Javiera Arnillas

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

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.

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.

In 2016, she decided to undergo physical transition. 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. The PUCP student organisation that got the University Council to agree to allow transgender students to use their chosen names—rather than their surnames.

Career Film director Wesley Verástegui proposed in 2017 for Arnillas to star in the film, Sin vagina, me marginan. 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. This allowed her to represent Peru in the Miss International Queen 2021 competition, which took place in Thailand in 2022. She starred in the film Un romance singular, which was released in 2022.

Filmography Un romance singular''