A Legacy We’re All Proud Of: Honoring the Life of Julia “Jhigs” Legaspi
By Alex Villafuerte
On April 10, 2025, San Diego lost a giant. Julia “Jhigs” Legaspi, a proud transgender Filipina woman, small business owner, advocate, and spiritual warrior, passed away peacefully, leaving behind a legacy that helped shape this city’s soul. She was 71.
Born in Cavite City, Philippines, on November 19, 1953, Julia immigrated to the United States in 1980 with only a few dollars and her faith. Two years later, she opened Jhigs’ Hair Studio in Mira Mesa. Over its 40-year run, Jhigs’ became a staple and household name in the Filipino, Asian, and LGBTQ communities, having styled thousands of customers and multiple generations of families.
Beyond her business, Julia was a graceful force who lived a life of service—to her faith, to the LGBTQ community, and to the Asian and Filipino communities, both locally and back home in the Philippines. She served on the boards of numerous nonprofit organizations, including the San Diego LGBT Community Center, as well as on advisory boards for multiple mayors and committees. Julia holds the distinction of being the first transgender person appointed to public office in San Diego—and only the third in the nation.
In her leadership, Julia’s goal was simple yet profound: to ensure that LGBTQ people, those of Asian descent and people of color, and especially those living at the intersection of both identities, could live with dignity, love freely, exist openly, and have a seat at the table.
That mission was reflected in her many accomplishments. She helped dismantle discriminatory policies like the “Cross Dressing Law,” a 1966 ordinance weaponized against trans women of color. During the height of the AIDS crisis, when fear and stigma left many abandoned by their birth families, Julia stepped in as their actual family. She cared for the dying when others turned away—holding their hands, feeding them, arranging their funerals, and ensuring they left this world knowing they were loved and not alone.
In the Asian community, Julia used her talents to style guests and staff at Pacific Arts Movement’s San Diego Asian Film Festival for over two decades. When she heard I had become Executive Director, her first question was, “When’s the gala?”—so she could show up in full regalia. I’m heartbroken she never got that chance, but I know she’ll be there in spirit. Around Easter, I always expected a call from her asking if I could donate a few Easter baskets for the local community. Just as she did for the LGBTQ community, she readily supported Asian political candidates who championed LGBTQ rights—like she did with now–Councilmember Kent Lee.
One of Julia’s most recent acts of public service was serving simultaneously on the Human Relations Commissions for both the City and County of San Diego in 2021. In these roles, she continued her lifelong mission of uplifting transgender voices and pushing institutions toward equity. Even after four decades of advocacy, however, Julia and the transgender community were still met with hostility.
At the county level, when the commission failed to pass a resolution denouncing transphobia, Julia and our community were confronted with hate. For the first time in her 40 years of activism, she was called an “abomination” to her face by former Commissioner Dennis Hodges—a moment that deeply affected her.
It was a painful and sobering reminder that the fight for dignity, safety, and belonging for our transgender friends and family is far from over. What followed were public meetings where people debated whether transgender individuals had a place on a human rights commission or within faith communities.
Yet if we look at Julia’s life and over four decades of advocacy and faith, we already know the answer: our transgender community belongs in both. Like everyone else, they are reflections of the divine, created in the image of God.
The moment a commission—whose very purpose is to uphold human dignity—begins to question whether transgender people deserve humanity, it no longer serves the people, it serves prejudice. And the moment a church makes transgender people feel excluded or unwanted, it betrays the very gospel it claims to preach.
Our community knew this well. Julia was honored at the 2022 Light Up the Cathedral event with the Hero of Pride award by former San Diego Pride Executive Director Fernando Z. Lopez, in recognition of her leadership and bravery as a commissioner and transgender activist.
In many ways, Mama Jhigs, as so many lovingly called her, reminded me of the matriarchs in my own Filipino family, especially our lolas, or grandmothers. She carried a quiet, calming reverence that was deeply comforting—the kind of presence that got things done without ever seeking credit. She moved, as a true Tita does, with purpose, lipstick on, and always ready to make you laugh, pray, or eat—sometimes all at once.
In interviews and acceptance speeches, she often spoke about her struggles with her father, who—like many parents—had hopes and dreams for his children that did not initially align with her truth. At first, he struggled to accept her transition and identity. Yet Julia, with her signature grace and resilience, often said, “I may not have been the son my parents had hoped for, but I became a daughter they could be proud of.”
Mama Jhigs, may you rest in eternal peace knowing that we are all proud of you. You embodied pride and love, and we will carry your spirit forward as we continue your fight to uplift our transgender siblings and family members.
Maraming salamat at mahal na mahal ka namin (Thank you so much, and we love you deeply).
Her wake will be held at El Camino Memorial, Sorrento Valley, on May 7 and 8, with services from 4:00 to 8:00 PM. Her funeral mass will take place at 10:00 AM on May 9 at Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Mira Mesa—a community she helped shape for more than four decades.