Joanna Cifredo is a trailblazing transgender human rights activist from Bayamón, Puerto Rico. Joanna’s work has spanned grassroots advocacy, public policy, and organizing transformational events like La Caminata Por La Equidad (The Walk for Equity). As the (former) Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Transgender Wellness Center, Joanna is a leading force in the fight for transgender rights in Puerto Rico.
As a beauty queen, she represented Puerto Rico at Miss International Trans in Panama and most recently at Miss Star International in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Joanna’s journey began as a young transgender teen in Central Florida advocating for her healthcare needs and has since led her to testify before the U.S. Congress at just 27 years old. Beyond her activism and leadership, Joanna’s story is one of resilience, empowerment, and inspiration.
Monika: As a transgender woman myself, I’m deeply inspired by your courage and determination. Joanna, thank you for being here!
Joanna: Thank you for having me.
Monika: You’ve accomplished so much as an activist, beauty queen, and community leader. Do you even have time to sleep? How do you balance your work with your private life?
Joanna: It’s not easy finding balance. I have to admit that about a year and a half ago I burned out and had to take a step back from advocacy because it was negatively affecting my mental and physical health, as well as my personal life. I had placed so much pressure on myself that I had to realize that it wasn’t sustainable. This was part of the reason I chose to compete in Miss International Trans. Being in a beauty pageant obligated me to focus on my physical, mental, and spiritual health.
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| "I spoke about the dehumanization of transgender women by people in the media and elected officials." |
Monika: Girl, testifying before Congress at 27? That’s an incredible milestone! What was that experience like? Was it super stressful being on such a big stage?
Joanna: It was intimidating. At the time, I had just started working as a Policy Analyst for Racial & Economic Justice with the National Center for Transgender Equality. The hearing was on the violence against transgender women and took place a couple of days before the annual Trans Day of Remembrance. I spoke about the dehumanization of transgender women by people in the media and elected officials. I called for the approval of the Equality Act, a piece of legislation that would seek to protect LGBTQ folks in the areas of:
- Employment – Expanding protections under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
- Housing – Ensuring equal access to housing and prohibiting discrimination.
- Education – Protecting students from discrimination in schools and federally funded programs. Credit – Prohibiting discrimination in lending and financial services.
- Jury Service – Preventing discrimination in jury selection.
- Federal Funding – Ensuring that federally funded programs cannot discriminate against LGBTQ.
- Public Accommodations – Expands protections to prevent discrimination in businesses and services open to the public, such as retail stores, restaurants, hotels, transportation services, healthcare providers, and shelters.
Essentially, it would amend existing civil rights laws to explicitly include sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes.
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| "I feel a sense of responsibility to those who came before me." |
Joanna: I recognize that my story and therefore my life is only possible because of the advocacy of countless men and women who came before me who fought and in many cases gave their lives to create a world in which a story like mine could even be possible. Therefore, I feel a sense of responsibility to those who came before me and those who will come after me to do everything in my power with my time here on this earth to open up the world of possibilities for the generations to come.
Monika: Many of us live as wives, mothers, and daughters, trying to leave our past behind. You’ve chosen to be an advocate for transgender rights and speak out about our positive image in society. Have you ever felt the temptation to stay in the closet, to live simply as a woman rather than a transgender woman?
Monika: Many of us live as wives, mothers, and daughters, trying to leave our past behind. You’ve chosen to be an advocate for transgender rights and speak out about our positive image in society. Have you ever felt the temptation to stay in the closet, to live simply as a woman rather than a transgender woman?
Joanna: All the time! I sometimes joke with my friends that if I ever remarry I’m going to change my last name, adopt and move to another country, and simply be a wife, mother, and school teacher and not tell anyone about my past. Who knows I might still do that at some point.
Monika: You’re also a beauty queen! What inspired you to represent Puerto Rico at Miss International Trans and Miss Star International? I’m always curious - how much preparation goes into getting ready for a competition like this?
Joanna: There were a few reasons why I chose to compete. As I stated before it's a platform for your personal and professional development, one in which I was required to make myself the priority. I also saw it as a wonderful opportunity to get to know amazing empowered trans women from all over the world. In terms of advocacy, I also saw it as an important platform that allowed me the chance to speak out about the issues transgender people were facing in my country and highlight the work I had been doing to address those issues.
In terms of preparation, I took it as a challenge to myself to get into the best shape of my life and as someone who grew up being punished for being feminine, I took it as an opportunity to embrace my femininity. Coming from a country that loves pageantry I had a wonderful team who supported me. I had a spa sponsor me with free body and facial treatments, and my dentist sponsored my Invisalign. I had a trainer, runway coach, and speech therapist who helped me get ready for the interview questions and helped me to learn how to project confidence while speaking. The best part of it all was knowing I had a team that was willing to invest their time and resources simply because they believed in me and wanted me to represent our country well.
