Career
She coedited the essay collection Colonize This! From 2008 to 2010, Hernández edited ColorLines, where she began working as a senior writer in 2004. On January 12, 2011, the National Public Radio program All Things Considered broadcast her commentary on the 2011 Arizona shooting. Conservatives critiqued the piece for its use of the word gringo.
"Becoming a Black Manitoba", her article about the experiences of black transport men, was nominated in 2009 for a GLAAD Media Award in the category of "Outstanding Magazine Article".
In 2015, she was named one of the two winners of the Lambda Literary Foundation"s "Betty Berzon Emerging Writer Award" at the 27th Lambda Literary Awards.