10/05/2018
and the world at large has lost a true trailblazer 😢
Oswaldo Gomez, better known as the beloved , died this week at age 64. Her body was found in the waters off in Queens and was pronounced dead on the scene.
An immediately recognizable figure on events and parades in the big apple, via her colorful outfits and cheerful spirits, Gomez was a lawyer who moved to in the mid 70s from , hoping to find a place where she wouldn’t be persecuted for her s*xual orientation, as she revealed in the documentary videos by . After being diagnosed with in 1988, and told she only had a year to live, she decided to enjoy every day to the fullest. "Happiness is the best way, and that's why I'm still alive," she said. "I love New York because of this freedom, I can do my own style, nobody bothering me. They ask me: 'Are you homo? Are you gay? Are your le***an?' And I say: 'No, I am a human being from another planet.”
Word of her death triggered an outpouring of grief and sympathy from those who knew her well in and beyond. City councilmember Daniel Drumm, who recalled seeing Ms. Colombia march at the very first Queens Pride Parade, called her “an iconic figure” of New York City’s LGBTQ community. “She was beloved by all who saw her in the streets, at parks and in the neighborhood wearing her colorful outfits and a bird on her shoulder,” he said in a statement. “Her cheerfulness and ability to bring a smile to the faces of all who met her will be missed by all New Yorkers."
Rest in power, sister. You are a hero and a legend forever ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️
***r ***rlife ***rlatinx ***an *xual