Malva Solís

Malva Solís (1919–2015) was a pioneering Chilean-Argentinian transgender activist, known as "the matriarch of the trans community" She was a founder of the organization . Her photographs and papers, held in (Archive of Trans Memory), along with her autobiography, are invaluable sources for Argentina's LGBTQ+ history.

Biography Solís was born in 1919 in Chile.

During these years, the LGBTQ+ community would hold parties, where trans women would wear feminine clothing, including glamorous gowns. Solís, who also made costumes for theatrical productions, would often create or alter dresses and costumes for people who attended these parties, including herself. She took many photographs at these and other events, spanning the 1940s–1960s. These photos are now part of the Malva Solís collection in the , and are the oldest items in the archive.

The Malva Solís collection gives vital insight into Argentina's LGBTQ+ history, by showing the experiences of everyday life and moments of community, celebration, and joy. Thus, the collection acts as a counterpoint to other sources of information from the time period, which usually consist of official documentation such as police and medical reports, from authorities outside of, and usually hostile to, the community. She provided even more material of first-hand lived experience when she wrote her autobiography, Mi recordatorio.

Solís remained an activist and dissident throughout her life.