What does survival look like when the system is stacked against you from birth? For Kenya Cuevas, it meant turning trauma into activism, pain into purpose, and injustice into collective action.
This Pride Month, we center Kenya’s journey not as a tale of tragedy, but as a story of resistance, rebirth, and radical care. From the streets of Mexico City to international recognition, Kenya has become one of Mexico’s loudest voices for the trans community. Let’s talk about her story and what it can teach us about resilience, justice, and the right of every trans person to live with safety, visibility, and pride.
From Abandonment to the Streets: A Childhood Cut Short
From Abandonment to the Streets: A Childhood Cut ShortKenya Cuevas was born in Mexico City in 1973 and raised by her grandmother after being abandoned by both parents. By age 9, she had lost her primary caretaker and was left in an abusive household, eventually fleeing to the streets of Centro Histórico.
There, she met her first trans role models: women who introduced her to the world of sex work and helped her claim her gender identity. But what followed was not freedom. By the age of 9, she was surviving through sexual exploitation, drug use, and extreme marginalization. At 13, she was diagnosed with HIV. Kenya spent over a decade unhoused, criminalized, and silenced, embodying the brutal reality that so many trans girls and women in Latin America face.
Injustice Has a Name: The Murder of Paola Buenrostro
Injustice Has a Name: The Murder of Paola BuenrostroEverything changed in 2016. Kenya witnessed the murder of her close friend and fellow sex worker, Paola Buenrostro, shot at close range in a car. Despite seeing the killer with the weapon in hand, Kenya’s testimony was dismissed by authorities, calling her a “curious” instead of a witness. Unfortunately, the killer was set free.
The system not only failed to protect them; it erased them. But Kenya didn’t stay silent.
Building a Safety Net Where the State Won’t
Building a Safety Net Where the State Won’tIn memory of Paola, Kenya founded Casa de las Muñecas Tiresias in 2018, a community-led organization offering legal, health, and housing support to trans women, especially those coming from incarceration, street situations, or sex work. In 2019, she opened Casa Hogar Paola Buenrostro, the first shelter for trans women in Mexico.
Today, her organization continues to offer dignified support to those the state continues to neglect, resist police violence, and advocate for legal recognition of transfeminicide as a specific crime.
Changing the System from the Inside
Changing the System from the InsideKenya’s advocacy has opened doors thought to be permanently closed. She helped promote the “Ley Paola Buenrostro”, aimed at classifying transfeminicide under Mexico City’s legal code. She also secured the first sentence with a trans-inclusive lens in the 2022 case of Naomi Nicole’s murder.
In 2023, she founded the first mausoleum for trans and LGBTQ+ people in Mexico City’s San Lorenzo Tezonco cemetery, a radical act of visibility in both life and death.
International Recognition, Local Impact
International Recognition, Local ImpactKenya has received over 200 awards for her human rights work. From being named one of Forbes Mexico’s “100 Most Powerful Women” to winning the Premio Maguey at the Guadalajara Film Festival, she continues to force the public, and policy makers, to confront the violence that Mexico’s trans population endures.
Her message is clear:
“Mi venganza será que seamos felices.”
– My revenge will be our happiness.
Why Kenya’s Story Matters
Mexico ranks second globally in trans hate crimes. And within that terrifying statistic, most victims are trans women involved in sex work. Kenya Cuevas is not just a survivor, she is a blueprint for resistance. Her life exposes a system designed to disappear people like her, and her activism demands that we all do better.
By honoring Kenya’s work, we also commit to lifting up the names of Paola Buenrostro, Naomi Nicole, and every trans life taken too soon.
Ready to Walk the Streets Where Resistance Was Born?
Discover stories like Kenya Cuevas by joining MxCity for the Girls, Gays, and They’s, the walking tour where we don’t just talk history, we trace its footsteps.
Let’s honor our community, and uplift the legacies that Mexico can’t afford to forget.
Reserve your spot now and experience the city through its most powerful voices.
Book here!