Yuma remembers Amancio Corrales 7 years after his death - | News for Yuma, Imperial Valley, El Centro, AZ & CA

Yuma remembers Amancio Corrales 7 years after his death

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7 years after the death of 23-year old Amancio Corrales people in the Yuma still remember. 

"We miss him, it's very special to be able to do this for him," says Genevieve Ferrari, a friend of Amancio Corrales. 

Corrales a well known female impersonator, had his life cut short. He was found brutally murdered and floating in the Colorado River near Yuma on May 6, 2005. People say he was the victim of a hate crime.  

His friends, family and drag performers gathered at OZ Night Club for a tribute show in his memory.  

"It doesn't have to be this day to remember him, we always remember him.. Every time I get in drag I think of him. It makes me think of when we used to perform together," says Ferrari.  

A documentary called Amancio- Two Faces on a Tomb Stone was shown and a performance was put on by the Glitter Girls.   

"He's the person that inspired me to put makeup on for the first time ever and a wig. He showed me how to look this beautiful and I knew him for about 2- 3 years before the tragedy," says Ferrari. 

Ferrari who was a close friend of Corrales says he was a talented performer and inspired many.   Corrales enjoyed impersonating Thalia a latin pop singer.  

Ferrari says Yuma has grown significantly since the death of Corrales. 

"People are now more accepting, now you see more people in drag. Before it used to be weird to see someone in drag. Amancio opened the doors for a lot of us to do this and I really believe we have grown up as a community," says Ferrari.

For more information on Corrales visit http://theamancioproject.org/

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