Drago Renteria (he/him/his) is a Deaf, Chicano, transman and a long-time LGBTQ/social justice activist based in San Francisco. He is Executive Director of the Deaf Queer Resource Center, a national organization he founded in 1995 to support, inform, empower, and bring more visibility to and awareness about marginalized Deaf LGBTQ communities. He has presented and educated on trans issues nationwide and has served on numerous boards, including the boards of the Transgender Law Center and Youth Gender Project.

In addition to his activism and organizing work, Drago is a photojournalist, social documentary and professional portrait photographer. Photography has been a life-long love and passion of his. He studied photography at Gallaudet University and at City College of San Francisco where he received certificates in Reportage Photography and Portrait Lighting. He also holds a B.A. from U.C. Berkeley where he studied Journalism and Women’s Studies.

For the past several years, Drago has been working to document the Latinx communities and the gentrification currently taking place in San Francisco’s Mission District, an area he has called home for over two decades. He has developed a reputation for creating powerful and thought-provoking images. His work has appeared in numerous publications and he plans to eventually publish a book of his work demonstrating how gentrification impacts communities of color.