Salgueiro Massacre – Brazilian black population calls for help!: Race and Equality condemns genocide against the black population and calls to guarantee the life of black people

Salgueiro Massacre – Brazilian black population calls for help!: Race and Equality condemns genocide against the black population and calls to guarantee the life of black people

Brazil, November 25th 2021 – On the basis of the International Declaration of Human Rights, according to which life is an inalienable right, Race and Equality urges the international community to pay attention to police violence taking place in Brazil. We denounce yet another massacre taking place during the global pandemic, in the city ​​of São Gonçalo, in Rio de Janeiro. It is important to mention that the black movement considers that violence resulting from structural racism in Brazil must be seen as genocide against the black population. In fact, when analyzing the situation of the Brazilian black population in its country report, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) mentions that there appears to be a process of “social cleansing, aimed at exterminating sectors considered “undesirable””, which happens with state support. [1]

A year ago, and on the eve of Black Consciousness Day, João Alberto was brutally murdered by property security agents in Carrefour market [2]. In 2021, the trend of violence against black and poor bodies is repeated a day after the same date that calls out to society for a conscience about black struggle and freedom. If the State ignores the anti-racism agenda made in favor of its people, how will we build a black history that does not include pain, suffering and violence? The result of this policy of fear and terror is yet another bloody killing: the Salgueiro Massacre.

On Monday, November 22, residents of the favela complex located in São Gonçalo, metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro, woke up recovering bodies in the community’s mangrove swamps. So far, nine bodies have been found (residents say 20) [3], both men and women, and even an elderly woman who was shot in the arm. In addition, residents denounce that many innocent victims lost their lives in retaliation for the death of a police officer. The reports of this massacre are from mothers who had to remove the bodies of their family sunk in the mangrove swamp. No weapons were found among the bodies [4]. Orphaned families from yet another tragedy that could have been avoided if the Military Police of Rio de Janeiro had not acted through revenge. Thus, we asked Governor Claudio Castro – who authorized the police operation?

We continue to denounce the State’s complete disregard of complying with the restrictions placed by the Supreme Court on police operations in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro during the pandemic, known as the ‘ADPF das Favelas’ throughout 2021. Institutional racism and police brutality continue to be the State’s daily exchange of life and death towards the black population. Tragedies are enumerated in black bodies this year; 21 dead in the Jacarezinho Massacre in May; 14 dead in the Salgueiro Massacre in November. Bullets, which are considered “lost” by the police, were found in a dead pregnant woman, Katheleen Romeo back in June.

Furthermore, data from the Rede de Observatório da Segurança (Security Observatory Network) serves to confirm the lethality of police intervention in Rio de Janeiro: In 2021, 71% of the killings in Rio de Janeiro were carried out by state agents, totaling in 128 deaths. A survey by the Instituto de Segurança Pública (Public Security Institute) corroborates this – from January to July, 811 people died in police actions, a 38% of total homicides and an increase of 88.2% over the same period last year. This figure represents the highest percentage in the last 15 years. [5].

Considering the facts, Race and Equality refers to the Inter-American Convention against Racism and Related Forms of Intolerance and calls the attention of all protection mechanisms under international law that have pledged to cooperate to prevent and punish acts of killings of vulnerable populations around the world. We urge that international law treaties be enforced in the face of the extermination policies of the Military Police and the acceptance of violence by Brazilian governments. The Brazilian black population asks for help, because, to ask for peace, it is first necessary to have the right to live.

Finally, we urge the Brazilian State to make the following recommendations:

1 – Urge the local government of the state of Rio de Janeiro so that those responsible for the Salgueiro Massacre do not go unpunished.

2 – The creation of laws and mechanisms with an intersectional and anti-racist focus to curb and punish violent police actions in favelas.

3 – The veto of the anti-terrorism bill, already approved by the Chamber and which is going to be approved by the Senate, whose proposal approves the exclusion of illegality for police officers during their operations and creates the secret police for the President.

4 – The construction of an educational anti-racism agenda for the military police and all national public security agents.

 

[1] http://www.oas.org/en/cidh/relatorios/pdfs/Brasil2021-en.pdf

[2] https://www.poder360.com.br/brasil/saiba-quem-era-joao-alberto-espancado-ate-a-morte-no-supermercado-carrefour/

[3] Official data not yet released

[4]https://extra.globo.com/casos-de-policia/resgatamos-os-corpos-nao-achamos-nenhuma-arma-fizeram-uma-chacina-diz-morador-do-complexo-do-salgueiro-25286728. html

[5]https://g1.globo.com/rj/rio-de-janeiro/noticia/2021/09/03/no-rj-38percent-dos-homicidios-foram-cometidos-por-policiais-em-7-meses- e-proporcao-bate-recorde.ghtml

Trans Day of Remembrance: An urgent call to combat transphobia in Latin America

Washington D.C., November 20, 2021. As we commemorate another year of International Transgender Day of Remembrance, the Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights (Race and Equality) wishes to draw the attention of States and the international community to the chilling numbers of murders of transgender people in the Americas – a reality that unfortunately places the region once more at the top of the list of most homicides worldwide. At the same time, Race and Equality wants to urge governments to prioritize issues of violence and discrimination against gender-diverse people and to adopt swift actions to combat transphobia.

