Alejandra Menjívar Guadrón (born 1985)[1] is a Salvadoran politician and LGBTQ rights activist. In 2021, she ran for the Central American Parliament, becoming the first transgender person to run for elected office in El Salvador's history.[2][3]
Alejandra Menjívar | |
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 Menjívar in 2021 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1985 (age 40–41) Santa Ana, El Salvador |
| Party | FMLN |
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| Occupation |
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Biography
editBorn in 1985 in Santa Ana, El Salvador, Menjívar was raised by her mother and grandmother after her father was killed in action during the Salvadoran Civil War.[1]
Between 2006 and 2008, she started to be involved with the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) party.[1]
She studied at the Central American School of LGBTQ Leadership of the Victory Institute in 2016 and at the University of El Salvador, where she studied sociology.[2]
Menjívar joined the FMLN in 2008 and in 2020 became the party's National Secretary for Sexual and Gender Diversity. She was also involved with organizations such as the Positive Youth Network and the Aspidh Arcoíris Trans Association. She participated in the process of creating the government agenda of former President Mauricio Funes.[2][4][5][3]
For the 2021 legislative and municipal elections, she ran as a candidate for the Central American Parliament for the FMLN, thus becoming the first Salvadoran trans person to run for elected office. During the campaign, she expressed support for issues such as a gender identity law, the decriminalization of abortion, same-sex marriage, and the rights of migrants and Afro-Salvadorans.[2][6][7]
In June 2021, Menjívar was kidnapped while in Mexico and reappeared a few days later. She also announced that she had suffered violence during her abduction and that she would seek political asylum in Mexico, given the threats and attacks she had suffered in El Salvador.[8][9][10][11] After that, she migrated to Canada.[1]
Views
editMenjívar is a critic of the government of President Nayib Bukele. She is also an activist for LGBTQ rights, women's rights, rights of people with HIV, sexual and reproductive rights, environmental rights, and trade union rights.[1]
Personal life
editShe is also nicknamed Aleja.[1]
References
edit- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Alejandra Menjívar, la mujer trans que desafió al sistema electoral salvadoreño". Agencia Ocote. 22 May 2025. Archived from the original on 25 April 2026. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Moreno, Karen (24 February 2021). "Los claroscuros de la histórica candidatura trans de Alejandra Menjívar". Gato Encerrado (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 28 February 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
- 1 2 "La candidata trans Alejandra Menjívar se convierte en un hito de la política en El Salvador". La Prensa Gráfica (in Spanish). 28 February 2021. Archived from the original on 1 March 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
- ↑ Luna, Stanley (26 January 2021). "Histórico: una mujer trans y un hombre gay aspiran a convertirse en diputadxs en El Salvador". Agencia Presentes (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 26 February 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
- ↑ Nájera, Gerson (7 January 2021). "«Cualquier persona de la diversidad sexual que participa en estas elecciones merece respeto»". Revista Factum (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 27 November 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
- ↑ "Candidata salvadoreña LGTBI presenta propuestas encaminadas a respeto de DDHH". Swissinfo (in Spanish). 9 February 2021. Archived from the original on 7 April 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
- ↑ Lavers, Michael (21 August 2021). "Mujer trans de El Salvador competirá para el PARLACEN". Los Angeles Blade (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 14 January 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
- ↑ ""Digámoslo claro: estamos expuestas al abuso sexual", el relato de la política trans salvadoreña desaparecida durante días en México". Infobae (in Spanish). 24 June 2021. Archived from the original on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
- ↑ "Encuentran a la candidata trans salvadoreña desaparecida por horas en México". Swissinfo (in Spanish). 22 June 2021. Archived from the original on 7 April 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
- ↑ Ernst, Jeff (25 June 2021). "Trans Woman Fled Persecution to Mexico — Where She Was Assaulted". Vice. Archived from the original on 5 March 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
- ↑ Espinoza, Claudia (24 June 2021). "Excandidata al Parlacen, Alejandra Menjívar, pedirá refugio en México". La Prensa Gráfica (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 4 July 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2024.