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Lorena Borjas

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Lorena Borjas
Lorena Borjas in 2019
Born(1960-05-29)May 29, 1960[1]
Veracruz,Mexico
DiedMarch 30, 2020(2020-03-30)(aged 59)
Brooklyn,New York, U.S.
NationalityMexican / US
Occupation(s)Transgenderandimmigrant rightsactivist
Years activec. 1995–2020

Lorena Borjas(May 29, 1960 – March 30, 2020) was aMexican-Americantransgenderandimmigrant rightsactivist, known as themotherof thetransgenderLatinxcommunity inQueens, New York.[2][3]Her work on behalf of immigrant and transgender communities garnered recognition throughoutNew York Cityand the United States.[4][5]She lived for many years in theJackson Heightsneighborhood of Queens, where she was a community figure and leader.[6]

Early life and education[edit]

In 1960, Borjas was born inVeracruz,Mexico. When she was seventeen years old, she ran away from home and lived on the streets ofMexico City.[7]She later studied public accounting inMexico City.[8][1]

Emigration[edit]

In 1981, Borjasemigrated to the United Statesat twenty years old, with the goal of obtaininghormone therapyandtransitioningto live as a woman.[5][4]Taking a job in a belt factory,[1]she initially shared an apartment in theNew York Cityneighborhood of Jackson Heights, Queens[9]with 20 transgender women who worked assex workers.[4]As a young woman, Borjas aided the women she lived with, along with other transgender sex workers. Initially, she primarily provided aid to Mexican transgender women, but she later expanded to help all Latin American trans women.[4]As she explained,

"We were women without families and who had run away from our countries, persecuted for expressing our identity, for being ourselves. Here in New York, we did not have the life and freedom we had been dreaming about. We also endured violence and abuse here. In those days, it was a real crime to be a transgender immigrant of color.”[9]

In 1986, Borjas was granted amnesty, under theImmigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.[10]In 1990, Borjas became a legalpermanent residentof the United States. In 2019, Borjas became aU.S. citizen.[11]

Challenges[edit]

Borjas experienced many challenges in the 1990s. She became addicted tocrack cocaine.As a result, she began to engage in riskier sex work. She ultimately found herself in a relationship in which she was a victim ofsex trafficking.She was arrested many times during this period, which made her ineligible for green card renewal or naturalization. In the late 1990s, she escaped from the abusive relationship and overcame her drug addiction.[7]

Borjas wasHIV-positive,and she saw many of her friends pass away due to HIV-related illnesses.[7]

Activism[edit]

In 1995, Borjas decided to make activism her life's work.[9]For decades, Borjas worked to protect transgender victims ofhuman trafficking(which she herself had experienced), slavery, and violence.[4][2][12]She hosted women who had been ostracized from their families in her own apartment until they were able to support themselves.[2]She walked the streets seeking women who needed her help, providingcondomsand food, and connecting these women to social services.[2]She worked without pay to facilitate access toHIV testingand hormone therapy for transgender sex workers, including setting up a weekly HIV testing clinic in her home, and providingsyringe exchangesfor women takinghormone injections.[5][4][2]In 1995, she organized her first march in support of the transgender community.[5]

As reflected by Cecilia Gentili, a friend and a transgender leader:

"Needed a lawyer? Doctor? Housing? A job? She was there. Lorena was that person who, if you got arrested, you called her at three in the morning and she would answer. First thing in the morning she would be in court with a lawyer to get you out of jail."[6]

Borjas became involved in local nonprofit organizations as well. She first came theSylvia Rivera Law Projectas a client. She eventually began working for the project on immigration and criminal justice issues.[10]WithChase Strangio,Borjas founded the Lorena Borjas Community Fund, which providesbailassistance toLGBTdefendants.[2]She became a counselor for the Community Healthcare Network's Transgender Family Program, where she worked to obtain legal aid for victims of human trafficking.[4]