On November 11, TGEU’s Transrespect versus Transphobia Worldwide (TvT) research project published its annual Trans Murder Monitoring (TMM) report, released every year on the eve of November 20, International Transgender Day of Remembrance. According to the data, between October 1, 2020, and September 30, 2021 there were 375 murders of trans people worldwide, of which 311 occurred between Mexico, Central and South America. Globally, the total represents a 7% increase from the previous report (October 2019 – September 2020).

Transphobic tragedy

In Latin America, Brazil continues to be the country with the highest number of murders against transgender people, followed by Mexico (65), Honduras (53) and Colombia (25)*. Regarding global figures, the TMM report highlights that 96% of the murdered persons were transgender women or transgender feminine persons, and 58% were transgender sex workers. This is a pattern that has been corroborated in the region by reports published by LGBTI+ organizations.

“The data indicates a worrying trend regarding the intersections between misogyny, racism, xenophobia and hatred towards sex workers, with the majority of victims being black and colored transgender women, migrants and sex workers,” warns TMM, which also alerts that these numbers are only a small sample of the reality, since many murders remain unreported, or are misidentified.

Lives taken away

Brazil, which represents 41% of the global murders against transgender people, also commemorates on this day the National Day of Black Consciousness. Therefore, November 20 represents a date among human rights organizations in the country – especially those working in the defense of the trans population and the black population – to honor both populations and coincides in the intersection of their vulnerabilities in the midst of a transphobic and racist society.

Brazil began 2021 with the brutal murder of a transgender teenager. In the early morning of January 4, Keron Ravach was stabbed and beaten to death by a 17-year-old who was identified and arrested as the perpetrator of the hate crime. The young woman, who was going through a gender transition process, was defined by her friends as a shy person, but who at the same time dreamed of being a social media influencer. According to the TMM report, the average age of trans people murdered in the last year is 30 years old, with Keron being the youngest of all victims, at just 13 years old.

Indolence and Impunity

In most cases of murdered transgender persons there is a history of violence and threats, but these are often ignored by the authorities or are not dealt with in a timely manner. As such, when the murder occurs, there is insufficient information to identify the person or persons responsible. This issue has been expressed by organizations who promote and defend the rights of the LGBTI+ population and was manifested in the murder of Gina Rodríguez Sinuiri on September 21, in Callao, Peru.

Gina, 28, was stabbed several times in a hotel room in the city. Although immediately taken to a hospital, she was pronounced dead 18 hours later. The suspect is a man who regularly solicited the services of transgender sex workers and contacted them through his social networks using different names. According to her companions, it was not the first time the man contacted Gina. In addition, Agencia Presentes, which is in charge of making visible the situation of the LGBTI+ population in Latin America and the Caribbean-collected statements from Gina’s partners, in which they pointed out that on several occasions they have approached the Peruvian National Police to report acts of violence against them but are always ignored.

On top of the authorities’ lack of action there is the fact that Peru does not have a Gender Identity Law, which means that transgender people cannot carry out procedures with their social name, and this exposes them to discrimination and mockery in various sectors of society. “We denounce to the authorities and the police, but they do not pay attention to us, and that is what makes us frustrated and angry. We have families, we are human beings with feelings. Every time we file a complaint, when we turn around, they put it away. The worst thing is that they laugh and throw us out,” said a colleague of Gina on that occasion.

Dying in Invisibility

Although the murders of transgender people are generally silenced, when addressing this issue reference is usually made only to transgender women, because statistics show that they are the main victims, which is undoubtedly a reality. However, transgender men are also the focus of violence and discrimination due to transphobia and, as in the case of trans women, this can become deadly for them. One such example is the case of Samuel Edmund Damian Valentin, a young transgender man who was shot and killed on January 9 in Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico.

Samuel Edmund was a student at Atlantic University College, in Guaynabo. On January 1 he had written on his Facebook page, “a new year to come, grateful for all the experiences that [taught me] how strong we really are, to life, to good and evil and for all the justice that is to come.”

