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 dby 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." 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 ''Colorlines'' is a digital media platform that seeks to build a political home for everyday people and activists. The platform creates accessible multimedia to power its vision of a just multiracial democracy where all thrive. History ''Colorlin ...

'' and as one of their OUT100 pioneers of the year by OUT magazine. In 2015, Salcedo also spoke at The

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

as part of the White House United State of Women Summit.

Early life

Bamby Salcedo was born at the "El Hospital Civil de Guadalajara" Hospital in Guadalajara,

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

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. 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. Once a citizen, she relocated to

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, continuing her substance abuse. It was around this period, supported by a supportive LGBTQA+ community, that she began her journey of transition. 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. 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". 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.

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. 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. In 2018, TransLatin@ Coalition was joined beside

Laverne Cox Laverne Cox (born May 29, 1972) is an American actress and LGBT advocate. She rose to prominence with her role as Sophia Burset on the Netflix series ''Orange Is the New Black'', becoming the first transgender person to be nominated for a Pr ...

in the Los Angeles rally for the #FamiliesBelongTogether National Day of Action.

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.”

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.”

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. 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.”

Awards

*James Earl Hardy Legends Award, The Black & Hispanic Gay Coalition *The West Coast Liberty Awards,

Lambda Legal Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, better known as Lambda Legal, is an American civil rights organization that focuses on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities as well as people living with HIV/AIDS ( PWAs) through imp ...

*Susan J. Hyde Award for 'Longevity in the Movement' from The National LGBTQ Task Force *Good Neighbor Award, State Farm Insurance *Connie Norman Leadership Award, LA PRIDE *Shiela J. Kuehl Trailblazer Award, Stonewall Democratic Club *The Women in Leadership Award, City of West Hollywood *Virginia Uribe Leadership Award, The Models of Pride Youth Conference *The Sol Award, National Latin@ AIDS Awareness Day (NLAAD)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Salcedo, Bamby Mexican LGBT rights activists American LGBT rights activists Living people Transgender women Mexican transgender people American transgender people LGBT Hispanic and Latino American people Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century Mexican LGBT people 21st-century American LGBT people