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| "Coming from a country that loves pageantry I had a wonderful team who supported me." |
Joanna: Actually yes, when I competed in Miss Star International this past December in Brazil, while I was sitting backstage talking to Miss Costa Rica and Miss Thailand we heard them say “Puerto Rico” over the microphone and Miss Thailand said, “That’s you!”. I proceeded to walk on stage thinking that they were announcing the top 10 after walking out and modeling was when I realized that they were announcing the host country for next year’s competition.
The Director of the pageant who had a thick Portuguese accent then proceeded to ask me how I felt that the following year’s competition was going to be in my country but I didn’t understand anything so I simply thanked all the people back home for supporting me. It was embarrassing, to say the least. I look back at that moment and can’t help but laugh.
Monika: When I was much younger and a little lighter, I always dreamt about taking part in a pageant, but I never had the courage. As a transgender woman, I sometimes feel like I’m my own biggest critic when it comes to my beauty. I assume this might be something other girls experience too. How do you tackle this challenge?
Joanna: I think this is true for cis women as well. We are our worst critic. One time, a friend asked me “Do you not believe that you are beautiful?” I replied, “I think I’m attractive with the capacity to be beautiful when I desire.” If beauty is a social construct that means we can construct it. During Miss Star International I said to my roommate, Miss Paraguay “Ugh, it's hard being a woman” She replied “It's not hard being a woman, it’s hard being pretty” which is true, to be considered beautiful by our western beauty standards requires investing a large amount of time, effort and resources.
I often get asked to do media interviews with little advance notice because they want me to respond to something that happened. Over time, I’ve had to learn how to make myself look pretty with as minimal effort as possible. Sometimes that means pulling my hair back into a sleek bun and focusing on my energy making sure my makeup looks good. I’ve also learned how to be an ally to myself instead of my own worst enemy. We have to learn to speak to ourselves how we would want others to speak to us.
Monika: We all know the journey to being our true selves comes with a heavy price. Like, losing friends, family, jobs, and all that. I must say I am one of them. Did you have to pay a heavy price for being you? What was the toughest part of your coming out?
Joanna: I did initially, back when I transitioned my mother was extremely conservative. She has since evolved into a much more progressive woman because it’s been about two decades since I began my transition then I had to leave home. I lost jobs and housing, and at one point I was living in my car as a homeless teenager. But the hardest part was always learning to accept myself. I grew up in a very religious household and prayed for God to cure me every night. At the time, I didn’t know trans people even existed. I knew I liked boys and I felt like I was a girl on the inside, whatever that means but I didn’t have a language. All I knew was that whatever I was feeling was a sin and that I was an abomination for simply feeling the way I did, so I prayed and when that didn’t work my thoughts would often get dark.
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| "We have to learn to speak to ourselves how we would want others to speak to us." |
Monika: Do you remember the first time you saw a trans woman on TV or met one in real life that helped you realize, “That’s me!”?
Joanna: I do actually! I was 13 years old and was the first to arrive home from school. I turned on the television and on the screen was Erica Andrews, this gorgeous trans Latina beauty queen. The show was the Maury Polvich show and this God-awful episode titled “Man or Woman, You Decide” every member in the audience had a sign that read on one side man, and on the other side woman. They brought out trans women and cis women who probably worked on the show who they would try to butch up as to confuse the audience. At the time, I didn’t realize the problematic nature of the show, I was too struck by Erica’s beauty as she revealed that she was “born a boy” to realize how she was being exploited. That was when I first found out that trans women existed and that it was possible to be a woman of my own creation.
Five years later, I found out Erica was coming to my town to perform at the local gay club. I had only been on hormones for six months and had chin-length hair. After watching her perform I ran up to her and was like “Oh Erica, I love you so much. I just started hormones a couple of months ago. I wanna be like you when I grow up.” She caressed my face with the back of her hand and said “Oh hunnie, you’re gonna be gorgeous.” I’ll never forget the tenderness in which she said that. I knew that she saw me. That moment has always stuck with me even now 20 years later I get choked up just thinking about it because it taught me the power of representation.
Monika: How did you choose the name Joanna? Is there a story behind it?
Joanna: When I was in high school there was no LGBTQ student groups. However, the one safe space on campus was my high school Spanish teacher's classroom. Her name was Johanna Lopez she always had my back and supported me. She actually graduated from the university I now attend and was the one who wrote me my letter of recommendation.
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| "I hover between bohemian and elegant fashion." |
Monika: I remember trying to copy my mom and sister’s style when I was younger, and my friends used to joke that I was trying to be this perfect woman who didn’t even exist. Did you go through something similar
Joanna: I spent the bulk of my transition living in Washington DC during Obama’s first term at the height of the Mad Men frenzy so my style has always been a little bit conservative, retro, and preppy. I’ve always preferred sheath dresses and A-line skirts that reach my knees. I have often been told that I dress older than my age but it’s what was popular at the time and I’ve just stuck with it.
END OF PART 1
All photos: courtesy of Joanna Cifredo.
© 2025 - Monika Kowalska
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