“About transgender men and invisibilization in the public sphere, the truth is that it is the violence we suffer the most. Everyday life is designed for cis-gender men; we cannot be guaranteed public health issues in a dignified and efficient way for us. It is important that our identities are named, that trans men or transmasculine people get pregnant. What is not named does not exist. If we exist in the spaces, let us exist in the word”, says Danilo Donato, transmasculine activist and member of the GAAT Foundation in Colombia. According to the record of this organization on death of trans people, so far this year 2021 in the country 32 have been killed to date, while 8 have died from complications arising from surgeries and handmade interventions and barriers to access to rights.

Hate at its maximum expression

Kendra Contreras, known as “Lala”, was a 22-year-old transgender woman who lived in the town of Somotillo, in western Nicaragua. Those who knew Lala say that she was a young dreamer, hard-working, with a desire to better herself and who wanted her gender identity to be respected. Sadly, on March 3, 2021, two men ended her life in an atrocious way; they tied her to a horse and let it drag her twice for at least 400 meters and then stoned her. This is the ultimate expression of hatred towards women, bodies and diverse identities in a highly macho society, such as the Nicaraguan one.

Unfortunately, that was not the only time they killed Lala, as they do it every time they disrespect her gender identity and call her by her “first name” when they refer to her as “man” in news reports. Many media outlets fail to properly handle these cases by focusing on information and prejudices that generate morbidity and revictimize the victims of transphobia and gender violence.

Urgent appeal

Every year, Race and Equality takes advantage of this date to remind countries of their obligation to respect and guarantee the rights of all people without any kind of discrimination. Regarding the situation of violence and murders against trans people, we make the following recommendations:

  • Monitor and publicly sanction transphobic speeches that often slip into the media and incur in calls for discrimination and violence against the trans population.
  • Adopt the necessary laws and policies to guarantee the recognition, respect and inclusion of people with diverse sexual orientation and gender identity.
  • Establish special mechanisms to respond to acts of violence and murders against LGBI and trans persons, which lead to the clarification of the facts and the punishment of those responsible, as well as the establishment of guarantees of non-repetition.
  • Collect data on acts of violence and murders against trans persons, disaggregated by specific gender identity and ethnic-racial identity.
  • Promote through the institutions and official channels a campaign to educate and sensitize the population on sexual orientation and gender identity, with a view to generating a context of recognition and respect for the integrity and life of LGBI and trans persons.

*In the case of Colombia, the Foundation Grupo de Acción y Apoyo a Personas con Experiencia de Vida Trans (GAAT) recorded 32 murders of transgender people so far in 2021.

Brazil’s 600 thousand deaths: the crisis of representative democracy in a country of fake news

Brazil, October 8th, 2021 – Under the guidance of a president who continues to ignore health protocols and incite crowds during a pandemic, Brazil has officially reached the milestone of 600,000 deaths from COVID-19 this October. In his 2 years in power, Jair Messias Bolsonaro has been accused of being in denial. However, further analysis show that COVID-19 played a central role in the Bolsonaro government’s strategy to implement a policy of death and exclusion. Bolsonaro didn’t just simply deny the existence of a pandemic, it can be said that the President was. and continues to be COVID-19’s ‘propaganda boy’, a virus activists and disseminator that brought about the crisis of democracy in the country through his fiery and radical speeches that have fueled the spread of false information and complete disregard for human rights.

The current government’s rise to power was facilitated largely by Jair Bolsonaro’s “myth”. A character who is a spokesperson for a Christian God and the traditional Brazilian family, and who evokes order and patriotism, seeking to restore a country filled with uncertainty and systemic corruption. The President is in a political alliance with center and right-wing parties, in addition to its obedient ministerial leadership. His family reveals itself as the focal point in the government’s corruption scandals. These factors paved way to a sequence of approved laws, signed decrees and controversial reforms with the consent of the legislative parliament.

In this context, public institutions, civil society organizations and activist leaderships that look after the democratic rule of law and human rights have become the target of political attacks, ranging from physical and/or online hate attacks to restriction of spaces of representation and citizen participation. There exists a political project which focuses on the expansion of inequalities, “fake news” and removal of rights from entire populations, among which, the most affected were already in a vulnerable situation, such as the black, quilombola, indigenous and LGBTI+ populations.

In this regard, the International Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights (Race and Equality) publishes this editorial letter to ask the international community for a joint statement urging the Brazilian State to provide clear and transparent information, and respect for the independence of federal entities and institutions, as well as the Universities, Federal Police and Supreme Court for the free exercise of freedom of expression, guaranteed by the Constitution, and for an impartial investigation process into the Bolsonaro government. After all, what are the interest of an authoritarian President who imposed government secrecy of up to 100 years to his vaccination card and to his children’s badges about their access to the Government head office?

