El/La Para TransLatinas works to build a world where translatinas feel we deserve to protect, love and develop ourselves. We work to build collective vision and action to promote our survival and improve our quality of life in the San Francisco Bay Area. By building this base, we support each other in protecting ourselves against violence, abuse and illness. Because we exist in a world that fears and hates transgender people, women and immigrants, we fight for justice. We respond to those who see us as shameful, disposable or less than human. We are here to reflect the style and grace of our survival, and to make new paths for ourselves.
El/La Para TransLatinas started as a project of Proyecto ContraSIDA Por Vida in 1993 and in 2006 we became our own fiscally sponsored project. El/La was founded by queer, trans and lesbian Latino leaders in the community. Since 2016, we have been fiscally sponsored by Community Initiatives. We were the first translatina HIV prevention program in Northern California, and since our inception we have understood the intersectionality of oppressions and how these manifest as violence in the lives of translatina women.
After 29 years of providing direct services and expanding into community advocacy and activism, El/La is a trusted entity in our community. We fight for the rights of translatinas and believe that this fight has to be translatina-led. Currently, 5 of our 8 full-time staff members identify as translatina and the other 3 as queer (including our Executive Director), 5 of whom are former participants. We are the only translatina-led organization serving the community in the SF Bay Area.
