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Juana Gloria Vega, September 15, 1965 – November 11, 2001, was born and raised in Milwaukee’s Walkers Point, attended Vieau Grade School, and like most Latino kids of the near South side, Juana spent her summers at Guadalupe Center’s Summer Program. Juana later attended Bay View and South Division high schools before going on to Milwaukee Area Technical College to study for her G.E.D. and Culinary Arts. Like many teen girls growing up in the 70’s, Juana explored and struggled with her identity as a Mexican and a Lesbian or Bisexual. Even until her death, Juana pondered the question, “Where is my place in society?” Anyone who knew Juana remembered her outgoing personality, gentle spirit, and contagious smile, yet beneath all of this was a child who found her “self” at 14 amidst the popular Gay bars and all that comes with clubbing and coming out – a mix of good times and life experience at the famous Red Baron, Sundays at Park Avenue, Papagallo, The YP, Fannies, and La Cage! Juana’s passion for good food and cooking led her to work as a Sous Chef, cook, a baker and pasta maker at the finest hotels and restaurants in the city. On her days off, Juana loved bicycling on her most prized possession, a Gary Fischer bike. She also believed that a Saturday or Sunday afternoon was best spent watching a great movie in bed or chilling at Starbucks, Gil’s, or any Brady Street coffee shop.
Then came the day when the most important woman in Juana’s life died. Her mother’s death to cancer also killed a part of Juana too. Again, she escaped to drugs and alcohol to overcome her feelings of loneliness and darkness. Despite her struggles in life, Juana always kept moving and lived life to the fullest in hope of one day turning this scenario around. Being a part of LGBT life in Milwaukee was so much a part of what made her feel happy, and Juana was always found at Mapfest, LAMM dances, Pridefest, and was 1 of only 2 Latinas who posed on Milwaukee’s Lakefront amongst 100 other LGBT leaders who beamed in a historic 1994 photograph for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s “Coming Out In the Workplace” cover story.
In 1996, Juana and I lived together on Astor Street. We slept on the most comfortable beds made of blankets where she lay in the bedroom and I in the living room. Between us was a doorway and at night we would light a candle, give thanks for the day and share our dreams with each other… one of her dreams was to run her own bike messenger business. With the technical and personal support of Karen Gotzler, who truly, truly believed in her, and her investor and partner, Paula Larson, Bikers Express was born! Juana’s proudest accomplishment of doing what she loved for a living lasted a full year before the pressures of drugs and alcohol would emerge, and within two years she lost her company, her girl, and herself. In Juana’s true style, though she always got back up, only this time she took over a year to get her self together, find a job, spend some alone time, and once again try therapy.
In the 18 months prior to her death, Juana met Melodia “Ria” Parilla and they fell in love. At first, Juana thought she had finally found the one just when she wasn’t “looking.” In that short time, Juana found herself in a dependent, abusive, overwhelming relationship, while caring for her girlfriend’s two children as well. She attempted to leave the chaos, but stayed because Juana wanted what her brothers Marco & Florencio had, what other Lesbians at 36 had: a home, a good job and a family. Juana would page me to pick her up or stay at her brothers until things cooled down or another promise to get couples counseling and work things out was made. Yet despite the cigarette burns Ria put in her face, the bruises on her arms, a broken ankle, verbal abuse, Juana could not leave. It was this life altering relationship that led directly to Juana’s vicious murder committed by her lover Ria’s brother Pablo Parilla who hated Juana “for being Gay” and “turning his sister Gay.” On Saturday night just four hours before she was murdered, I ran into Juana for the very last time at Fannies – this was our first time out in months. Juana said, “Carmen, I’m finally free. Ria and I broke up.” And I knew exactly what Juana meant by those words. I also knew the reason why she was murdered, and questioned the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel newspaper as to why they would print Pablo’s confession: “I killed Juana because I wanted to stop her from beating my sister.” Editors at the Journal/Sentinel told me that it is routine to print a police report without the actual story. Her family supported a historic all out media campaign calling attention from the victim’s point of view: a gruesome murder of a Brown-skinned, economically disadvantaged out Lesbian, Mexican native of Milwaukee’s South Side who was caught in a violent same-sex relationship: in other words, we did not want her to be another statistic or an untold story.
We galvanized communities of all ages, economic backgrounds, races, genders, orientations, brought attention to the need for the hate crime enhancer, to ensure equal access for all family members to their legal rights and understanding system, and a thorough and respectful investigation sensitive to the issues of same sex relationships, economics, homophobia, and culture. These efforts brought local and national media attention from Fox 6 Television, The Chicago Tribune, Milwaukee Public Radio with support from The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, American Civil Liberties Union, Human Rights Campaign, and National Gay & Lesbian Task Force. Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (WI-D) and current City of Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett also wrote letters to District Attorney E. Michael McCann for a thorough investigation. Although the hate crime enhancer was never added, Judge Donald’s sentence echoed throughout Milwaukee, "I am appalled that this was never tried as a hate crime, based on the horrific nature of this crime, the evidence presented and the hatred he had for this victim, I am appalled…” Pablo Parilla is now serving 65 years to life. Since its creation in 2002, The Juana Gloria Vega Scholarship for Lesbian & Bisexual Latinas has been awarded to Pamela Valle ($500 MATC Honors graduate, now at Marquette University), Calixta Alvarez ($250 MATC’s ESL transferred into the Business Associate Degree program) and Jacqueline Lindo ($500 Mount Mary College Masters Degree in Art Therapy Candidate).
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