During thecoronavirus pandemic,Borjas created and promoted a mutual aid fund, viaGoFundMe,to help transgender people who were impacted by the economic crisis.[13]

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.[7]

Borjas founded Colectivo Intercultural Transgrediendo: the first community organization for TransGNB (TransgenderandGender Non-Binary) and LGBTQI people in Queens that advocates for TransGNB rights.[14]

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.[15][16]

Awards and honors[edit]

Borjas earned honors from former MayorDavid Dinkins,New York Attorney GeneralLetitia James,and Queens District AttorneyMelinda Katz.In 2019, she was declared a New York Woman of Distinction in theState Senate.[17]Following her death,New York City CouncilmemberFrancisco Moyaannounced plans to rename a street in his district after her.[18]On the anniversary of her death in 2021, Baxter Avenue on 83rd street—where Borjas lived and worked—was renamed to Lorena Borjas Way.[19]

In June 2020, Borjas was added among American “pioneers, trailblazers, and heroes” on theNational LGBTQ Wall of Honorwithin theStonewall National Monument(SNM) inNew York City’sStonewall Inn.[20][21][22]The SNM is the firstU.S. national monumentdedicated toLGBTQ rightsandhistory.[23]

Legal issues[edit]

In 1994, Borjas was arrested and found guilty of facilitating a crime in the fourth degree, a charge dating back to her early years in the U.S., when Borjas was, in fact, a victim of trafficking and forced prostitution.[4][24]She lost the immigration status she had gained under a 1986 amnesty law and lived under the threat of deportation.[4]Starting in 2010, Borjas sought to have her own criminal record expunged, with the legal support of theTransgender Law Center.[4][25]In recognition of her community activism, she was granted a pardon in 2017 by New York governorAndrew Cuomo,restoring her status as a legal immigrant, an outcome she had considered "farfetched and nearly impossible."[4]

Death[edit]

Borjas died atConey Island Hospitalon March 30, 2020,[10]aged 59, from complications ofCOVID-19.[2][26]She received memorials and tributes online from many public figures, including Chase Strangio,[9]Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,[27]Letitia James,Corey Johnson,andMonica Roberts.[10]A funeral service was organized by friends and loved ones viaZoom,due tosocial distancingrestrictions, with about 250 people in attendance.[7][10]

References[edit]

