summertime plunges, adventuring in the San Gabriel Valley. Despite her caretaker duties at home, bullying from her own teammates, and not owning ‘adequate’ equipment or clothes, she remained committed to her love of sports. Adversity transformed into a pledge to be someone “who could bring positivity into the world”. This passion, combined with her grandpa’s last wish for her to graduate, propelled her to obtain a scholarship to play volleyball at Cal State LA and she became the first in her family to obtain a bachelor’s degree.
Growing up in a culture of machismo and lesbophobia, her family disapproved of her sexuality, despite her brothers being gay and her mother having a lesbian friend. Acceptance came from the friends “who couldn’t be prouder of someone who respects themselves and respects their colors, and respects you”. She found friends who took her out to gay bars and older women who took her under her wing.
In 1982, Doreen saw the effects of the HIV/AIDS epidemic first-hand while working in a clinical laboratory. The lack of government action and unnecessary deaths she witnessed set in motion a burning passion to act and she began working with AIDS patients on the frontlines, participating in AIDS walks, and helping ship AIDS quilts to Washington D.C.
After a severe automobile crash, a wave of uncertainty clouded her life. On May 1st, 1994, a new purpose brought her moving once more when her two passions, sports and advocacy, came together in the California AIDS ride (now AIDS/LifeCycle), an initiative meant to support critical HIV/AIDS services and end AIDS. Defying doubts around her injury, she set out to bike that first 500 mile ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles and would continue to come back for the next 30 years, meeting new people, changing hearts, and immersing herself in the AIDS/LifeCycle “love bubble”.
For 26 years, Doreen has been a friendly face at UCLA Counseling and Psychological Services, helping students move through the challenges of an undergraduate education with the grace and positivity she pledged she would bring to the world.
In 2025, Doreen cycled her last ride as part of AIDS/LifeCycle. Though the ride has come to an end, the love cultivated in the ‘bubble’ lives on through the stories and the mission to end AIDS continues through new initiatives. In the spirit of the turbulent ride, she suggests that one should “always move forward…The next day could bring you something.”
