Dr. González-Rivera grew up in Matagalpa, Nicaragua. She obtained her Ph.D. in Latin American history from Indiana University, her M.A. in Latin American history from the University of New Mexico, and her B.A. from Oberlin College. She is the author of Before the Revolution: Women’s Rights and Right-Wing Politics in Nicaragua, 1821-1979 (Penn State University Press, 2011). With support from the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), she completed a new book titled 500 Years of LGBTQIA+ history in Western Nicaragua (University of Arizona Press, 2024). Dr. González-Rivera is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies at San Diego State University, where she has taught for 19 years.