Mexican-american transgender activist
Bamby Salcedo |
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| Born | October 12, 1969
Guadalajara, Mexico |
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| Occupation | Activist |
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| Organization | TransLatin@ Coalition |
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| Known for | Transgender activism |
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| Title | President |
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| Awards | |
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| Website | https://bambysalcedo.com/ |
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Bamby Salcedo (born October 12, 1969) is a transgender activist and a recognized public speaker born in Guadalajara, Mexico and based in California, United States. Bamby has developed several activist work in efforts to advocate for topics such as latin immigration, LGBTQIA+ issues, HIV cases of inequality within the healthcare system, and more. She is the founder of the Los Angeles-based TransLatin@ Coalition, "an organization form[ed] by Trans Latin@ immigrant leaders who have come together in 2009 to organize and advocate for the needs of Trans Latin@s who are immigrants and reside in the US."[2][3] She is also the producer of the Angels for Change Runway Show for trans youth.Salcedo was recognized as one of "14 Women of Color Who Rocked 2014" by ColorLines[2] and as one of their OUT100 pioneers of the year by OUT magazine. In 2015, Salcedo also spoke at The White House as part of the White House United State of Women Summit.[4]
Early life
Bamby Salcedo was born at the "El Hospital Civil de Guadalajara" Hospital in Guadalajara, Mexico on October 12, 1969. At an early age, Bamby experienced abuse and stigmatization as a child. She was brought up in poverty alongside her two siblings and her mother. Bamby Salcedo bears the first name of her late father, who had left home shortly before her birth. Bamby embarked on a troubled course with street gangs, drugs and crime. At the age of 12, she was arrested on November 20 and sent to a rehabilitation facility for minors. Once out, she befriended a group of young homosexual Mexicans with whom they joined the Menudo Fan Club, where they amused themselves playing dress-up.[5]
Bamby reunited with her father and fled from Mexico with him to the United States as she was relentlessly persecuted due to her gender identity. While waiting for her asylum claim to be examined, she was placed in an Immigrant Detention Center where she faced constant harassment by other inmates due to her identity.[6] Once a citizen, she relocated to Los Angeles, continuing her substance abuse. It was around this period, supported by a supportive LGBTQA+ community, that she began her journey of transition.[5]
Bamby, later, was sent to a men's penitentiary in the State of California. During her stay, Bamby stated that her stay in the penitentiary made her reflect abou the direction in which she was going with her future.[7] Bamby almost faced on several occasions both mortality and physical abuse inside confinement. As stated by Bamby, "I'm a miracle, yo soy un milagro, I'm not supposed to be here", her survival story is "a reminder [...] of what she could have been and what she is today".[5]
She, later on, embarked on a journey of self-healing and rehabilitation. Beginning to build a new future for herself, she pursued a Master's degree in Latin American Studies at California State University, Los Angeles, launching her career in the field of social justice.[8]
Career
TransLatin@ Coalition
In 2009, Bamby Salcedo initiated her acclaimed TransLatin@ Coalition in collaboration with a group of transgender, gender non-conforming and intersex (TGI) immigrant women. It is recognized today as a nationally acclaimed non-profit organization, whose primary concern is advocating for the rights of transgender Latinas and TGIs nationwide. While the organization is based in Los Angeles, California, it has grown considerably over the years and operates in 10 different states across the U.S., including Florida, Minnesota, Missouri, the District of Columbia, Maryland and New York. With funding from local and state government sources, private foundations and organizations, the TransLatin@ Coalition harnesses its resources to devise advocacy strategies in response to structural and institutional discrimination.[9] The Coalition focuses on key issues relating to U.S. identity documents & and immigration, education, employment, health care, and experiences of interpersonal and structural violence.[10] In 2018, TransLatin@ Coalition was joined beside Laverne Cox in the Los Angeles rally for the #FamiliesBelongTogether National Day of Action.[11]
Angels for Change
Bamby Salcedo collaborated produced with The Center for TransYouth Health and Development & Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Division of Adolescent to produce the "Angels for Change Runway Show". She created this as, cited in her website, to create “an opportunity for trans and gender non-conforming youth to develop self-presentation skills in a safe, fun environment by participating in […] the world’s first calendar featuring trans youth.”[8]
Filmography
Transvisible: Bamby Salcedo's story (2013)
An LA based filmmaker and activist, Dante Alencastre takes on a documentary regarding the life of Bamby Salcedo and the personal challenges she had to overcome in her personal life and in face of oppression. It discusses how she became a role model for “multiple communities including the Trans, Latina, immigrant, youth, and LGBT communities.”[12]
LA Queenciañera (2021)
Pedro Peira, an L.A director and former friend of Bamby Salcedo, suggested making a documentary collaboration with Bamby Salcedo to celebrate her 50th year old anniversary. “LA QueenCieñera” is a touching portrait of authenticity and finding your chosen family.[13]
The movie follows Bamby “organizing her 50th birthday celebration attended by people significant to her life and survival. As she prepares for the event, Bamby travels through LA county and watches her life go by; from the streets where she smoked crack and the Men’s County Jail to journalists and academics she has enlisted for her causes, plush homes of supporters, and communities and organizations she has gathered together to change the lives of transgender people in the United States.”[14]
