Trans community: this is the struggle for their rights

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From all parts of the world, transgender women fight constantly for their rights making them visible and that they are not violated anymore

Last Friday, January 25, transgender women in Cali, Colombia, marched to demand that their rights needs to be respected and that the crimes against them do not remain unpunished.

Leer en español: Así va la lucha por los derechos de la comunidad trans

In addition to fighting for rights and freedoms that they do not yet have in most countries, these women want violence against them to be judged. One of the leaders of the march, Blu Radio reports, said that between 2009 and 2019, 101 transgender people have been murdered, although there have only been 8 convictions.

An advance for this community was a sentence issued in December 2018 to a young man who murdered Anyela Ramos Claros, a trans woman.

This conviction was considered feminicide, this being the first of its kind. In addition, the trial ruled that the crime was committed exclusively "because of prejudice because of the transgender woman's gender identity," El Tiempo reports.

The judge in the case considered that his identity corresponded to a woman, since she identified herself as such, although in her identification documents, she still appeared as a man. This consideration also represented an advance for the trans community, since on many other occasions they have been deprived of certain rights by not considering them as they consider themselves, due to their identity document.

For example, at the Javeriana University in Bogotá, a transgender student asked to be called by her woman's name in the classes, although in her identity document she still appeared as a man. However, she was denied being identified as such in the card and to be considered as a woman in the classes. After a guardianship filed by the student, a judge told Javeriana University that he should call her by her woman's name.

Valeria Bonilla, a transgender activist, said about this to Partida W, that trans people should shield themselves with this type of action, since in most cases their rights are violated, even in such simple matters as the name. Also, as long as they do not fight, even if it is a form in which they are called, society will not be able to advance when speaking about the rights of this community.

You may be interested in reading: What will happen to the transgender military in the United States?

Trans rights in other parts of the world

Spain is another country that has fought unceasingly for the recognition of trans people. In 2016, the 'Law of Identity and Expression of Gender and Social Equality and Non-Discrimination of the Community of Madrid' was approved, better known as 'the trans law'. This law represented a great advance for the community because they would be identified as they wish, from a card that would serve, among other things, for medical situations.

However, as reported by political parties that support the law and LGBT communities, the cards were left in words and in reality, has not been fulfilled what was promised by law. Two years after this supposed achievement, the community has denounced that the process of the cards is held back.

Although on January 13, Europa Press published that the first 50 cards were already being issued that would allow trans people to be identified with their name 'meaning', despite not appearing in their other documents.

However, Emilio García trans activist said, according to the Spanish newspaper Público, that "they have been denying this possibility for two years, citing the impossibility of applying this measure because it implies a change of legal identity", which contradicts the main objective of the law.

In the same way, a young man currently identified as Jorge went to a medical appointment, which not only had to ask for it with his registration name but when he arrived at this one he was also called by his other name. As a result of this, the young man's mother says, for the same medium: "they have given us a printed plastic that is useless and that's it". This has shown that, in reality, there are still no mechanisms for patients to be recognized with their name 'sense'.

In Uruguay, during 2018, there was a constant debate about the creation of a comprehensive law for transgender people. This debate, both official and community, put the issue as one of the themes of the year, according to the newspaper El País of Uruguay. Since 2009, this country had a law that allowed trans people to change their name in their registries. But the current law, intended to take the rights of this community much further.

The approved law seeks to reduce discrimination against this community that, according to El País, is the most affected of the LGBT community. In addition, it is a beginning to bring guarantees to these people, as well as to progress more and more in their rights. From this, it seeks to expand rights in relation to surgical interventions, access to work and housing. The law, as reported by El País de Cali, encourages public entities to allocate 1% of their annual work budgets to people in this community.

As well as positive, there have also been many negative reactions to the approved law, as opponents complain about some sections that they consider radical. For example, according to El País of Uruguay, more than 33,000 people had signed a petition in which the law left minors out.

However, the law was approved with these sections, where it allows minors to initiate hormone treatments and official changes without the permission of their legal guardians. Similarly, another controversial point in the law has to do with compensating people who were born before December 31, 1975, and have been victims of violence by the public sector, may be compensated.

LatinAmerican Post | Juliana Suárez

Translated from: 'Así va la lucha por los derechos de la comunidad trans'