Maria Louise Roman has been a leader in social services for the Latina transgender community in Los Angeles for over 15 years. This 38 year old stunning Puerto Rican beauty began her journey to self discovery at age 19. Many doors would close in her path, but she was driven and determined to succeed. With this decision came empowerment and hardship. She has survived life on the streets and has overcome many of the issues her community continues to fight today. She has become an outspoken voice, an activist and a role model to the Latino Transgender community.

"Finding out who I am and standing proud against a society that does not understand nor embrace me has been one of my biggest accomplishments."

Maria Roman was the first transgender to become Program Manager for Transgeneros Unidas prevention program at Bienestar Human Services, one of the largest HIV prevention programs in the nation with an all transgender staff.

The senseless death of Gwen Araujo in 2002 was a catalyst in Maria's life to take a stand against hate. Her anger and devastation over Gwen's murder fueled her eagerness to march and help unite the transgender community. Maria declared her emotions in a giant banner with the words "How many transgender have to die before you get involved?" That year Los Angeles began celebrating the Day of Remembrance. Maria Roman received recognition from Senator Sheila Kuehl for being a key organizer of the march against hate.

In 2006, Maria herself was a victim of a hate crime. She was physically assaulted, molested, discriminated against by the police and wrongly incarcerated - ironically after taping a "transAmerica" segment for the Spanish TV talk show Cristina. Maria would not be silenced and joined forces with Amnesty International to release a report entitled "Stonewalled." In the Report, Maria demanded respect and highlighted the abuse and police misconduct against the LGBT community in the United States.

Maria has also venture into acting and performance in project such as "The Transfigured Body", a transcendent requiem created to celebrate the memory of Gwen Araujo by Christian Flores and Adrian Ravarour. She was one of the transwomen cast in the pilot Viva La diva for the LOGO Network. Maria came in Top 8 at the World's Most Beautiful Transsexual pageant in Las Vegas, and became one of the lead stars in the Showtime documentary "TranTasia" by Jeremy Stanford.

Maria Roam has made numerous appearances on Television including the Tyra Banks Show, El Show de Cristina, Entertainment Tonight, The Insider and Despierta America among many others. She is also starring in her first acting role as Alma Flora in the short film "Remember me in Red", the story of a MTF Mexican transgender activist who dies tragically and the conflict that arises with the family wanting to bury her as a man and an outraged community. The film by director Hector Ceballos will be released later this year.
Over the years Maria has been part of and volunteered for endless organizations and groups, including board member of the Liberty Hill Foundation, Los Angeles and West Hollywood Task Force, Transgender Advisory Committee, TransUnity Planning Committee, Alianza, Los Angeles and West Hollywood Police Department Sensitivity Training Program. Among her many advocacy roles, Maria was a keynote speaker in front of the Los Angeles PPC asking for more funding for transgender specific programming, a Presenter at the U.S. Conference on AIDS, and the LLEGO National Latino Conference. In 2008, she joined 30 of her Latina Transgender family in Washington DC to lobby for ENDA, the LGBT Employment Non-Discrimination Act. In 2007 Maria was named one of the nation's most influential LGBT Latinos by Tentasiones magazine

Maria Roman is the reigning Miss Quest and has won several beauty pageant titles including Miss LA Pride, Miss Universo, and Miss Gay International. With all this attention, Maria has continued to have her feet on the grown, staying humble and not forgetting were she came from, taking any opportunity to influence change with her presence advocating for the women that continue to walk the streets with broken spirits and shattered dreams.