Lorena Borjas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lorena Borjas
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Lorena Borjas in 2019
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| Born | May 29, 1960 Veracruz, Mexico
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| Died | March 30, 2020 (aged 59) Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
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| Nationality | Mexican / US |
| Occupation | Transgender and immigrant rights activist |
| Years active | c. 1995–2020 |
Lorena Borjas (May 29, 1960 – March 30, 2020) was a Mexican-American transgender and immigrant rights activist, known as the mother of the transgender Latinx community in Queens, New York. Her work on behalf of immigrant and transgender communities garnered recognition throughout New York City and the United States. She lived for many years in the Jackson Heights neighborhood of Queens, where she was a community figure and leader.
Early life and education
In 1960, Borjas was born in Veracruz, Mexico. When she was seventeen years old, she ran away from home and lived on the streets of Mexico City. She later studied public accounting in Mexico City.
Emigration
In 1981, Borjas emigrated to the United States at twenty years old, with the goal of obtaining hormone therapy and transitioning to live as a woman. ..... Initially, she primarily provided aid to Mexican transgender women, but she later expanded to help all Latin American trans women. In 1986, Borjas was granted amnesty, under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. In 1990, Borjas became a legal permanent resident of the United States. In 2019, Borjas became a U.S. citizen.
Challenges
Borjas experienced many challenges in the 1990s. ..... She was arrested many times during this period, which made her ineligible for green card renewal or naturalization. .....
Borjas was HIV-positive, and she saw many of her friends pass away due to HIV-related illnesses.
Activism
In 1995, Borjas decided to make activism her life's work. ..... She hosted women who had been ostracized from their families in her own apartment until they were able to support themselves. ..... In 1995, she organized her first march in support of the transgender community.
Borjas became involved in local nonprofit organizations as well. She first came the Sylvia Rivera Law Project as a client. She eventually began working for the project on immigration and criminal justice issues. With Chase Strangio, Borjas founded the Lorena Borjas Community Fund, which provides bail assistance to LGBT defendants. .....
During the coronavirus pandemic, Borjas created and promoted a mutual aid fund, via GoFundMe, to help transgender people who were impacted by the economic crisis.
Borjas was not paid for the majority of her activism. She supported herself through a variety of jobs, including counseling sessions, community outreach, occasional talks, and cleaning houses.
Borjas founded Colectivo Intercultural Transgrediendo: the first community organization for TransGNB (Transgender and Gender Non-Binary) and LGBTQI people in Queens that advocates for TransGNB rights.
Her life project was to create a safe space for TGNCNB (Transgender, Gender non-conforming, and Non-Binary) people in Queens, however, due to her death, she was unable to execute this dream. Liaam Winslet (Executive Director, Colectivo Intercultural Transgrediendo) is helping to bring this dream to reality, known as Casa Trans Lorena Borjas.
Awards and honors
Borjas earned honors from former Mayor David Dinkins, New York Attorney General Letitia James, and Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. In 2019, she was declared a New York Woman of Distinction in the State Senate. Following her death, New York City Council member Francisco Moya announced plans to rename a street in his district after her. On the anniversary of her death in 2021, Baxter Avenue on 83rd street—where Borjas lived and worked—was renamed to Lorena Borjas Way.
In June 2020, Borjas was added among American “pioneers, trailblazers, and heroes” on the National LGBTQ Wall of Honor within the Stonewall National Monument (SNM) in New York City’s Stonewall Inn. The SNM is the first U.S. national monument dedicated to LGBTQ rights and history.
Death
Borjas died at Coney Island Hospital on March 30, 2020, aged 59, from complications of COVID-19. She received memorials and tributes online from many public figures, including Chase Strangio, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Letitia James, Corey Johnson, and Monica Roberts. A funeral service was organized by friends and loved ones via Zoom, due to social distancing restrictions, with about 250 people in attendance.
See also
In Spanish: Lorena Borjas para niños