Below is an updated overview of the acts of power that are triggering the crisis of representative democracy in Brazil, in which 600,000 lives have been lost to COVID-19. Brazil is the nation with the second-highest mortality rate, and occupies the 62nd place in the global ranking of application of vaccines against the coronavirus(1). Until now, 44.61% of the Brazilian population has been fully immunized.

CPI of COVID-19 – Established in April 2021 and with a deadline for completion in November this year, the Parliamentary Inquiry Commission (CPI in Portuguese), headed by the Federal Senate, aims to investigate irregularities in the Bolsonaro government’s policies to combat the pandemic in the country. Since its inception a series of scandals has been uncovered, including a major corruption scheme in the purchase of vaccines 1000% more expensive. In addition, the government also acted so that the private health operator `Prevent Senior´recommends the ´Covid Kit`, which contains a package of drugs that have been proven to be ineffective for the treatment of COVID-19, making its patients human laboratory experiments for the Federal Government’s lucrative and hidden interests. It was also proven that in the first year of the pandemic 120,000 lives could have been saved had Brazil followed effective public health and world health protocols.

In addition, the study also brought to light the focus of racial, class and gender inequality in pandemic-related deaths. Among preventable deaths, it was found that the black population was severely affected, having a 17% higher risk of dying in the public network. Therefore, the CPI is revealing the intricacies of necropolitics that it has underlined before every nation that “death is also hospital discharge”.

2022 Elections and Judicial Inquiries – The Bolsonaro government’s plan for reelection follows its manipulation during the pandemic, the populist appeal and disrespect for democratic institutions. The President launched voracious attacks against the Brazilian electoral system, campaigning for the return of the printed vote and, despite losing the appeal, continued to attack the legitimacy and reliability of Brazil’s current election model. However, to guarantee his re-election, Bolsonaro continues to pass laws and decrees that remove rights from the population and benefit political and private sectors of society, in other words, the economic elite.

Some examples include: The Electoral Fund, which provides for the parties’ budget to carry out electoral campaigns and , despite vetoes, can withdraw R$3.5 billion from health in 2022; The Mini Labor Reform, which makes working conditions even more precarious and makes labor justice inaccessible for the workers; The anti-terrorism law, already approved in the Chamber of Deputies, which provides for the creation of a secret police for Bolsonaro and the approval of the exclusion of illegality of public security agents, a fact denounced by civil society as a license to kill. This law has even been criticized by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, who considered its text a threat to human rights activists and civil society entities; and the Land grabbing project, favoring deforestation and impunity for environmental crimes – this bill is one of the subterfuges of the rural caucus for the occupation of public lands.

Despite all these schemes to stay in power, Bolsonaro is investigated in five inquiries which are ongoing at the Supreme Court (STF – its acronym in Portuguese) and at the Superior Electoral Court (TSE – its acronym in Portuguese). From the fake news inquiry to irregularities in the purchase of Covaxin vaccines, government allies are also being investigated for attacks on democracy and state institutions. In addition, his sons; Carlos, Eduardo and Renan Bolsonaro, and his wife Michele Bolsonaro, are also being investigated for various crimes, among which are suspected of leading a criminal organization to passive corruption. During this period, Bolsonaro once again acted against the transparency of information and authorized a secret budget for 2022, in which it maintains in its power the release of resources in exchange for votes in the legislative house.

Protests for Bolsonaro’s impeachment and the undemocratic protests –With a growing rejection of the current government, demonstrations erupted across the country in favor of impeaching Bolsonaro. Even some parties that campaigned in favor of the election of the President, organized themselves into acts calling for the end of the government. With the motto “Vaccine in the arm and food on the plate”, civil society organizations denounce the racist and genocidal barbarism allied to the current dismantling of public policies. The economic crisis, aggravated by high food prices and inflation, together with the increase in vaccination, have encouraged more people to take to the streets in protests calling ‘Bolsonaro Out‘. The last demonstration took place on October 2, 2021 and managed to bring together various sectors of society. There are more than 123 requests for impeachment presented that attribute crimes to the President, in addition to several accusations to international bodies and even in the International Court of Justice (ICJ), for crimes against humanity and genocide.

However, between the fall of his popularity and the current crisis of his government, Bolsonaro has not renounced the media strategies of abuse of power and authoritarianism. He challenged legal institutions by inciting protests on September 7th, Brazilian Independence Day, where anti-democratic demonstrations took place in which the people, inflamed by the President’s warlike and despot speech, exalted disobedience to justice through military intervention and against the STF. Still, other anti-democratic demonstrations were ignited with the support of some truck drivers which also intended to massively paralyze some of the country’s highways on the same date. However, fearing reprisals, Bolsonaro sent an audio message asking them to put an end to the attempt. As the situation only got worse, a few days after his attacks on democracy, the President issued a media note attempting to pacify tensions, proposing a truce between the country’s institutions of power. Whether an irony of fate or a camouflaged electoral move, the statement released was written by Michel Temer, former president of Brazil.

