Cristina Ortiz Rodríguez (19 March 1964 – 9 November 2016), better known as La Veneno ('The Poison'), was a Spanish singer, actress, sex worker, and media personality.

Considered one of the more important and beloved LGBT icons in Spain since her death, she rose to fame in 1996 after being discovered in the park where she worked as a sex worker by Faela Sainz, a reporter for the late-night talk show Esta noche cruzamos el Mississippi, broadcast on Telecinco from 1995 to 1997 and hosted by the journalist Pepe Navarro.

Distinguished for her spectacular appearance and profane humor, La Veneno was one of the early transgender women to become widely known in Spain, and she has been recognised as a pioneering trans icon.

At age 13, she moved with one of her sisters to San Pedro de Alcántara, with the Romero family after her parents kicked them both out of their house.

After being fired from her job at the hospital, she worked as a sex worker in the Parque del Oeste in Madrid to pay her bills.

[10] There she was discovered in April 1996 by reporter Faela Saiz, who interviewed her for a TV feature on prostitution for the late-night show Esta noche cruzamos el Mississippi on Telecinco.

The show ended in July 1997 after political conflicts surrounding the Alcàsser Girls crime and moved to Antena 3 under the name La sonrisa del pelícano.

[12][13] El Pelícano ended in December 1997 after three months of broadcasting after numerous rumors that a sex tape starring journalist and entrepreneur Pedro J. Ramírez would be aired on television.

When La sonrisa del pelícano ended, she spent a month doing TV work in Buenos Aires, before returning to Spain and participating in other programs for Telemadrid and Antena 3, among other channels.

[19] Shortly after its release, fans of La Veneno gathered at the Safari Disco Club in Barcelona for a presentation of the book.

[29] Fans turned the site of the stolen plaque into a shrine made up of letters and photos to honor La Veneno's legacy.

In October 2020, the City Council of Madrid announced that the plaque would be replaced after many popular petitions were submitted, and they did so on December 4 of that same year.

The airing of the show received positive feedback in Spain, and is considered to be influential in provoking conversation and reflection about the realities and experiences of trans individuals.

Spain's Ministry of Equality made a statement about the importance of remembering La Veneno and sharing her story so others do not experience the same events, according to the director of Sexual Diversity and LGBTI Rights, Boti G.

The series is available to be streamed on Atresplayer, which saw almost a 50% increase in subscribers after fans flocked to the platform to watch the story of La Veneno.