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# Trans activist Soraya Santiago dead at 73
- URL: https://www.scenemag.co.uk/trans-activist-soraya-santiago-dead-at-73/
- Published: 2020-10-05T10:11:43.000Z
- Updated: 2020-10-05T07:35:28.000Z
- Description: Puerto Rican trans activist Soraya Santiago has died at 73 due to cancer- she was the first person from Puerto Rico to undergo gender-reassignment surgery.
- Author: Rachel Badham
- Tags: News, Politics, LGBTQ, New York, Puerto Rico, Stonewall, Trans Rights

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/soraya-600-400.jpg)

Puerto Rican trans activist **Soraya Santiago** has died at 73 due to cancer. Santiago was the first person from **Puerto Rico** to undergo gender-reassignment surgery and change her birth certificate to align with her gender-identity. Although Santiago was not in the **Stonewall Inn** when the riots began, she was [known](https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/soraya-santiago-puerto-rico-lgbtq-icon-dies-73-73172831?ref=scenemag.co.uk) to spend time there and was well known among **New York** and Puerto Rico’s LGBTQ+ communities. She was also the first trans person to run for office in Puerto Rico and published a book titled *Made by Hand: Gender Dysmorphia*.

Trans activist **Ivana Fred** told **[The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the%5Famericas/soraya-santiago-puerto-rico-lgbtq-icon-dies-at-73/2020/09/22/62734f1e-fd00-11ea-b0e4-350e4e60cc91%5Fstory.html?ref=scenemag.co.uk)**: *“Soraya was a pioneer, our teacher, our beacon of light. She opened the door for all us trans people and left us a legacy of unwavering spirit that is unmatched”.* Many others have mourned her death, with one Twitter user [calling](https://twitter.com/search?q=soraya%20santiago&src=typed%5Fquery&ref=scenemag.co.uk) her a ‘trailblazer’ for trans rights. **The NOH8 Campaign**[ tweeted](https://twitter.com/NOH8Campaign/status/1310652719594573825?ref=scenemag.co.uk) ‘Rest In Power Soraya’.

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/trans-rights-are-human-rights-600-400.jpg)