San Diego leaders gathered in a quiet residential neighborhood on Wednesday for a new street renaming that honors the late Julia Legaspi, who was Mira Mesa resident, local civil rights leader, and transgender member of San Diego’s Asian American and Pacific Islander community.

Mayor Todd Gloria, Assemblymember Chris Ward, Council President Pro Tem Kent Lee, and other community leaders unveiled the “Julia Legaspi Way” sign in honor of her on her birthday, according to Councilmember Lee’s office. Legaspi made history through becoming the first transgender person appointed to public office in San Diego.

For decades, the city once held discriminatory policies like its anti-“cross-dressing” law, which disproportionately targeted trans women of color, according to Lee’s office. Legaspi’s advocacy helped to repeal that policy.

City Council voted on Oct. 21 to approve a proposal set forth by City Council President Pro Tem Kent Lee to make the street renaming happen.

Julia Legaspi was Mira Mesa resident, local civil rights leader, and transgender member of San Diego’s Asian American and Pacific Islander community. (Office of Councilmember Kent Lee)

Following speeches, community members gathered beneath the newly minted sign, amid bubble blowers and cheers, to sing “Happy Birthday to You” in honor of Legaspi.

In 1980, Legaspi immigrated to the United States from Cavite City, Philippines. Many knew Legaspi through her Mira Mesa salon, Jhigs’ Hair Studio, which for 40 years stood as a beloved gathering space for Filipino and Asian American communities.

Legaspi took the courageous step of transitioning in 1991 and began her work of advocacy. Her advocacy reached across local agencies, spanning from the Equal Opportunity and Human Relations Commission, the County of San Diego Leon L. Williams Human Relations Commission, and the San Diego AIDS Memorial Task Force, as well as on advisory boards to Mayor Gloria and Police Chief David Bejarano.

Legaspi’s passing on April 10, 2025 reverberated throughout the city, and especially the LGBTQ, Filipino American, and AAPI communities she advocated for.

The sign can be found at the intersection of Crater Drive and Penticton Way.