Condemnation of hate crimes

On International Transgender Day of Remembrance, the organization “Santa Cruz Trans Women’s Population” raises its voice once again to denounce hate crimes and intolerance expressed in physical, verbal, and psychological violence that trans women endure in the streets, in public and private places, wherever we go in search of the space that is our human right. There, we suffer the impact of the double standards and hypocrisy of “pseudo-honorable citizens” who, in heterosexual contexts, unleash their hatred, morbid curiosity, and sexual frustrations on the most discriminated against.

No one could imagine the pain, suffering, humiliation, and contempt that trans women endure, condemned to sex work to survive in a society that uses our bodies only to punish them in the worst ways. People look at us as if they want to kill us, they let us hear their taunts, their comments, and feel their rage: many of our sisters are no longer with us; they paid with their lives for the right to be themselves.

Luisa Durán, stabbed 52 times; Litzi Hurtado, murdered with a screwdriver; Dayana Kenia Romero, strangled and murdered in her jukebox; Catalina Parada, victim of attempted femicide, stabbed 8 times; Katerine Villalobos, beaten, disfigured, and losing an eye, only received an order for a forensic medical examination after three days of complaints; Yenny Osinaga Flores, recently attacked with a machete in Plan 3000, the district police refused to take her report; Carla Suárez, found dead in the municipality of San Carlos. How long and how many more trans women will have to die before the rights of trans people are fully respected?

On this occasion, supported by the Platform for the Fight against Violence against Women, we demand respect for all our rights, including dignified treatment, access to housing without discrimination and/or stigmatization of any kind, dignified employment, and unrestricted access to the justice system in Santa Cruz and wherever we may be.

Therefore, we declare,

Continue to denounce and expose the hypocrisy of the heteronormative, patriarchal, capitalist, and colonial system.

We demand to exercise the right to professionalization, that is to say, admission to universities.

We demand a comprehensive health system that treats us with dignity, like any other person with rights.

We demand that the State fulfill its role as guarantor of our rights, instructing the police to fulfill their mandate to protect the lives of the citizens of this department.

We request opportunities for training in the rights and laws that protect us.

Given in the city of Santa Cruz on the 20th day of November 2020

Friman:

“Trans Women Population of Santa Cruz”

"For the Platform to Fight Against Violence Against Women"

"Women's House Bolivia"