Upon his return to the United States, an ill Cortez sought medical treatment for ulcerative colitis, and while at the doctor was asked about his sexual history by a nurse.
[3] Mateo Askaripour in the NYT Book Review describes "it as an irresistible mix of childlike desire, piercing observation and ridiculous, but relatable, shenanigans, including wrestling matches and the plundering of a porn collection, along with more serious matters, such as final goodbyes, the spinning acrobatics of masculinity and questions of what it means to truly love someone.
"[4] As part of his HIV/AIDS prevention work, Cortez wrote and illustrated Sexile/Sexilo, a bilingual graphic novel that depicts the true life story of Adela Vasquez, a Cuban transgender immigrant who arrives to the United States and explores her sexuality, gender and identity among a vibrant but dangerous time in queer communities.
Working with AIDS Project Los Angeles, Cortez created this graphic novel as an HIV prevention publication that would exhibit the gay and/or transgender lifestyle as unapologetic.
Images from Sexile are published in No Straight Lines: Four Decades of Queer Comics by Justin Hall who refers to the work as art "made during the [HIV/AIDS] plague".
"LGBTQ cartoonists' responses to this holocaust were varied... Sexile provided an intimate look into people's fear, anger, despair as well as courage and precarious hope in the face of such a profound challenge.
[8] On the basis of its bilingual content and exploration of multiple aspects of the self, Sexile is used as the frame for the article titled "Crossing the Lines: Graphic (Life) Narratives and Co-laborative Political Transformations" by Theresa M. Tensuan.
The content includes stories about sightings of the Virgen de Guadalupe by a cholo drug addict, lovers with physical disabilities, and the dynamics of father-son relationships.
[11] In the year 2000 he was a member of Latin Hustle, a trio of gay writers/performers which included Adriana Gordon and Al Lujan who produced shows such as "Full Frontal Rudity" and "Hoodwink".
[12] Additionally, Cortez has had short stories, photographs, and essays published in magazines, books and anthologies which include: Besame Mucho (1999), 2sexE, Best Gay Erotica 2001, Familiar Men (2003), Tea Party Literary Journal (2003), Corpus I, II, IV Gay Men's Health Magazine (2002), Turnover (2005), Street Art San Francisco (2009), Why are Faggots so Afraid of Faggots?
His works consistently have themes of gay life style, the narratives of people of color, the AIDS pandemic and the city of San Francisco, specifically the Mission District.