Ilka Tanya Payan
Encyclopedia
Ilka Tanya Payán was a Dominican actress and attorney who later became a prominent AIDS
/HIV
activist in the United States.
, Dominican Republic
and immigrated to the United States at the age of thirteen, settling permanently in New York City. She became widely recognized for her role in the Spanish-language telenovela
"Angelica, Mi Vida" ("Angelica, My Life"). It was from her role on this serial
that provided Payán with the experience to move on to bigger roles in Hollywood with a small role in the film Scarface
, and a guest role on the television series Hill Street Blues
. Prior to these roles, she had worked in local theatrical and television projects in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico
, and Spain
.
She also worked hard to encourage the New York Latino theater Community. She was a founder of the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors
(HOLA), and was heavily involved with International Arts Relations (INTAR).
Payán studied law at People's College of Law
in Los Angeles, California, and became an attorney in 1981, practicing immigration law. It was around this time that a former lover infected her with HIV. It was not until 1986 that she tested positive for the virus. Caught completely off guard by the discovery, she revealed her status to her husband, her then 22-year old daughter, her niece, and several friends. She and her second husband separated several years later, and ultimately divorced. Fortunately for him, he escaped infection.
Keeping her status private for many years, she finally publicly disclosed her status in 1993. Payán's announcement shocked many in the Hispanic
community because she was one of the first Latino
celebrities to publicly disclose her status. While it was widely believed that the death of singer Héctor Lavoe
in June 1993 influenced her, Payán in an interview with the New York Times said that it was an encounter with a man who she liked that helped her make this important decision. After asking her point-blank if she was positive, she admitted it to him. She later heavily debated whether or not to keep living with her secret or accept that she was living with a medical condition, and not with a punishment as many evangelical preachers at the time had labeled the disease. At the end she decided that she no longer could live a lie and decided to tell others about her status in order to educate others about the realities of living with the disease.
The announcement did not go well with some of her ten sisters and six brothers. Many who lived in the Dominican Republic were chided over the fact that her revelation was received negatively in that nation. The general consensus in Latin American countries during the second half of the 1980s and early 1990s, was that AIDS/HIV was a disease that only affected homosexuals and prostitutes. However, Payán was heterosexual, and this stereotype
provided her with a new found mission in life. Payán spent the final three years of her life educating the public about the realities of AIDS. On December 10, 1993 she was given the honor of being chosen as the featured speaker at the United Nations
panel for World AIDS Day
. Speaking to this world body of diplomats allowed her to discuss the importance of educating citizens of developing nations on how to protect themselves and prevent the spread of the disease. In addition to her work, Payán was honored by her native country when Dominican president Joaquín Balaguer
awarded her the Medal of Honor in recognition of her activism. She appeared on the cover of POZ
magazine in August 2005, where she was featured in article detailing her life and activism.
The years preceding her death, Payán worked in the legal department for the Gay Men's Health Crisis
, a non-profit, volunteer-supported and community-based AIDS/HIV organization that has led the fight in educating the public on AIDS/HIV prevention.
Payán died from complications from AIDS at her Hell's Kitchen home on April 6, 1996.
neighborhood of Washington Heights
in her honor. The "Ilka Tanya Payán Park" is located on the Greenstreet bounded between 156th and 157th Streets, and Broadway and Morgan Place.
On September 27, 2005 the "Ilka Tanya Payán Theatre" located at the Times Square Arts Center was opened in a dedication ceremony. The playhouse will serve as an experimental theater for Latino actors and productions.
Since 1999, the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors
(HOLA) has given out the HOLA Ilka Award for Humanitarianism in her honor.
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
/HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
activist in the United States.
Life and career
Payán was born in Santo DomingoSanto Domingo
Santo Domingo, known officially as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city in the Dominican Republic. Its metropolitan population was 2,084,852 in 2003, and estimated at 3,294,385 in 2010. The city is located on the Caribbean Sea, at the mouth of the Ozama River...
, Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
and immigrated to the United States at the age of thirteen, settling permanently in New York City. She became widely recognized for her role in the Spanish-language telenovela
Telenovela
A telenovela is a limited-run serial dramatic programming popular in Latin American, Portuguese, and Spanish television programming. The word combines tele, short for televisión or televisão , and novela, a Spanish or Portuguese word for "novel"...
"Angelica, Mi Vida" ("Angelica, My Life"). It was from her role on this serial
Serial (radio and television)
Serials are series of television programs and radio programs that rely on a continuing plot that unfolds in a sequential episode by episode fashion. Serials typically follow main story arcs that span entire television seasons or even the full run of the series, which distinguishes them from...
that provided Payán with the experience to move on to bigger roles in Hollywood with a small role in the film Scarface
Scarface (1983 film)
Scarface is a 1983 American epic crime drama movie directed by Brian De Palma, written by Oliver Stone, produced by Martin Bregman and starring Al Pacino as Tony Montana...