  1. ^abcBorjas, Lorena."Biography".LorenaBorjas.com(in Spanish). Archived fromthe originalon June 12, 2020.RetrievedMarch 30,2020.
  2. ^abcdefgMaurice, Emma Powys (March 30, 2020)."Tributes pour in for pioneering transgender Latinx activist Lorena Borjas who has died from coronavirus".PinkNews.Archivedfrom the original on March 31, 2020.RetrievedMarch 30,2020.
  3. ^Gessen, Masha."Remembering Lorena Borjas, the Mother of a Trans Latinx Community".The New Yorker.RetrievedMay 29,2021.
  4. ^abcdefghijkCortés, Zaira (December 28, 2017)."Activista mexicana iniciará nueva vida gracias a indulto de Cuomo"[Mexican activist will start a new life thanks to Cuomo's pardon].El Diario Nueva York(in Spanish).Archivedfrom the original on April 2, 2020.RetrievedMarch 30,2020.
  5. ^abcdDuran, Eddy (ed.)."The Story of Lorena Borjas: The Transgender Latina Activist".Queens Stories.Queens Public Television.RetrievedMarch 30,2020.
  6. ^ab"Beloved Queens-based trans advocate Lorena Borjas dies of coronavirus".QNS.com.Archivedfrom the original on March 31, 2020.RetrievedMarch 31,2020.
  7. ^abcdeGessen, Masha."Remembering Lorena Borjas, the Mother of a Trans Latinx Community".The New Yorker.Archivedfrom the original on April 17, 2020.RetrievedApril 14,2020.
  8. ^"Lorena Borjas".TransLatina Coalition.Archivedfrom the original on April 27, 2020.RetrievedMarch 30,2020.
  9. ^abcdSanders, Wren (March 30, 2020)."Lorena Borjas, Mother of Queens' Trans Latinx Community, Has Died Due to Coronavirus".them.Archivedfrom the original on March 31, 2020.RetrievedMarch 31,2020.
  10. ^abcdeKaur, Harmeet (April 2020)."Lorena Borjas, a transgender Latina activist who fought for immigrants and sex workers, has died of Covid-19".CNN.Archivedfrom the original on April 8, 2020.RetrievedApril 14,2020.
  11. ^Slotnik, Daniel E. (April 1, 2020)."Lorena Borjas, Transgender Immigrant Activist, Dies at 59".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on April 1, 2020.RetrievedApril 30,2020.
  12. ^"Founder".Colectivo Intercultural TRANSgrediendo.RetrievedOctober 19,2021.
  13. ^"Beloved NYC Transgender Advocate Lorena Borjas Dies After Contracting COVID-19".Democracy Now!.Archivedfrom the original on April 2, 2020.RetrievedMarch 31,2020.
  14. ^"Home".ourvoicesarefree.org.
  15. ^"Casa Trans Lorena Borjas - Queens, NY".Casatrans.RetrievedOctober 19,2021.
  16. ^Allen, Samantha (May 8, 2020)."Out on the Frontlines: Lorena Borjas Changed Thousands of Lives. Liaam Winslet Is Carrying Her Legacy".RetrievedOctober 19,2021.
  17. ^Merlino, Victoria (March 30, 2020)."Queens honors trailblazing transgender activist who died of covid-19".Queens Eagle.
  18. ^Moya, Francisco [@FranciscoMoyaNY] (March 31, 2020)."So sorry to learn about the passing of #LorenaBorjas. In honor of her leadership and activism, I am proud to announce that I will be renaming the street on 83rd between Roosevelt & 37th after her. My heart goes out to her family,friends,& our trans community as we mourn her loss"(Tweet) – viaTwitter.
  19. ^Parry, Bill."Transgender activist Lorena Borjas honored with Elmhurst street co-naming – QNS.com".qns.com.RetrievedOctober 19,2021.
  20. ^Glasses-Baker, Becca (June 27, 2019)."National LGBTQ Wall of Honor unveiled at Stonewall Inn".www.metro.us.RetrievedJune 28,2019.
  21. ^SDGLN, Timothy Rawles-Community Editor for (June 19, 2019)."National LGBTQ Wall of Honor to be unveiled at historic Stonewall Inn".San Diego Gay and Lesbian News.Archived fromthe originalon June 21, 2019.RetrievedJune 21,2019.{{cite web}}:|first=has generic name (help)
  22. ^"New honorees named for Nat'l LGBTQ Wall of Honor at Stonewall Inn".Windy City Times.June 30, 2020.RetrievedJuly 1,2020.
  23. ^"Groups seek names for Stonewall 50 honor wall".The Bay Area Reporter / B.A.R. Inc.RetrievedMay 24,2019.
  24. ^Williams, Zach (December 29, 2017)."Cuomo's snub to Trump allows nonprofit leader Lorena Borjas to continue work in LGBT community".New York Nonprofit Media.Archived fromthe originalon June 5, 2020.RetrievedMarch 30,2020.
  25. ^"Lorena Borjas".Transgender Law Center.Archivedfrom the original on March 31, 2020.RetrievedMarch 30,2020.
  26. ^Tracy, Matt (March 30, 2020)."Beloved Queens-based trans advocate Lorena Borjas dies of coronavirus".QNS.Archivedfrom the original on March 31, 2020.RetrievedMarch 30,2020.
  27. ^"Lorena Borjas, Pioneering Transgender Latina Activist in NYC, Dies From COVID-19".NBC New York.March 30, 2020.Archivedfrom the original on March 31, 2020.RetrievedMarch 31,2020.
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