Pre Trans Conference in Curitiba
The Trans ILGALAC Pre Conference was held in the Europen Hall Center the city of Curitiba, Brazil. The first day, on January 26 it was attended by twenty (20) trans people and the second day, 27 January, by thirty-eight (38) trans people.
The first day of pre-conference each of them described the situation in their countries. The presentations were very interesting especially when it addressed the issue of indigenous trans identity, both for the case of indigenous identities in Mexico (muxes) and those of Chile (Mapuche). Each participant reported on their personal situation and on the main responsibilities of their organization. Many of them, especially those coming from Brazil, perform volunteer work.
Subsequently, the topic of prostitution came on debate. The subject carried itself to develop many discussions, but the attendees focused their speeches about why prostitution was an axis in their lives and so gravitant to them. Then, they defined positions on why they consider it a right to work or take responsibility for any activity.
During the afternoon of the first day trans activists attended other conferences pre-programmed. It was noticed that in most cases the prospect of transsexuality was not implemented comprehensively. Those who went to pre ASICAL HIV conference, said they found nothing particularly interesting and informed that the language hopelessly barricaded himself in the language of men who have sex with men, perhaps because ASICAL is a group that works about HIV and is composed entirely by gay activists. The preconference of racism and transphobia concluded that the issue of sexuality was not an ax in their meetings, that they had difficulty addressing the issue, that prejudice toward diversity is stressed and had to work in a personal space, refusing and articulating ways of marginalization that occurs in society, taking into account issues like class, race, gender, among others.
In the second day, were collected reports from activists who attended the other pre-conferences, then had consensus for a working agenda and to establish priorities for a plan of action, and then turn to the choice of trans candidate of the region , supporting Amaranta Gomez, from Mexico, a member of the organization Binni Lau, by consensus decision, which came as a regional trans ILGALAC representative.
The trans community felt there was not an adequate presence in the V Regional Conference. This was expressed in the fact that their activities were hampered by other activities which were scheduled at the same time on topics of interest, because there was no space set aside for workshops that had registered and because in the end, noting that some decisions vote taken by consensus and not working, keeping some tension, that statement was taken as the intention of wanting to ignore agreements, hampering the institutionalization of the movement. This was replicated in the sense that fraternal disagreements are part of the internal dialogue and emphasize the process of consensus needed to be strengthened.
This situation was benefited by another circumstance, referred to the Brazilian LGBTI community for reasons of language, among others,it has been somewhat isolated from the LGBTI community in Latin America, which has not allowed a dialogue and exchange of ideas before, becoming evident at the conference then the expression of distant positions and experiences, so we now recognize that we must open spaces for debate.
We also comment that the time was against and we could not discuss the proposed amendments and motions, pending the struggle for parity of trans representation towards full representation of the trans identity ILGALAC.
The Workshop on Transfeminism got tripped up at the same time it was scheduled a discussion of trans activists and representatives of UN AIDS, which eventually was postponed. After the presentation of the history of transfeminism, it opened a major debate with Brazilian trans representation, some reactions were sometimes burning process because they believe that as women they are away from feminism, considering it an issue that the invisible, is not relevant to them, which have already taken a position that seems superficial and follow in the discussion. Other women activists recognized trans but trans claim their identity as a political tool to raise their rights. A third group was akin to transfeminism and hoped to deepen this reflection. Somehow this intense discussion shows the various positions that have been decanted into the Trans movement in the region.
A major difficulty has been the language for despite the Portuguese and Spanish are similar, in a heated fluid dialogue and accents it confuses the meaning of words, so it became necessary or constant simultaneous translation between the two languages . Simultaneous translation was only in the plenary and working groups.
We can say that while the goals set have not been fully achieved due to the difficulties, however,it has made great progress towards them.
The pre- trans conference was held counting with 75% of trans activists attending the conference, 38 of 51.
The transfeminism workshops were held with almost all trans activists attening (42 out of 51). üTrans identity was strengthened with the joint realization of the pre-conference, the march and the workshop on transfeminism.
The trans community is made visible by making explicit their discomfort and setting its position regarding the organization and the space given to them, being a front for discrepancy in the search of a better understanding and treatment of the trans community in general.
We got two new organizations within trans ILGA: OTD and Transsa. In turn, the representative agreed to the representation of Transsa in the Caribbean subregional ILGALAC.
It strengthened the presence of trans feminists in the regional offices. Regional representative Amaranta Gomez ILGALAC trans. Diana trans Sacayán as representative of the Southern Subregion; Mabell Garcia as representative of the Andean subregion; Thalía Almendares as a representative of the Caribbean Subregion. In turn Dorian Hernandez, participant EFLAC XI, Mexico agreed to the subregion and Natasha Jimenez, a participant in the dialogue between feminists and trans Mulabi driven, agreed to the sub-regional representation in Central America. Thus there has been greater role to positively influence the necessary changes to be made for the full representation within ILGALAC trans.
We have a very big challenge for the incorporation of trans thematic areas of sexual and gender diversity. And especially difficult to be incorporated within the scope of Brazil by the policies of selective inclusion of the trans community, but precisely because it is even more necessary to continue working on the issue raised as a challenge and an articulation of the possibilities and strength of Brazilian collective. In this sense, it is imperative to a search of communicating with the Brazilian reality, a mutual exchange of learning, this is an urgent need for the trans movement: to have a spokesperson in their own self leaders to express their real needs.
It has identified the need of custom work to the interior of the LGBTI community for endorsement for the sake of inclusion and full democracy in motion.
In prospect, it is necessary to underpin the trans American leadership, strengthen the work and dialogue with the feminist community of lesbian, gay and bisexual men within ILGALAC following up the diagnosis of trans issues that we have had in this event and looking for alternative solutions to the obstacles and progress appeared in the road.
In this sense, we have made contacts and are thought to perform a job lobbying for the World Conference a return to the topic, for which the experience of ILGALAC V Regional Conference was a valuable exercise that allows us to know those aspects that should be reinforced walking towards full representation of trans identity in ILGA.
