The title specifies casa (house). That word is important. For many trans people, especially in conservative Spanish-speaking cultures, the family home is often the site of rejection. The phrase “Mi casa es tu casa” (My house is your house) can feel like a fantasy.
Thank you to the women of 2021 who opened their doors, turned on a camera, and said, "You are safe here." Have a memory of a safe space from that era? Share it in the comments below. ¿Y tú? ¿Dónde encontraste tu casa?
So, here is my call to you: If you have a friend whose home feels like a sanctuary, tell them. If you have a grainy video or a blurry photo from 2021 that makes you smile, save it. That is your history. That is your flag.
Professional media often tells trans stories through a lens of tragedy or transition timelines. But amateur media—the stuff we make for each other—tells the truth: that being a trans woman in 2021 often meant laughing until you cried in a friend’s messy bedroom. It meant teaching each other makeup tricks using a phone camera and a $2 eyeshadow palette. En Casa De Mi Amiga Trans -Spanish Amateur 2021...
There are certain memories that feel like a warm room you can step back into whenever life gets cold. For me, one of those memories is pinned to a specific, grainy screenshot from the summer of 2021: En Casa De Mi Amiga Trans .
We spend a lot of time looking for representation in boardrooms and award shows. But the real representation—the kind that saves lives—has always been amateur. It has always been en casa de mi amiga .
It was amateur. And thank God for that.
October 12, 2023 Category: Personal Essays / Cultural Reflection
But the lesson of En Casa De Mi Amiga Trans remains: It is built in bad lighting and borrowed clothes. It is built in the houses of friends who see you completely.
As we move further into 2023 and beyond, the landscape has shifted again. Some of us have lost friends we made in those digital rooms. Some of us have moved into our own apartments where we can finally close the door. The title specifies casa (house)
I revisited this memory recently because a younger trans woman asked me, "What was it like back then?" I didn’t have a political answer. I told her about the 2021 video.
But in her house? The friend’s house?
Finding Friendship and Freedom: Reflections on “En Casa De Mi Amiga Trans” (Spanish Amateur, 2021) The phrase “Mi casa es tu casa” (My
