Trans activist and writer on Netflix’s new series Gentefied Camila María Concepción has died. On Wednesday evening, friends and family of Concepción confirmed via social media that she had taken her own life on Friday. She was 28 years old.
Hailing from Southern California, Concepción studied English literature at Yale University and went on to work for Jill Soloway via the 50/50 by 2020 program, an initiative of the Time’s Up movement dedicated to creating gender and racial equality in the entertainment industry. A proud advocate for trans and Latinx representation in Hollywood, Concepción worked on Netflix’s post-apocalyptic Daybreak before being hired as a writer’s assistant on Gentefied, ultimately co-writing the ninth episode of the series, “Protest Tacos.”
Gentefied co-creator’s Marvin Lemus and Linda Yvette Chávez shared their condolences via social media. On Instagram, Lemus wrote, “When Linda and I met you, we knew you were the most special, raw talent we’d ever fucking met. We knew you were going to be huge. You were going to be bigger than just our writer’s assistant. I’m so fucking mad at you because I’m one of your million adoring fans and I was going to make it my personal mission to make sure the fucking world knew your name.”
Chavez wrote the following: “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 fucking saw you from the moment I laid eyes on you. I knew you were fucking magic and I wanted the world to devour your magnificence the way you deserved.”
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
