Gloria Álvez Mariño

Gloria Álvez Mariño (15 September 1943 – 30 May 2021) was a Uruguayan trans rights activist. She was a founder of the Travesti Organizing Table (MCT) (Spanish: Mesa Coordinadora de Travestis), which later became Trans Association of Uruguay (ATRU) (Spanish: Asociación Trans del Uruguay). Mariño was also the president and secretary of ATRU.

Biography

Early life and oppression Mariño was born in Salto, Uruguay on 15 September 1943. In 1954, she was treated as a guinea pig for doctors attempting conversion therapy and was given electric shocks. Due to this violence, she left Salto and moved to Montevideo at age 17, where she eventually joined the sex industry. For example, she distributed condoms to people, particularly trans women sex workers. The chant of the 2021 March for Diversity by Cotidiano Mujer remembers Mariño, stating: Hoy en particular, marchamos y recordamos a Gloria Alvez Mariño, compañera entrañable de ATRU fallecida este año. Referente nacional e internacional de la lucha por la diversidad sexual y por los derechos de las personas trans. Hasta siempre Gloria!!!

Today in particular, we march and remember Gloria Alvez Mariño, a dear companion of ATRU who died this year. She is a national and international reference in the fight for sexual diversity and for the rights of trans people. Godspeed Gloria!!!Collette Spinetti, the director of the Trans Collective of Uruguay, wrote that "Perder la memoria de Gloria sería perder la historia del movimiento trans" (English: "To lose the memory of Gloria would be to lose the history of the trans movement"). She was honored by Ana Olivera to Uruguayan representatives.