(Credit: pixabay)
Mila Hellfyre’s life was everything but simple when she enrolled in college at the age of sixteen. She was raised as a trans adolescent in Puerto Rico, where she finally became homeless due to a lack of family support. She persevered in the face of difficulty, refusing to let anything stop her. At the University of Puerto Rico Rio Piedras, Mila persisted in her studies despite sleeping on benches and taking showers there.
Mila found her first apartment with the help of her campus community. Because of her positive experience receiving assistance, at the age of 18, she started an initiative named House of Hellfyre, which houses 22 LGBTQ+ people who are also experiencing homelessness.
Mila’s desire to assist people didn’t end there. She soon became friends with Nick Alicea, who was pursuing his esthetician degree while receiving gender-affirming medical care in Puerto Rico. Similar to Mila, Nick had encountered difficulties but remained committed to changing things. They teamed up to serve the trans community in Puerto Rico, addressing health disparities and HIV awareness through collaboration with groups like the Human Rights Campaign.
In order to let future generations know they weren’t alone, Mila also began recording the history of Puerto Rican trans pioneers. Mila followed in the footsteps of her role model, Mami Ruddy, who welcomed individuals in need into her home and went on to serve as a mentor and mother figure to several people.
As they carried out their advocacy work, Mila and Nick’s love grew, and they are currently preparing to relocate to Minnesota in order to finish their treatments and pursue additional education. They have a very clear message for everyone: “Family is what you build, not what you’re given.”
They discovered something even more meaningful in their quest for a community: a loving, accepting, and supportive family of their own.
