Santo Domingo.– Jayden Resto Holguín, a person who transitioned from male to female, and Regina Balaguer de Resto, who transitioned from female to male, legally formalized their union before the Central Electoral Board (JCE), in an event that its protagonists consider a precedent for trans people in the Dominican Republic.
The couple became, according to their own testimonies, the first publicly registered marriage in the country between two trans people who married using their respective gender identities.
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Jayden and Regina’s story began through social media. Both kept in touch long-distance for approximately four months before meeting in person.
After two years of dating, they decided to take the next step and got married in May 2026, subsequently initiating the corresponding procedures to legally formalize their union.
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For the couple, the process represents much more than the legalization of their relationship, as it also constitutes an opportunity to make the experiences of trans people visible and to debate the recognition of their rights in the country.
Regina expressed that this event represents just the beginning of a broader process and called for continued work toward the recognition of rights that, as she stated, are still being denied.
“This is the beginning. Let us fight for our rights, for those we have and those still denied to us, without tiring, for together we can,” he/she stated.
Jayden and Regina’s story brings the debate surrounding the legal recognition of gender identities and the civil rights of trans people in the Dominican Republic back to the table.
Their case has also generated interest because it occurs in a context where the legal recognition of trans people continues to be a subject of social and legal discussion in the country.
