Staff

Jennicet Gutierrez (she/hers/ella)

Co-Executive Director

Jennicet Gutiérrez (she/hers/ella) is a transgender immigrant Latina from Tuxpan, Jalisco. She organizes nationally trans and queer Latinx and immigrant communities at the intersections of trans and queer rights, and migrant and racial justice. 

Francisco Cortes (he/him/él)

Co-Executive Director

Francisco Cortes is a queer Mexican immigrant from Philadelphia. For a decade, Francisco has passionately worked in LGBTQ youth development, HIV advocacy and immigrant rights work locally in Philadelphia and at the national level. Francisco is eager and energized to lead Familia:TQLM in our focus work. 

Mariella Saba (she/they)

Grassroots Leadership and Healing Justice Organizer 

Mariella Saba is grounded and moved by her roots from Palestine to Mexico. Born and raised in occupied Tongva land in Los Angeles, where they dedicate life to healing and organizing in a collective duty to our struggles for all life’s freedom, joy, love, dignity, justice, liberation y más.

Fighting to love queerly and freely and happy to begin their journey in motherhood with her two bebes. Mariella is the co-founder and abolition organizer with Stop LAPD Spying Coalition and Familia: Trans Queer Liberation Movement, among other grassroots-based organizations; co-lead, research organizer of Our Data Bodies Project.

Luz Canela (she/they)

Design and Creative Strategist 

Luz worked extensively to change the narrative of migrants, indigenous, formerly or currently incarcerated communities through organizing, storytelling and the arts in Arizona. They played a key role in the communications strategy and implementation for the campaign ‘Bazta Arpaio’ campaign that unseat the Joe Arpaio racist sheriff of Maricopa County in 2016.

 Luz also runs Grafica Canela, a collaborative space for them to work with healers, movement builders, artists and organizers through multimedia, illustrations and graphic design. They are currently Design & Creative Strategist for Familia TQLM since September 2020. 

Sol Jiménez Palacios (she/they)

Social Media and Narrative Creator 

Sol is a trans immigrant from Mexico City, a first-generation DACA recipient, and renowned makeup artist. They have coordinated local and national racial justice work, prioritizing transgender communities and Black trans women.They currently serve as the Social Media and Narrative Creator for Familia: Trans Queer Liberation Movement, working to end trans detention. Sol holds a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature from UC Berkeley.

Victoria Castro (she/her)

National Organizer 

Victoria Castro is an immigrant trans woman from Ahuachapán El Salvador, advocate for trans immigrants, HIV/COVID test counselor, specialist trainer in PrEP/HIV and renowned makeup artist. She has worked as a health educator, educating and empowering Salvadoran transgender people so that they have the tools to fight for fundamental human rights. She also arrived in the San Francisco CA in 2018 where she continued for 5 more years doing work as an health educator, program manager and other key roles and is part of many national movements for trans and queer Latinx and immigrant communities at the intersections of trans and queer rights, and migrant and racial justice. They currently serve as the Organizer for Familia: Trans Queer Liberation Movement, working to end trans detention.

Nghia X Nguyen (she/they/chi)

Organizer 

Nghia sashays the lines of intersectional identities such as woman, transgender, Vietnamese, refugee and she fights as a survivor, artist, and activist. She was born in Vietnam, raised in Southern California, and sharpened her political teeth in Portland, Oregon. She has organized many movements such as #ReclaimPride, #JusticeforRoxsana, #Fightfor15, #DisarmPSU, and many others. Nghia’s passion for art and creativity is embedded into her passion for justice, love, and compassion. She writes and acts to break the silence and chains that have been enforced on her community through colonization, sexism, racism, and transphobia. She is working to disrupt, dismantle and disarm oppressive structures for an equitable future.

Antonio Valenzuela (he/they)

Development and Operations Coordinator

Antonio joined Familia: TQLM in September 2022 as the Development and Operations Coordinator. They are based in Phoenix, AZ and call the Sonoran desert home. They envision a liberated future free of border imperialism, capitalism, the patriarchy, and climate catastrophe. In their free time they enjoy listening to new music, attending concerts, bike riding, and leaning into joy by traveling to cities with no set plan and finding new adventures each day.