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Bamby Salcedo

“Because I am one of the chosen few, I want to make sure I give back.”                                                                                        photo by mediarelations4 Bamby Salcedo’s story is one of courage, tenacity, humility, dedication, and love. She was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, to a single mother who had to work long hours and was rarely home. To escape her abusive stepfather, Bamby joined a street gang, where she found a sense of belonging and even motivation. That’s also where she began using drugs as an escape from the pressures of homophobia, transphobia, and abuse. At seventeen, Bamby immigrated to central California to be with her father, but ended up moving to Los Angeles when she felt bored and stifled there. In L.A. she found trans community on the streets, as there were no formal organizations for her to turn to. After escaping an abusive long term relationship, Bamby discovered she was HIV positive, and intensified her drug use to ease her emotional pain. During this period she did time in men’s prisons, where she was was subjected to humiliation, harassment, abuse, and sexual violence. Bamby describes the moment she experienced divine intervention on June 6, 2001, when an African American woman gave her five dollars for food. She was so moved by this kindness that she went to a treatment center that day. At the center, she learned basic computer skills and found employment at an organization working for the prevention of HIV in trans women. The 2002 murder of Gwen Araujo spurred her further in her commitment to activism- for HIV prevention, immigration rights, and trans rights.

In 2009, Bamby founded the TransLatin@ Coalition, an organization made up of all Transgender Latina women whose mission is to “advocate for the specific needs of the Trans Latin@ community that resides in the USA and to plan strategies that improve our quality of life.” The Coalition provides a wide range of services, including a drop-in center, daily food distribution, immigration detention and incarceration support, leadership development, workforce development, ESL classes, a computer lab, and HR training. After the leaked Health and Human Services anti-trans memo made news, the Coalition unfurled a giant trans flag banner at a Dodgers game during the 2018 World Series, with a message reading “Trans People Deserve to Live.” Click for article 

                                                             Image from TransLatin@ Coalition website

Angels of Change is a project that Bamby has produced to support transgender youth services at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. It’s an annual calendar and non-competitive runway show that provides positive and fun representation for transgender and gender non conforming youth. 

Trans Lives Matter National Day of Action is another movement that Bamby had a hand in creating, to draw attention to the violence perpetrated against trans women, particularly trans women of color. The movement’s purpose is to create an agenda to make life better for trans women of color in the U.S. Video here

In 2014, Peruvian-born, Los Angeles based filmmaker Dante Alencastre released Transvisible: Bamby Salcedo’s Story. For screening info and to watch the trailer, click here.

Bamby Salcedo has participated in a 2012 White House panel for the Women and Girls National HIV/ AIDS Awareness Day, has spoken at conferences like the United States Conference on AIDS and The People of Color Conference, has been honored by GLAAD, ColorLines, OUT Magazine, and Lambda Legal, and is tirelessly striving to do more. You can read more about her at the links below. 

Other sources:

http://bambysalcedo.com/

https://www.translatinacoalition.org/

https://youtu.be/ZmknPTs5fLs

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Portrait of me by Professor Teenager