Bolsonaro at the UN – In addition to being the only unvaccinated G20 leader present at the 75th UN General Assembly, Bolsonaro, in his opening remarks distorted facts and spread false information. In an illusory communist attack on the country, the President cried out in the name of God in a secular country and claimed there was no corruption in his government. He defended his ineffective early treatment for COVID-19 and opposed the health passport and concealed data on deforestation in the Amazon, even ignoring the consequences of the pandemic on indigenous peoples and territories. As if that wasn’t enough, some members of the President’s entourage were diagnosed with COVID during the trip, including the Minister of Health, Marcelo Queiroga. The minister had a week earlier suspended the national adolescent vaccination strategy, making it difficult to provide doses in several states. Even so, on the recommendation of Anvisa(2), those infected during the trip had to undergo isolation in New York, at the expense of the Brazilian taxpayers.

Hunger and Unemployment – Food and nutritional insecurity has grown exponentially in the country due to the crisis caused by the pandemic and the high rate of unemployment and informal work. According to the National Survey on Food Insecurity held in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic, 43.4 million Brazilians do not have enough food and 19.1 million (9% of the population) are starving. An example of this bleak and severe scenario recently reported in the media is the distribution of remnants of meat and bones for the hungry population and without any financial resources. In this way, it appears again that the current political project dialogues with necropolitics by allowing hunger to reach these levels, especially affecting the black population. While the population is starving, the Minister of Economy, Paulo Guedes, disdains the rise in inflation, and the results of his economic policy are reflected in the rise in prices of basic food and cooking gas.

Environment: Thesis on the  Marco Temporal (Time Limit) and Ricardo Salles’ Dismissal – The Marco Temporal interpretative framework  goes against the rights of Brazilian native peoples. According to this thesis, indigenous populations are only entitled to the lands they occupied before the promulgation of the 1988 Constitution. However, there are still isolated peoples, those who were expelled from their territories and lands acquired and recognized as having indigenous rights after 1988. Thus, the review of the demarcation of indigenous lands serves the interests of the agrobusiness sectors, land grabbers and miners, in search of extractive and commercial exploitation. In August of this year, more than six thousand representatives of 147 peoples from the country camped in Brasília, to accompany the judgment by the STF. Despite all the indigenous mobilization that took large proportions even on the international scene, the judgment, which was tied at 1×1 between the rapporteurs, was suspended at the end of September without a deadline for resumption. It is worth remembering that even though it is a racist and discriminatory thesis, what is widely discussed about the Marco Temporal is the indigenous territorial issue.

Among the agendas of the environment, the then Minister of Environment, Ricardo Salles, became the target of investigations for involvement in a scheme of illegal timber import between support for changes in environmental rules. Accusations include corruption and favoring burning in the Amazon, and other various environmental crimes in levied against Salles. As soon as he became a defendant, Salles asked to be removed from office and was dismissed. The operation triggered by the STF also determined the removal of the President of IBAMA (3), Eduardo Bim, on suspicion of irregularities.

This editorial seeks to fulfill the mission of Race and Equality, of denouncing human rights violations in Latin America. Our work in Brazil recognizes that the crisis of representative democracy combined with political interests, further deepens socioeconomic inequalities. The circulation of disinformation and fake news needs to be addressed urgently, as they serve to expand a polarized political debate in which there is the criminalization of poverty allied to racist, anti-LGBTI and sexist discourses and violence. The pandemic slaughter has already cost 600,000 lives, many of which could have been preventable, but will it be that, in the face of so many accusations, Bolsonaro’s Brazil will reach the deplorable mark of 1 million deaths? We hope not.

  • Data from September 13, 2021
  • Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency
  • Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources

Race and Equality launches regional campaign to promote the ratification and implementation of the Inter-American Convention Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, and Related Forms of Intolerance

Washington, D.C.; September 4, 2021.- On September 2, the International Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights (Race and Equality) launched its new campaign Toward a Region Free From Racial Discrimination, which will last until 2024 and seeks to promote the universal ratification and implementation of the Inter-American Convention Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, and Related Forms of Intolerance (known by its Spanish acronym CIRDI).

The campaign, which takes place in the context of the International Decade for People of African Descent (2015-2024), was launched in a virtual event that featured Commissioner Margarette May Macaulay, Rapporteur for the Rights of Afro-descendants and Against Racial Discrimination at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR); Gay McDougall, who was recently re-elected to serve a third term on the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD); and Vice President of Costa Rica Epsy Campbell.

