Amancio Corrales, a well known female impersonator, was found floating in the Colorado River near Yuma, Arizona at about 7:00 am on May 6, 2005.  Amancio, who was wearing female attire, had been seen leaving a bar in the company of several people on the evening of May 5.  According to police, the cause of death was “violent trauma.”  Amancio was only 23 years old.

He was born in Sinaloa, Mexico, but he lived in Phoenix and performed under the name Delilah at the Paco Paco Club at 3045 N. 16th St.  Amancio was in Yuma to visit his family.  

In response, a coalition of members of the Yuma community, including myself, came together to form “The Amancio Project” to publicize the case, call for an end to violence against all people regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, and support the victim’s family.  The coalition consists of the Yuma County Gay Rights Meetup Group, the United Church of Christ of Yuma, Arizona Leadership Institute (ALI), Arizona Human Rights Fund (AHRF), Wingspan, and Southern Arizona Gender Alliance (SAGA).  A special mass was held in remembrance of Amancio Corrales at Immaculate Conception Church in Yuma on June 5, 2005. 

Anyone interested in being a part of the project, or offering financial support, may help by contacting the local Project Coordinator and liaison to the family, Michael H. Baughman, at pogman@digitaldune.net or the Yuma County Gay Rights Meetup at www.gayrights.meetup.com/177. A website is already in the works to honor Amancio and facilitate family authorized plans and events.

Yuma is a small city, with many small-minded people, but as it grows, things are slowly changing.  But growth is sometimes painful.  On the plus side, Amancio’s death is bringing the Yuma GLBT community closer, and we will fight harder to show people that we are not afraid to be who we are.

One of Liberty’s Children

I was born one of Liberty’s children

Full of promise, happiness and glee

But I died as a hate crime victim

I followed my bliss and my passion

So youthful and hopeful and free

I was born one of Liberty’s children

But malice can change life’s direction

A martyr I would be at twenty-three

I died as a hate crime victim

Always faithful, those words they had spoken

Convinced me there’s no reason to flee

I was born one of Liberty’s children

They beat me, cut me, left me broken

Death is the river where I bleed

I died as a hate crime victim

I will follow my Shepard to heaven

And shine my light so everyone can see

I was one of Liberty’s children

And I died as a hate crime victim