Camila María Concepción Dies: ‘Gentefied’ Writer And Trans Latina Advocate Was 28
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Gentefied writer, trans Latina activist and storyteller Camila María Concepción died on Friday by suicide. She was 28.
Concepción was from the Inland Empire area and studied English literature at Yale University. She was a writer’s assistant on Marvin Lemus and Linda Yvette Chávez’s Gentefied, which recently made its debut on Netflix. She also worked on Brad Peyton and Aron Eli Coleite’s post-apocalyptic dramedy Daybreak.
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Concepción was a vocal advocate and activist when it came to trans and Latinx representation. She spoke about trans rights at the United States of Women Summit alongside artist Micah Bazant, poet Audrey Kuo and political commentator Sally Kohn. She also worked with artist Favianna Rodriguez and Transparent‘s Jill Soloway for the 5050by2020, an initiative that used the power of intersectionality to help move the needle when it comes to diversity and inclusion in film, TV and art.
Upon hearing the news late on Friday night, when the show premiered, Lemus posted on Instagram: “I’ve been trying my hardest to numb the hurt by focusing on the show and all the love coming in, waiting to get a phone call to let me know this was a sick joke.”
He continued, “When Linda and I met you, we knew you were the most special, raw talent we’d ever f*cking met. We knew you were going to be huge. You were going to be bigger than just our writer’s assistant.” He ended by saying, “Pero te lo juro que we’ll make every minute from now on count in your honor. Siempre. Rest in Power. Rest In Peace. Te amo.”
Chavez also responded to the news and honored Concepción. “My love, you were brilliant. You were powerful,” she said. “You were a light. A brilliant light that struggled to shine in the midst of the darkness in this world. But I saw you, girl. I f*cking saw you from the moment I laid eyes on you. I knew you were f*cking magic and I wanted the world to devour your magnificence the way you deserved.
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“Baby, you were going to have a show on HBO,” she added. “I needed that show. I needed your voice. Your story. Your wisdom. Your f*cking fierce wit and fearless IDGAF fervor. You should be here.”
Aaliyah Williams, executive producer of Gentefied, honored Concepción on Instagram as well, saying, “I’ll see you next lifetime, my love. You are Free!!!”
Deadline received a statement from the Gentefied family, which read: “We are heartbroken by the loss of Camila Concepción. She was hired as our writer’s assistant on Gentefied but quickly made her way into our hearts as a sister, writer and friend.”
The statement added: “She co-wrote episode 109 ‘Protest Tacos’ and we were so blown away by her amazing talent and unique voice. She was definitely a force to be reckoned with and we are deeply saddened by the loss of one of our brightest stars.”
Netflix also released a statement, saying: “We are deeply saddened to learn of the tragic passing of Camila Concepción. Camila was a talented writer with a passion for storytelling, lifting up underrepresented voices, and fighting for representation in front of and behind the camera. She made bold and critical contributions to our industry, most recently through her incredible writing on Gentefied, and her legacy will live on through her work. Our thoughts are with her family and friends in this time of loss.”
Said a spokesperson from UTA, which represented her: “Camila was a one of a kind soul and we were so lucky to have worked with her. She was a fierce advocate for all she believed in and was taken away from us way too soon. She had many stories left to tell and we will continue to work on her behalf to ensure that those stories are shared with the rest of the world.”
A post shared by Marvin Lemus (@elmarvinlemus) on Feb 22, 2020 at 8:12pm PST
A post shared by Linda Yvette Chávez (@lindayvettechavez) on Feb 22, 2020 at 11:08pm PST
A post shared by Aaliyah Williams (@theliyah) on Feb 23, 2020 at 10:03pm PST
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