Representatives from Antigua and Barbuda, Brazil, and Mexico, all State Parties to the Convention, also participated. Carlos Quesada, Race and Equality’s Executive Director, introduced the campaign while Latin America Program Officer Elvia Duque served as the moderator.

“This campaign is necessary, especially during the International Decade for People of African Descent, for the majority of countries in the Americas to ratify and implement this important Convention,” remarked Quesada in his introduction to the event.

The campaign

Race and Equality considers the ratification and implementation of CIRDI a necessary step to make the systemic forms of racism and discrimination against Afro-descendants, indigenous peoples, and other minorities in the region more visible. Race and Equality also emphasizes that the Convention is a key step for states to fulfill their international obligations to promote equitable conditions, ensure equality of opportunity, and combat racial discrimination in all individual, structural, and institutional forms.

The ultimate goal of the campaign is for all 35 members of the Organization of American States (OAS) to sign, ratify, and implement CIRDI by the end of 2024.

To that end, the campaign will consist of bilateral and multilateral initiatives across the region. These activities will offer accompaniment and resources to states as they move towards ratifying and implementing the Convention. Civil society organizations will also play an important role in the campaign, receiving training and tools to monitor the ratification and implementation processes.

The importance of CIRDI

Although the OAS General Assembly approved the Inter-American Convention against Racism in 2013 and it entered into force in 2017, only 6 of the 35 OAS Member States have ratified it: Antigua and Barbuda, Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, and Uruguay. During the event, Costa Rican Vice President Epsy Campbell explained that improving the rate of ratification had become all the more important after UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet released a report on global systemic racism in 2020.

Bachelet’s report stemmed from UN Human Rights Council Resolution 43/1 (Promotion and protection of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of Africans and of people of African descent against excessive use of force and other human rights violations by law enforcement officers), which was passed in the context of worldwide protests against the killing of George Floyd. The Resolution calls on all states to take an active role in achieving racial justice, using all available human rights instruments to combat racism and discrimination.

Joy-Dee Davis Lake, the Alternative Representative of Antigua and Barbuda to the OAS, stated that CIRDI was passed by the OAS General Assembly in a moment of international attention on the need to build upon the human rights protections enshrined in the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD).

Together, said Davis Lake, the CERD and CIRDI “represent the most ambitious efforts to prohibit discrimination under international law, be it on the grounds of race, color, national or ethnic origin, nationality, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, language, religion, cultural identity, opinions of any kind, social origin, socio-economic states, level of education, refugee or migrant status, or disability.”

Paulo Roberto, Brazil’s National Secretary for Policies to Promote Racial Equality, celebrated his country’s ratification of the Convention and called on other states to do the same: “We ratified the Convention on May 13 of this year, which is also the date of the Áurea Law [which abolished slavery in Brazil], a great step forward for Brazilian society. The Convention is an instrument to fight racism and the cultural impacts of colonialism.”

Christopher Ballinas, General Director for Human Rights and Democracy at the Secretariat of Foreign Relations of Mexico, stated that “racism and discrimination is a theme of vital importance in our region because it allows us to integrate our multicultural societies, and also because failing to fight racism and discrimination in multicultural societies leads to hateful discourses and hate crimes.”

Ballinas explained that Mexico was motivated to ratify CIRDI by a hate crime committed in August 2019, when 23 people, including 9 Mexican nationals, were murdered in El Paso, Texas.

Commissioner Macaulay pointed out that CIRDI calls for the creation of an Inter-American Committee to Prevent and Eliminate Racism, Racial Discrimination, and All Forms of Discrimination and Intolerance, an independent body that will consist of one representative from each State Party and will monitor the State Parties’ commitments under the Convention.

“I strongly recommend that all Member States ratify and implement the Convention. The structural discrimination against Afro-descendants, indigenous peoples, and other groups demands a strong and serious commitment to combatting discrimination and all forms of intolerance in our hemisphere,” said Macaulay.

Gay McDougall of the UN Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) emphasized that the entire international community has a responsibility to combat racism and racial discrimination, saying, “the killing of George Floyd created a new level of urgency to speed up our response.”

Sonia Guajajara, an indigenous leader who serves as the Executive Coordinator of the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB), celebrated Brazil’s ratification of CIRDI, but also denounced ongoing structural, institutional, and environmental racism in the country, challenging the audience to ask themselves, “racial harmony for who?” when considering these issues. Guajajara discussed the experiences of the Lucha por la vida (Fight for Life) protest movement, in which 6,000 people have assembled to oppose the Hito Temporal court decision that puts indigenous territories protected under Brazil’s Constitution at risk.

