At the corner of Penticton Way and Crater Drive in Mira Mesa, there's a marker honoring a local civil rights icon.
On top of the pole, the brown street sign reads "Honorary Julia Legaspi Way." She was a trailblazer for transgender rights in San Diego.
“What Julia was able to do in her life meant that more people got to have the story that she lived,” San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said.
The sign was unveiled on Wednesday, on what would be Legaspi's birthday. She died on April 10, 2025. In front of her house, community members gathered to honor Legaspi. She was an icon in the LGBTQ+, Filipino American, and Asian American Pacific Islander communities.
Gloria said at a time when immigrants and transgender communities are under attack, choosing to honor someone like Legaspi sends a powerful message.
“Choosing to elevate someone who is an immigrant to this country," he said. "Someone who is a transgender, history maker and icon, and someone who is a decent human being, to let the whole world know how important people like Julia are to communities like ours. Not just here in San Diego, but all across this country.”
Legaspi was the first transgender person to be appointed to a public office in San Diego and the third person in public office nationwide. She served on the city’s Equal Opportunity and Human Relations Commission, the county’s Human Relations Commission, and the San Diego AIDS Memorial Task Force.
Her brother, Noel Legaspi, said it was overwhelming to have his sister honored in such a way.
"I never heard of any individual who was honored the way they did to my beloved sister, Jhigs. It's unbelievable," he said.
It also means a lot to his family, especially his children and grandchildren, "You cannot describe the feeling," Legaspi said.
Councilmember Kent Lee, whose district includes Mira Mesa, recommended the city dedicate this street in her honor, especially since Mira Mesa is seen as the city's Asian district.
“For many of us within the Asian-American community, especially for those who are in the Filipino community, I think this is a, a really wonderful tribute to someone who has been a trailblazer for all of them,” he said.
She was also a pioneer for transgender rights in San Diego, fighting the city over its cross-dressing law.
“Thanks to her advocacy, the city of San Diego repealed discriminatory policies," Gloria said. "Policies like San Diego's cross-dressing law, a part of the municipal code that had targeted trans women of color disproportionately for decades.”
Now, a stretch of Mira Mesa bears her name, marking her as part of the fabric of San Diego, just as she made a mark on the lives of San Diegans.
