Costa Rica‘s first out transgender elected official, Gerhard Phillip Hernández Padilla, is more than just a historic politician — he’s a member of Gen Z who loves Coldplay, art history, and tattoos. 

The 25-year-old trans man was elected in February last year as second vice mayor of Moravia, a smaller municipality in the San José province in central Costa Rica with a population of more than 50,000. He will serve the district until the end of his four-year term in 2028, after which he plans to continue his career in politics.

“What I would like to do in politics is bring in opportunities for those who don’t have them yet … making the way a little bit easier for my brothers and sisters from the trans community that are planning to be part of this space as well in the future,” Hernández tells The Advocate.

Hernández was only 19 when he was elected to the Municipal Council of Moravia in 2020, making him the council’s youngest member and the first out trans man in Costa Rican politics. He ran for office in 2024 alongside mayor Diego Armando López López and first vice mayor Alejandra Hernández Novoa under the Partido Somos Moravia (We Are Moravia Party), emerging victorious with 45.36 percentof the vote. 

Though he’s achieved success at a young age, it did not come easily. Hernández says he faces discrimination “on a daily basis” for all facets of his identity — even his tattoos, which he shows off proudly. One on his forearm features the words “Viva la Vida” next to a watermelon, a reference to both the Coldplay song and the Frida Kahlo painting of the same name. 

“I have three challenges: of course being transgender, of course being young, and of course having my tattoos and piercings,” Hernández says. “In a very conservative society, that’s not well seen. When you are facing this kind of authority position or leadership position, most of the time, they don’t see you as an authority. They are always trying to challenge your authority.”

The trans community still isn’t widely accepted in Costa Rica, though progress has been made in recent years. Trans people were granted the right to legally change their gender on official documents without surgical or judicial intervention in 2018 through an executive decree, and some gender-affirming care is funded through the state health system.

However, Hernández says the treatments that are available — such as hormone therapy — are the “worst of the market,” and the majority of gender-affirming operations are not publicly funded. He explains that trans people must “have a lot of money to go outside [the country] — probably to the U.S. — to get a surgery.” 

As trans people continue to face systemic discrimination, Hernández is particularly focused on creating opportunities for them through employment and education, with focuses in language, technology, and culture. He notes that “even being transgender, I know that I’m a white man, that I was able to access college, so I have an advantage that some of my brothers and sisters don’t have.” 

“When I got into politics, I thought that I was able to change the world. I think that’s a thought that most of us have at the beginning,” Hernández says. “However, when you get in there, you see how things are for real. So, my thoughts right now are not changing the world, but changing from small things to bigger ones. I like to impact the youth because I think we’re the future. Actually, not the future — we’re the present.”

Until his time in office ends — or until Coldplay tours in San José — Hernández will be diligently serving his constituents, he says. He wants the world to know that “not only trans people, but people from Costa Rica in general, are people that are always trying to be resilient, to work, to educate ourselves.”

“We are more than transgender. We are human beings. We have families, we have jobs, and we are always trying to improve ourselves, to develop ourselves, and trying to learn,” Hernández says. “We have a lot to give to the world from Costa Rica and from the trans community. We have a lot to give to the world, a lot to learn as well, and a lot to teach to all of you.”

The writer was invited to Costa Rica by Gay Costa Rica.