“In Brazil, there is a tendency to deny the existence of racism or only acknowledge it in cases of extreme hate crimes. Indigenous people have fought for respect for our ways of life around the world, and in the Americas it is no different. We have seen our leaders killed, our women raped, our territorial rights violated, and our young people dying of suicide,” she said.

Paola Yáñez, Regional Coordinator of the Network of Afro-Latina, Afro-Caribbean, and Diaspora Women, discussed the work of women’s organizations in the region to bring issues of racism to the foreground across the region, saying, “the adoption of the Convention is an important milestone for the Afro-descendant movement that will allow us to move forward in recognizing racism and the need to act against it across the region.”

According to Noelia Maciel, a member of the National Afro-Uruguayan Coordination, “It is important for all states to ratify this Convention because it represents the culmination of three decades of struggle against racism and racial discrimination, and it is necessary to integrate this into our national frameworks so that we can protect the rights of Afro-descendants, indigenous peoples, and other ethnic or racial minorities.”

Join us

More information about the campaign’s goals, strategies, and activities can be found at Cirdi2024.org. The website also includes more information about CIRDI and the region’s progress towards signing and ratifying it, along with the tools needed to advance this process. The website is available in Spanish, English, and Portuguese. The campaign will also be active on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Lesbian Visibility Day in Brazil: Luana Barbosa Case – “If not for us, no one will be”*

Brazil, August 29, 2021 – The month of August in Brazil highlights and marks the struggles of lesbian women. It’s a month that honors Lesbian Pride— August 19 specifically references the first manifestation of lesbian women, known as the “Brazilian Stonewall,” in São Paulo, in 1983. Banned from distributing the bulletin, “Chanacomchana,” Brazil’s first lesbian activist publication, the activists decided to occupy Ferro’s Bar’ claiming their rights and denouncing lesbophobia. August 29 also calls for the right to freedom of expression and representation as it represents Lesbian Visibility Day. It was during the first National Lesbian Seminar (Senale) held in Rio de Janeiro, in 1996, that the date was created to denounce the erasure and highlight lesbian experiences within the LGBTI+ and feminist movement.

To stress the importance of ‘Lesbian Visibility,’ Race and Equality brings to the surface the Luana Barbosa Case, which completes five years this year. The murder of 34-year-old Luana Barbosa dos Reis Santos, in 2016, in Ribeirão Preto (SP), denotes the complete invisibility black lesbian women endure, the absence of their social and individual rights, and moreover it symbolizes why lesbians need to claim a fight for visibility, rights and integral security.

Luana was the victim of brutal police violence. After being approached by three military police officers, she refused to be searched and demanded the presence of a female police officer. In the company of her son, mother and neighbors, Luana was brutally beaten by the police and as a result died five days after the attack due to cerebral ischemia and brain trauma. The brutality of her death reveals the intricacies of police actions in Brazil towards black LGBTI+ people, who, in addition to possessing a color that equates to the public enemy for the police, Luana’s existence challenges the cis-heteronormativity, further aggravating police brutality. After Luana’s experience with police brutality, she still managed to record a video in which she reported the assaults, in addition to the death threats made by police officers who also threatened her family [1].

In February 2020, Luana’s case was ordered by the courts so that the defendants would be tried by the popular jury. However, the defense appealed and the trial continues without a definite date. Although the trial was suspended, the case of Luana Barbosa was not labeled as a mere allegory of police violence in Brazil. Immediately after the incident, the UN Women and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights of South America (OHCHR) appealed to the Brazilian State for an impartial and transparent investigation recognizing that the case of Luana is emblematic of racist violence, gender and lesbophobic in Brazil [2].

According to Roseli Barbosa, the sister of the victim, the fact that Luana associates with masculine lesbianism, which in Brazil is accompanied by the adjectives: ‘sapatão’ and ‘camioneira’ in a pejorative way (words that were re-signified by the lesbian movements with pride and belonging), constantly made Luana the target of insults and prejudice. Several times, Luana paid a high price for looking like a poor, black man [3]. In another police interrogation, Luana had to show her breasts to prove she was a woman. The presumption of innocence for black, poor and vulnerable people is practically non-existent. To exist as a black-lesbian, woman-mother-peripheral is a cry of resistance in Brazil.

What is the color of the Invisible?

Race and Equality continues to follow the case of Luana Barbosa with Brazilian LGBTI+ organizations and denounce it to international human rights mechanisms. In the dossier “What is the color of the Invisible? The human rights situation of the black LGBTI population in Brazil” [4], published by Race and Equality, there is a chapter dedicated to denouncing police violence against black LGBTI people in the country. In focus groups carried out by civil society organizations, it can be seen that the brutal death of a black woman did not mobilize society and that lesbian invisibility is a determining factor in the lack of public commotion regarding the deaths caused by the State.

