Colectivo Intercultural TRANSgrediendo

A group of Latinx adults stand in a hallway, all wearing face masks. They are holding up a red ribbon with purple, glittery text, in uppercase font, that reads “COLECTIVO INTERCULTURAL TRANSGREDIENDO”. A few of them are cheering, as the ones standing in the center, cut the ribbon together with a giant pair of scissors.

Photo: Joana Toro

Colectivo Intercultural TRANSgrediendo is a social organization, which works on the empowerment of human rights, access and comprehensive health care of Trans and Gender Non Binary (TransGNB) people, strengthening the social and cultural expression of diverse gender identities in New York City in order to guarantee our well-being and the right to a life free of all types of violence. Based in Jackson Heights, Colectivo Intercultural TRANSgrediendo was founded by TransLatina activist Lorena Borjas, who was known as the mother of the transgender Latinx community in Queens. Her untimely death in 2020 was caused by Covid19-related illness and is being mourned by the community at large.