I Am San Francisco:Nya Cruz
Nya Cruz, one of the Ladies performing at AsiaSF, is a prominent member of San Francisco’s transgender community and celebrates the melting pot that keeps life interesting in SF.
As a child, the radio would flip on and the music would inspire Nya Cruz to dance her heart out in her living room. Today, she still feels her most free when there is music on and she can communicate through her movements, using dance to bring inspiration and entertainment to others.
I am Nya Cruz and I am San Francisco
You are always welcome.
At age 19, Nya began performing at AsiaSF, the iconic restaurant and performance venue. Fifteen years later, Nya has become an icon as one of the world-famous transgender entertainers in the Ladies of SF. She describes her performances as a nightly celebration of human diversity, filled with food, music and dance. That diversity is what she appreciates most about her city.
As prominent members of San Francisco’s transgender community, Nya and four other Ladies of SF have been featured in the two-season docu-series Transcendent, chronicling their personal and professional lives as they navigate the city as transgender women and performers.
As prominent members of San Francisco’s transgender community, Nya and four other Ladies of SF have been featured in the two-season docu-series Transcendent, chronicling their personal and professional lives as they navigate the city as transgender women and performers.
When she’s not performing, Nya is soaking up all that her city offers. From climbing the beautiful hills in her Nob Hill neighborhood to her local coffee shop to walking the streets of the Tenderloin to her favorite Thai restaurant to soaking up the sun at Mission Dolores Park, Nya says the joy of living in San Francisco is in finding common ground and creating friendships among many different types of people.
San Francisco has always been a haven for people from different walks of life seeking a home that not only tolerates but also celebrates who they are. Nya says that this openness has created an exquisite melting pot—of people, of culture, of beauty—that cannot be found anywhere else.
I come across so many different types of people, like a group of 10 soccer moms celebrating a birthday at AsiaSF, that I can still find common ground and create friendships.
Hear Nya in Her Own Words
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