Aged 19 and incarcerated on Rikers Island, Bianey Garcia and a friend — victims of a homophobic attack that had led to their arrests, Garcia says — needed help. They called Lorena Borjas. A pillar of New York City’s Latinx LGBTQ community, Borjas had long been known as a staunch defender of the rights of trans people, Latinx people, undocumented people and sex workers. Borjas helped Garcia and her friend obtain a lawyer, who won their case and later helped them get immigration papers to stay in the U.S. A decade later, Garcia is now a justice workwr with New York City-based advocacy organization Make the Road . “Lorena was like a mother for many in the transgender community,” Garcia tells TIME. “She used to help anyone. “ On Monday, March 30, Borjas died from complications related to coronavirus , officials announced, a loss that has rocked the trans community of Queens, N.Y., and beyond. She was 60, per NBC New York. “ Lorena Borjas was a real hero for trans people, espec...