, and a guest role on the television series Hill Street Blues
Hill Street Blues
Hill Street Blues is an American serial police drama that was first aired on NBC in 1981 and ran for 146 episodes on primetime into 1987. Chronicling the lives of the staff of a single police precinct in an unnamed American city, the show received critical acclaim and its production innovations ...
. Prior to these roles, she had worked in local theatrical and television projects in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
She also worked hard to encourage the New York Latino theater Community. She was a founder of the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors
Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors
The Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors is an active arts service and advocacy organization. It is in the United States and dedicated to Hispanic artists and actors....
(HOLA), and was heavily involved with International Arts Relations (INTAR).
Payán studied law at People's College of Law
People's College of Law
The People's College of Law is an unaccredited, private, non-profit law school located in Los Angeles, California. PCL offers a part-time, four-year evening law program centered around work in the public interest.-History:...
in Los Angeles, California, and became an attorney in 1981, practicing immigration law. It was around this time that a former lover infected her with HIV. It was not until 1986 that she tested positive for the virus. Caught completely off guard by the discovery, she revealed her status to her husband, her then 22-year old daughter, her niece, and several friends. She and her second husband separated several years later, and ultimately divorced. Fortunately for him, he escaped infection.
Keeping her status private for many years, she finally publicly disclosed her status in 1993. Payán's announcement shocked many in the Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
community because she was one of the first Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
celebrities to publicly disclose her status. While it was widely believed that the death of singer Héctor Lavoe
Héctor Lavoe
Héctor Juan Pérez Martínez , better known as Héctor Lavoe, was a Puerto Rican salsa singer. Lavoe was born and raised in the Machuelito sector of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Early in his life, he attended a local music school and developed an interest inspired by Jesús Sánchez Erazo. He moved to New York...
in June 1993 influenced her, Payán in an interview with the New York Times said that it was an encounter with a man who she liked that helped her make this important decision. After asking her point-blank if she was positive, she admitted it to him. She later heavily debated whether or not to keep living with her secret or accept that she was living with a medical condition, and not with a punishment as many evangelical preachers at the time had labeled the disease. At the end she decided that she no longer could live a lie and decided to tell others about her status in order to educate others about the realities of living with the disease.
The announcement did not go well with some of her ten sisters and six brothers. Many who lived in the Dominican Republic were chided over the fact that her revelation was received negatively in that nation. The general consensus in Latin American countries during the second half of the 1980s and early 1990s, was that AIDS/HIV was a disease that only affected homosexuals and prostitutes. However, Payán was heterosexual, and this stereotype
Stereotype
A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
provided her with a new found mission in life. Payán spent the final three years of her life educating the public about the realities of AIDS. On December 10, 1993 she was given the honor of being chosen as the featured speaker at the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
panel for World AIDS Day
World AIDS Day
World AIDS Day, observed December 1 every year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. Government and health officials observe the day, often with speeches or forums on the AIDS topics. Since 1995, the President of the United States has made an...
. Speaking to this world body of diplomats allowed her to discuss the importance of educating citizens of developing nations on how to protect themselves and prevent the spread of the disease. In addition to her work, Payán was honored by her native country when Dominican president Joaquín Balaguer
Joaquín Balaguer
Joaquín Antonio Balaguer Ricardo was the President of the Dominican Republic from 1960 to 1962, from 1966 to 1978, and again from 1986 to 1996.-Early life and introduction to politics:...
awarded her the Medal of Honor in recognition of her activism. She appeared on the cover of POZ
POZ (magazine)
POZ is a monthly magazine that chronicles the lives of people affected by HIV/AIDS. Its website, Poz.com, has daily HIV/AIDS news, treatment information, forums, blogs and personals....
magazine in August 2005, where she was featured in article detailing her life and activism.
The years preceding her death, Payán worked in the legal department for the Gay Men's Health Crisis
Gay Men's Health Crisis
The Gay Men's Health Crisis is a New York City-based non-profit, volunteer-supported and community-based AIDS service organization that has led the United States in the fight against AIDS.-1980s:...
, a non-profit, volunteer-supported and community-based AIDS/HIV organization that has led the fight in educating the public on AIDS/HIV prevention.
Payán died from complications from AIDS at her Hell's Kitchen home on April 6, 1996.
Honors
On March 1, 2002, New York City renamed a park in the predominantly-Dominican ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
neighborhood of Washington Heights
Washington Heights, Manhattan
Washington Heights is a New York City neighborhood in the northern reaches of the borough of Manhattan. It is named for Fort Washington, a fortification constructed at the highest point on Manhattan island by Continental Army troops during the American Revolutionary War, to defend the area from the...
in her honor. The "Ilka Tanya Payán Park" is located on the Greenstreet bounded between 156th and 157th Streets, and Broadway and Morgan Place.
On September 27, 2005 the "Ilka Tanya Payán Theatre" located at the Times Square Arts Center was opened in a dedication ceremony. The playhouse will serve as an experimental theater for Latino actors and productions.
Since 1999, the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors
Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors
The Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors is an active arts service and advocacy organization. It is in the United States and dedicated to Hispanic artists and actors....
(HOLA) has given out the HOLA Ilka Award for Humanitarianism in her honor.