Javiera Arnillas

Javiera Arnillas
Arnillas in 2022
Born
Javiera Alejandra Arnillas Cartagena

1995 (age 29–30)
Chincha Alta, Ica, Peru
CitizenshipSpanish and Peruvian
Alma materPontifical Catholic University of Peru
Occupations
  • Actress
  • model
  • activist
Notable workFilmography
Awardssee here

Javiera Alejandra Arnillas Cartagena (born 1995) is a Peruvian actress, model and Afro-Peruvian trans activist.[1]

Early life and education

Born as Javier in Chincha Alta, she went to Lima in 1996 with her brother and lived at her uncle's home in Jesús María.[2] It was there that she spent her childhood until 2002, when she moved to Spain for a year with her family. Upon their return, they all settled in Lima, where she continues to attend the San Felipe school, housed in the same-named residential community.[3]

Despite initial confusion and concerns about her appearance, she felt a strong sexual and physical attraction to her peers, which affirmed her desire to appear completely feminine. Although her family was hesitant at first due to fears of public rejection and violence, they supported her throughout her journey. Arnillas never considered changing her name, feeling content with being called "Javi," and aspired to afford genital reassignment surgery in Thailand.[2]

In 2016, she decided to undergo physical transtion. Subsequently, she started an endocrinologist-recommended hormonal therapy that prevented the production of testosterone and started estrogen. She avoided discussing surgical procedures, her love life, nor the name that appears on her passport or ID to this day. She feels that sharing such knowledge would not help communication.[3]

She attends the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru's (PUCP) Faculty of Performing Arts, which was the first university to formally acknowledge the freedom to gender identification. This came about as a result of her involvement in the Reforma Trans campaign, which called for the government to recognise transgender students' identities.[4] The PUCP student organisation that got the University Council to agree to allow transgender students to use their chosen names—rather than their surnames.[3][5]

Career

Film director Wesley Verástegui proposed in 2017 for Arnillas to star in the film, Sin vagina, me marginan.[6][2] She agreed to play "Barbie," the lead character in the film alongside transgender activist singer Marina Kapoor.[2] She also applied to be a model for the 2018 Lima Fashion Week (LifWeek), which took place from 23 to 27 October 2017.[2]

Arnillas later appeared in the cast of El niño que no quería matar in 2020. She was a model and beauty queen who competed in the Miss International Queen Perú pageant in 2020.[7] As an activist, she has supported a change.org petition calling for the Peruvian Congress to discuss a gender identification bill that the legislative body's Family Commission proposed in March 2021.[8] This allowed her to represent Peru in the Miss International Queen 2021 competition,[9] which took place in Thailand in 2022.[10][11] She starred in the film Un romance singular, which was released in 2022.[12]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
2017 Sin vagina, me marginan Barbie[6]
2018 Con amor, Ivana
2020 El niño que no quería matar
2022 Un romance singular Kimberly[12]
The Truth of Xanaxtasia

Awards and recognitions

  • Miss International Queen Perú (2020)
Award Year Category Nominated work Result
Luces Awards 2023 Best Actress[13] Un romance singular Nominated

References

  1. ^ Quesada, Isabel Miró (28 June 2018). "El talento no tiene género: una conversación con Javiera Arnillas". COSAS.PE (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e Seguido, Punto (3 October 2017). "Javiera Arnillas, una chica trans preparada para hacer historia | Punto Seguido - UPC". puntoseguido.upc.edu.pe (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Machuca Castillo, Gabriela (8 March 2019). "La historia de Javiera, la alumna trans que se siente reconocida por la PUCP". El Comercio (in Spanish). ISSN 1605-3052. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  4. ^ Flores, Ana (9 April 2021). "6 activistas afrolatinas LGBT+ que debes conocer". Homosensual (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  5. ^ "PUCP: estudiantes transgénero ya usan nombre que desean en carnet institucional [FOTO]". El Popular (in Spanish). 3 March 2019. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Diversidad sexual en el cine peruano: miradas, personajes y estereotipos". Cinencuentro (in Spanish). 11 March 2015. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  7. ^ ""Tú te convertirás en esta mujer de 25 años": MODELO TRANS escribe CARTA a su "YO" del PASADO". sdpnoticias (in Spanish). 10 March 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  8. ^ "Comisión de Familia aprueba dictamen que propone una ley de identidad de género nndc | PERU". Gestión (in Spanish). 29 March 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  9. ^ "Dünya trans kadın güzellik yarışması düzenlendi". www.ntv.com.tr (in Turkish). 28 June 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  10. ^ "Javiera Arnillas viajó a Tailandia para el Miss International Queen: "Vamos por esa corona"". La República (in Spanish). 12 June 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  11. ^ "Pictures from Miss International Queen 2022 Transgender Beauty Pageant in Pattaya, Thailand". Travel News Asia. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  12. ^ a b "Un romance singular: comedia peruana con Javiera Arnillas anuncia estreno en cines". La República (in Spanish). 9 January 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  13. ^ Redacción EC (26 February 2023). "Premios Luces 2022: hoy es el último día para votar por tus favoritos en el premio de El Comercio". El Comercio (in Spanish). ISSN 1605-3052. Retrieved 10 July 2024.