Erika Castellanos

Erika Castellanos is a Belizean human rights activist, advocating especially for HIV-positive people and sex workers. In 2023, she became Executive Director of Global Action for Trans Equality (GATE).^[1]

Biography

Erika Castellanos was born in Belize.^[2] She moved to Mexico in the 1990s, finding a more tolerant climate for LGBT people, especially transgender women.^[2]

In 1995, Castellanos was diagnosed as HIV-positive, with a two-year life expectancy.^[3] She remained in Mexico to receive the necessary care. Upon her return to Belize, she encountered very marked serophobia in the medical community,^[2] and turned to drug use and sex work.^[3]

In 2009 or 2010, Castellanos and some relatives created a network of HIV-positive people in Belize,^[2][4] after being invited to a training workshop organized by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund).^[3] From 2011 to 2016, she was executive director of the Collaborative Network for Persons Living with HIV (C-NET+) – Belize. In this position, she coordinated the assistance received through the Global Fund at the national level.^[2] She studied in parallel at the University of Belize, then completed the University of Pittsburgh's LGBT health research certification in May 2015.^[5]

In April 2017, Castellanos joined Global Action for Trans Equality (GATE), an international LGBT rights organization that works in partnership with the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), as a program director. In February 2022, she became acting executive director of the organization, then executive director in January 2023.^[6] During this period, she moved to the Netherlands,^[7][4] married and had two children.^[4]

On June 1, 2018, Castellanos became the first openly transgender person appointed to the Board of Directors of the Global Fund.^[6][2][8]