The MTV MIAW Awards will honor the fight for LGBTQ+ rights and gender equality by recognizing Mexican activists Natalia Lane and Mitzy Violeta Cortés with the Transforma MIAW 2022 Award.

This will be the second edition of the ceremony where the category will be awarded, which not only seeks to recognize young Latin Americans working to transform their environments, but also to amplify their powerful discourses from their platforms.

Natalia Lane has been characterized by her work as an activist for the rights of trans community to which she belongs — she is a communicator, sex worker and advisory assembly member of the Council to Prevent and Eliminate Discrimination (Copred).

For more than 10 years, she has fought for the human rights of her community and has raised her voice to denounce discrimination, of which she has also been a victim.

"Natalia's activism represents the struggle of trans women in Mexico and Latin America, to have a dignified life free of hate and discrimination. More than 500 trans women have been murdered during the last 10 years in Mexico and this is just a sample of the transphobia that still exists throughout the region," wrote Andrés Forero, Campaigns Manager of ALL OUT, part of the selection committee, in a press release.

Mitzy Violeta Cortés is a young Mixtec woman from San Sebastián Tecomaxtlahuaca, in the southern state of Oaxaca, who has worked for gender equality in Indigenous communities.

At the same time, Cortés has demonstrated a deep love for her land by being a climate activist and seeking respect for the rights of Indigenous peoples.

She is part of various collectives that fight for the defense of territory and climate justice and in 2021 was part of the "Defenders of the Earth" delegation that attended the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow.

"Mitzy represents a young voice from a sector that does not have enough spaces, young women from indigenous peoples have a lot to contribute and should be heard without stigmas. Mitzy does work that incorporates an intersectional and gender perspective," wrote the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN-HCHR) in the same bulletin.

The MTV MIAW Awards will be broadcast on MTV Latin America and Pluto TV on Sunday, July 10 at 7:30 p.m. and will feature performances from different Latin artists like Manuel Turizo, Tini, Moderatto and Natanael Cano. Becky G will host the event alongside Jimena Jiménez.