Ricardo
Acting
Biography
Ricardo, formerly known as Sara (1960-1996), was a Cuban-American sex worker-turned-evangelical Christian who served as the subject of Susana Aikin and Carlos Aparicio's documentary films 'The Salt Mines' (1990) and 'The Transformation' (1995).
Known For
Ricardo was once Sara, a homeless HIV positive transvestite, living in the underbelly of Manhattan. Today he is a churchgoing, married man, "saved" by a Dallas ministry. He has renounced his homosexuality, but is his conversion complete? Susana Aiken and Carlos Aparicio offer an intimate look at Ricardo's transformation.
The Transformation
Explores the lives of Sara, Gigi and Giovanna, three Latino transvestites who for years have lived on the streets of Manhattan supporting their drug addictions through prostitution. They made their temporary home inside broken garbage trucks that the Sanitation Department keeps next to the salt deposits used in the winter to melt the snow. The three friends share the place known as "The Salt Mines".