Thalía Álvarez

Thalía Álvarez Carvallo (1962–2011) was an Ecuadorian anthropologist and feminist activist. She was a member of organizations such as Proyecto Transgénero and Corporación Humanas Ecuador, and was co-founder of the latter. She was also one of the country's first openly lesbian women to be candidates for elected office.

After her death in 2011, her partner, activist Janneth Peña, successfully petitioned the Ecuadorian Institute of Social Security (Instituto Ecuatoriano de Seguridad Social; IESS) to grant her Álvarez's widow's pension benefits, marking a milestone for Ecuadorian same-sex couples.

Early life and career In 2002, Álvarez joined the organization Proyecto Transgénero, where she supported the creation of Casa Trans. Within the organization she was also a teacher of transfeminist activism. Specifically, Thalía Álvarez was an advisor to Assemblywoman María Augusta Calle on the workers' rights panel.

In August 2011, Peña made a request to the IESS for the montepío (worker's fund) and severance pension that was owed to her as the domestic partner of Álvarez. After a months-long process in which she received several refusals, on 14 December of that year, it was announced that Peña would receive these benefits, marking the first time in the history of the country that a same-sex couple received this recognition.