The Connie Norman Empowerment Center opened its doors in September 2021 and Queen Victoria Elizabeth Ortega, a longtime transgender activist and all around trailblazer for all things LGBTQ+ community fighting for equality for trans people was there to kick it off with a bang. 

“I’m focused on empowerment, meaning building the capacity of the Trans community to draw down funds, to be able to be sustainable and to share knowledge,” Queen Victoria told LATV’s The Q Agenda. 

But her outreach goes way beyond the Connie Norman Empowerment Center, and begins a long time ago.

Queen Victoria is a Latina full of confidence who says she is not meant to fit in. In fact, she embraces her own way of standing out by standing up for the often overlooked Trans community and fighting for equality in society, and even in the home. 

Her life should be looked at as an example of how to pave the way for others in the LGBTQ Community. 

Where is Queen Victoria Ortega from?

Queen Victoria has always been an inspiration for other activists in the trans community. Proud of her L.A. Chicana roots, she’s a Boyle Heights native and still reps it to this day. Although the neighborhood she was raised in made it difficult for her to be a trans woman, she learned to stand up for her beliefs with the support of her parents, who are also activists.

Community activism has been in her blood from a young age. If you ask anyone in Boyle Heights, she has been known to lead The Royal Court, an NPO where she leverages her intersectionality to advise and guide organizations and systems. As patron and advisor to many charitable organizations, she continues to ensure that tangible and transformative change is happening. She has been aspiring to “create change through building community, artistic expression and economic empowerment” for almost 15 years. 

Queen Victoria Ortega & FLUX

And if that’s not enough, Queen Victoria currently, serves as the National President of FLUX, a Division of AHF, a network of trans leaders dedicated to raising the profile of trans and gender non-binary communities. 

Here are more organizations Queen Victoria has partnered with:

Los Angeles County Prevention Planning Council 

The Los Angeles County Commission on HIV Health Services

The Transgender Service Provider Network

The California Endowment’s Building Healthy Communities 

Don’t miss out her full interview on LATV.com