Conversations with Jia Miramontes

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jia Miramontes

Hi Jia, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I have been an advocate for the well-being of the TGI (Trans/Gender-Nonbinary/Intersex) community for the past 25 years. Directing public engagement through outreach, such as health fairs and agency-based gatherings, I’ve urged for progressive & inclusive change in policies for TGI identities, proper Gender Affirming & trauma informed care, and uplifting capacity building projects focused on risk & harm reduction. At second grade, I was able to portray Cinderella in a school play. My expression of gender has always been fluid, however, I learned from a very young age the differences in which people will treat you based off of how they perceive your gender. Unfortunately, that also meant I was exposed to predatory behavior from a young age. As a teenager, my civic work in began in the late 90’s volunteering for foundations that help discover artistic outlets, coping skills, and storytelling to increase awareness of intersectional experiences by queer folks of colour. After trying to deny my gender identity throughout high School, I began to truly go through a gender journey in college and performing in several dance companies. It was during this period that I began dancing as a showgirl, engaged in survival work and became homeless. These experiences allowed me to truly connect with a chosen family and led to work in community advocacy. My work evolved into health education and fundraising for programs that supplement the lives of individuals who live with STI’s & Diseases and caregiving for adults facing Alzheimer’s conditions. I would later focus on child development within foster care systems, advocating in child social studies and enabling the advance of strategies, priorities, and direction for youth decarceration initiatives that increased alternatives to incarceration for justice-involved youth. While encompassed in reentry services for community impacted by incarceration, I provided evidence-based psychosocial support, medical literacy education, and skills building facilitation to people through case management with a concentration on reducing recidivism and addressing the influence of the street economy and survival work of LGBTQIA2-S persons. Over grassroot and system change efforts of social justice organization, I chair the transgender service provider Network (TSPN) with agencies so that TGI communities can: resist oppression, develop responses to violence, heal from present & historical trauma, and provide appropriate resources for mental, physical, and social wellness. With coordination and collaborative management from the LA City Mayor and the City Council’s Human Relations Commission, I have assisted in research and evaluation of protocols, best practices, policy issues, pending legislation, regulations, and potential funding sources to advise and analyze department services and made recommendations for negotiating with state or federal agencies to obtain grant funds and to justify the expenditure of funds for TGI residents. Furthermore, with periodic training in first aid, phlebotomy, and CPR, I collaborated with a Women’s Health Programs and Innovation (WHPI) team in the creation of education content materials. I stay committed to promoting a strategic framework for safe gender affirming workplace environments via workshops and identity diversity training for HR staff of employers and clinical settings. I’ve worked to enhance TGI care-first service delivery and classification navigation, accountability, and improvement with systemic partners, including the County’s Office of Public Defender, District Attorney, Probation, LAPD, LASD, DOJ, DPSS, DHS and LAUSD. Currently, I arrange for reflection of analysis of the gaps, disparities, and opportunities of TGI people in LA County by conducting behavioral surveillance projects via Dept of Public Health (DPH). The sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) data that I assist in generating through the Division of HIV & STI programs (DHSP) under DPH provides relationship-based contracts and project management to facilitate capacity-building, shared learning, and cooperation with relevant program interventions, institutions, public, policymakers, data users and community-based organizations (CBOs). This work is often stressful and challenges my capacity, however, I am grateful for my outlets in tennis and singing with the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles (TCLA).

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No. There are challenges at every turn. For every step forward in progress, there is often several lateral and even steps backwards. Even with this recent administration, once the election was over it seemed like everyone’s mask of tolerance came off and the micro aggressions returned. What seemed like healthy and safe work environments are now places of stress where professional decorum cannot be relied upon. Decades worth of work and advocacy has been stripped away. And yeah, we will continue to work in March strategize and organize. But my community is tired and quite frankly, younger generation simply don’t have the callused thick skin that formative years of oppression can build. With the setbacks, experiences of self-harm, houselessness, survival work and financial insecurity may once again be the norm in our community.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I feel like I’ve spoke to much of my work and would like to share a little bit of my artistry. I come from a family of singers actors and dancers and was determined to be a triple threat from a young age. Being an actor, I was able to navigate so many spaces in which I prioritized my safety depending on what gender people perceive me to be. As a dancer, I feel like I was able to mimic gender expression quite easily. As a singer, I was able to play with my tones and inflections that garnered respect in various environments. Unfortunately, because my gender journey, being a professional female dancer was very difficult as I never truly cared to transition physically. Shows in Vegas and auditions for Disney were really discouraging as they often simply look for bodies that can fit into pre-made costumes. And back in the day, most acting roles for community were as sex workers or drag queens. Today, I’m most proud of the way I can express my voice through the TCLA and from time to time I’m allowed to choreograph for them as well.

What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Adaptability, code switching and a thick skin. Without these, I do not feel I would be able to do what I do today or have survived what I have.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://transchorusla.org/
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/gialibra
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TSPNLA?mibextid=ZbWKwL
• Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4AD9A8DEB953500C&feature=mh_lolz