joana toro

DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHER

www.joanatoro.com

TransLATINAS Collaborative Portraits (ongoing)

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Location: Bogota - New York

Nationality: Colombian

Biography: Joana Toro Colombian is a self-taught photographer based in both New York City and Bogota, Colombia. Her work explores issues of immigration, human rights and identity and was featured on The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, World Press... MORE

"I am a mermaid. I am...land beaches in Brooklyn. 2021

"I am a mermaid. I am not afraid of the depths, but I greatly fear the surface life." write by Nayra Lee Berrios , mermaid trans from Puerto Rico.
She lives her fantasy of become a mermaid at Conny Island beaches in Brooklyn. 2021

Detail of the sea at Brooklyn Beach. 2021

Laura before her the operation...der reassignment surgery. 2016

Laura before her the operation of gender reassignment surgery. 2016

Laura Martinez is a famous per...der reassignment surgery. 2016

Laura Martinez is a famous performance and leader into the Latino L.GT.B.Q community in Queens. she is followed by many emerging drags and transgender people that want to be like her. Laura is waiting to get her operation of gender reassignment surgery. 2016

Laura poses during her recuper...tep in my life". 2018

Laura poses during her recuperation of the operation of gender reassignment surgery This process is delicate and painful she had more than a year to recover herself. "The most important step in my life". 2018

"Never doubt yourself...d trans from Puerto Rico. 2021

"Never doubt yourself. always fight for what you want, don't let anyone steal your voice" write by Nayra Lee Berrios mermaid trans from Puerto Rico. 2021

Laura poses after her operatio...s,” Laura said. 2018

Laura poses after her operation of gender reassignment surgery in her home.
She takes under her wing more than 40 Latina transgender immigrant woman that receives her last name, as a symbol of being into her family Martinez. many of them are alone in the city. "Many trans teens commit suicide or take drugs, or alcohol because of the lack of support of their original families,” Laura said. 2018

Lesly Herrera Castillo Mexican... I am a woman”. 2020

Lesly Herrera Castillo Mexican. "Since I can remember I feel that I am a woman. I don't need to be called transgender because I am a woman”. 2020

Lesly Herrera Castillo in her ... was leading with cancer. 2015

Lesly Herrera Castillo in her kitchen during the time when she was leading with cancer. 2015

Tiffany Mathieu has been worki...on Heights and Manhattan. 2016

Tiffany Mathieu has been working for years with Latino Queer communities organizations that support Transgender people in Jackson Heights and Manhattan. 2016

Lesly Herrera at Brooklyn beac...roving family atmosphere. 2020

Lesly Herrera at Brooklyn beach is posing for a portrait.
She tells of her childhood in Mexico. At the age of 17, she left home to live in Mexico City where she had a difficult time. Lesly then decided to migrate to USA to escape a life of sexual harassment, police abuse and a disapproving family atmosphere. 2020

Juni Estudillo, Mexican, at th... was to be a trans woman. 2016

Juni Estudillo, Mexican, at the age of 18 she decided to tell her parents she was gay and started having romantic relationships with men, but she never
bonded.
She had never heard of trans women. It was her brother who shared with her some videos about trans woman in Mexico, and it was then she began to learn about what it was to be a trans woman. 2016

Juni: “I currently a...and my family.” 2016

Juni: “I currently avoid going to church when there’s people or celebrations, not because I’m antisocial, but because many people at church judge me. I prefer to go and connect with God alone. I go every Friday in the afternoon, right after receiving my paycheck as a kitchen helper in a restaurant, to give thanks for my health, my job, my studies as fashion designer and my family.” 2016

Jessica Guaman (Tamia) in her ...her always supported her. 2015

Jessica Guaman (Tamia) in her home in JacksonHeights, Queens, NY. she is an Ecuadorian trans woman living in the USA for the last two decades. At 17, she decided to transform her body taking hormones, Jessica describes this process as extremely difficult due to lack of education for undocumented LGTB persons. Her mother always supported her. 2015

Lisa Mendez a Trans woman who ... are valuable person"

Lisa Mendez a Trans woman who also work as Uber driver talks about her feelings regarding to her resilience as Translatina. 2021

“Not just one more human being in this world. I am a person with dreams and virtues. Who fights every day to survive. I am a Trans Woman, I am someone who has feelings and good principles. Although my exterior tells me the opposite, inside of me there is a woman who is reflected inside to herself outside, loving every human being equally regardless of her sex, race or color. Remember if you are experiencing abuse, verbal or physical, I want to tell you to never allow anyone to minimize you and above all we have a creator who loves us. And ask him for everything you want and want from your heart and never lose faith. Remember Trans Woman, you and I are valuable person"

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Thumbnail of "I am a mermaid. I am _sland beaches in Brooklyn. 2021

Thumbnail of Detail of the sea at Brooklyn Beach. 2021

Thumbnail of Laura before her the operation _nder reassignment surgery. 2016

Thumbnail of Laura Martinez is a famous perf_nder reassignment surgery. 2016

Thumbnail of Laura poses during her recupera_step in my life". 2018

Thumbnail of "Never doubt yourself._id trans from Puerto Rico. 2021

Thumbnail of Laura poses after her operation_es,” Laura said. 2018

Thumbnail of Lesly Herrera Castillo Mexican._e I am a woman”. 2020

Thumbnail of Lesly Herrera Castillo in her k_e was leading with cancer. 2015

Thumbnail of Tiffany Mathieu has been workin_son Heights and Manhattan. 2016

Thumbnail of Lesly Herrera at Brooklyn beach_proving family atmosphere. 2020

Thumbnail of Juni Estudillo, Mexican, at the_t was to be a trans woman. 2016

Thumbnail of Juni: “I currently av_ and my family.” 2016

Thumbnail of Jessica Guaman (Tamia) in her h_ther always supported her. 2015

Thumbnail of Lisa Mendez a Trans woman who a_I are valuable person"

Public Story

TransLATINAS Collaborative Portraits (ongoing)

Copyright joana toro 2024

Updated Jan 2022

Topics Beauty, Community, Documentary, Editorial, Fine Art, Gay, Gay Rights, Gender, Happiness, HIV/AIDS, Hope, Human Rights, Immigration, Photography, Photojournalism, Spotlight

TransLATINAS Collaborative Portraits (2015- )

Serie of collaborative portraits of transgender Latina immigrant from Central and South America living in New York City as they face discrimination and cope with the psychological consequences of their personal histories of sexual violence, and discrimination. These images are an allegory to the fantasies and challenges of each transgender woman who participates in the project.

TransLatinas document these women emphasizes portraying them as strong and resilient women, worthy of respect, rather than simply as victims deserving of pity.

Exhibit at Museum of the City of New York as part of “New York Now: Home, exhibition open to the public until August 27 2023.

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joana toro

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coca eradicators in Colombia

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Sports: Handball- NYC

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HACIENDA NAPOLES

TransLatinx Resilience against Covid-19

Celebrations

Amazon river dolphin

Clients

Where is Mickey? Covid-19

Samples of Book

GIFT's

Hello I am Kitty

Masked.

DACA Activists of New York

Dressing Room

Colombia on My Mind

Nasa: Ancient Warriors

Midwives of Buenaventura

Flesh and Rocks