POZ Cover STORY: A Portrait of Advocacy and ResiliencE

In 2015, I was commissioned by POZ Magazine to photograph Arianna Lint in Fort Lauderdale, shortly after she opened Arianna’s Center—the first service agency in Florida dedicated to transgender women of color. At the time, Arianna was just beginning her journey as a fierce advocate, creating a space for peer education, health, and wellness within the LGBTQ+ community. Her mission was bold: to fight for transgender people living with HIV, a group often overlooked in traditional healthcare and public dialogue.

A decade later, I had the honor of photographing Arianna again—this time on stage, and in Wilton Manors- radiant, confident, and absolutely glowing. During our shoot, we danced to disco tunes and ’80s pop music to get her in the zone, laughing and moving with joy between takes. Arianna was as gracious and easy to work with as ever—her warmth and charisma filled the room. In a quiet moment, she reminded me that the last time I photographed her for POZ, she was on the back page—and now, she’s on the cover! It was a full-circle moment that captured not only her personal evolution but also the growing visibility of transgender advocacy and wellness leadership across the country.

As POZ Magazine reports in their October/November 2025 issue, Arianna’s journey began in Chimbote, Peru, where she grew up dreaming of beauty pageants and idolizing Brazilian transgender model Roberta Close. After immigrating to the United States in 2000, she faced immense challenges—working as a sex worker, being diagnosed with HIV in 2006, and ultimately transforming those experiences into a life of advocacy. In addition to running Arianna’s Center, she now leads Miss Trans Star International, a global pageant that pairs beauty with empowerment. Supported by Gilead Sciences, the event includes workshops on HIV prevention and care, using the pageant platform to inspire education and inclusivity (source: POZ Magazine).

Through her leadership, Arianna’s Center continues to serve the most marginalized groups—the Trans Latinx community, undocumented immigrants, people living with HIV/AIDS, and those who have experienced incarceration. Her story is one of courage, visibility, and transformation.

As a portrait photographer based in Fort Lauderdale, I’ve always believed in the ability of imagery to amplify voices that deserve to be heard. Arianna’s work—and our portraits together—remind me why I do what I do: to document change, celebrate authenticity, and show what resilience truly looks like.