As the dossier points out, socio-racial hierarchies in Brazil determine the conditions of life and death. There is a hierarchy between death that is visible and death that is not, and skin color is a factor that separates the two. Fátima Lima, a black lesbian woman and university professor, argues that the life and death of lesbian women are marked by erasure.

“The violence suffered by black and racialized women in the context of the South is still very little visible, discussed and faced. Marked by silence and pain, their stories are crossed by different forms of violence that range from injurious discursive practices to corrective rape, beatings and murders. In the Brazilian LGBTI+ movement, for example, lesbian women have always denounced their deletion,” expresses Fátima. [5]

 2021: Building new directions for the case of Luana Barbosa

In 2021, the case of Luana Barbosa continued to have international repercussions during the 47th Assembly of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), in which Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, presented the report on systemic racism and the excessive use of public force [6]. The tragic story of Luana’s murder was recorded in the report as one of seven cases in the world where police violence was linked directly to racial discrimination and prejudice. According to Bachelet, “there is a widespread presumption of guilt over black people,” and adds that “the excessive vigilance imposed on black people makes them feel threatened rather than protected.”

During that same Assembly (UNHRC47), Race and Equality denounced police and political violence against LGBTI+ people in Brazil as a result of systemic racism. Together with the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA Mundo), they joined the pronouncement of the Brazilian Association of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Transvestites, Transsexuals and Intersex (ABGLT). It should be noted that the case of Luana Barbosa was present in the joint statement, to further foster an international repercussion of justice for Luana Barbosa [7].

Nationally, there is a political movement to fight against lesbocide and for LGBTI+ agendas. During the last municipal election, in 2020, several black, lesbian and transgender parliamentarians were elected, however before and during the electoral process they faced numerous threats and hate speech for their expressions of gender and sexual orientation. During their terms of office, these parliamentarians strategically united to confront and denounce the ongoing political violence in Brazil.

Mônica Francisco, State Deputy of Rio de Janeiro (PSOL), is the author of the ‘Luana Barbosa Draft Law.’ The bill aims to establish April 13 (date of Luana’s murder) as the ‘State Day to Combat Lesbocide.’ In addition to making visible and promoting the rights of lesbian women, the date is intended to support public campaigns and activities aimed at raising public awareness of a culture of non-violence against lesbian women. The bill, which still needs to be voted on and approved by the Legislative Assembly of Rio de Janeiro, represents a major step towards the construction of a public agenda that supports and makes visible the protection and integral health of lesbian women.

Among the circumstances that made Luana Barbosa’s case a symbol of the struggle and resistance of lesbian women in Brazil, Race and Equality understands that the lack of public authority assistance for the specificities of lesbian women is one of the key factors for their agenda’s erasure. The absence of public data on lesbocide and on the current situation of living lesbians leaves civil society with the responsibility of research production which does not always have the necessary financial support to be carried out.

In Rio de Janeiro, in 2020, the Collective Resistance Lesbian da Maré launched a mapping of lesbian and bisexual women living in favelas [8]. The document aims to denounce the scarcity of answers about lesbian experiences in favelas, especially experiences of non-violence, since the hegemonic representations of favelas refer to violence and the abandonment of public power. Also, the Associação Lesbofeminista Coturno de Vênus, headquartered in Brasília, launched, in 2020, a mapping of lesbians in the Federal District. This year, Coturno de Vênus is promoting a nationwide mapping of lesbians, together with the Brazilian Lesbian League. It will be the first national socio-demographic mapping of lesbians.

Race and Equality recognizes that there is still a long way for lesbian women to reach the fullness of their rights. It is essential to create public policies that deconstruct a collective imaginary beyond violence, pain and hypersexualization of lesbian women. Violence in life, through corrective rapes, family abandonment, conversion therapies, loss of custody of their children, lead many lesbian women to suicide. Thus, Race and Equality recommends to the Brazilian State to:

1 – Create a Legal and Parliamentary Committee to produce data on violence against lesbian women – lesbocide (lesbocídio);

2 – Promote public policies that support and strengthen organizations that seek to make lesbian agendas visible;

3 – Implement a policy of comprehensive protection for lesbian women who are victims of violence, in light of the intersectional issues raised in Luana Barbosa’s case;

4- Promote actions and campaigns to combat lesbophobia to eradicate disinformation and prejudice that reproduce the marginalization of lesbian women;

5 – Implement a national health policy that meets the specificities of the LGBTI population, in this case, specifically meeting the demands of the lesbian population.

 

 

 

*Quote by Jész Ipólito in his article published in: https://www.geledes.org.br/do-luto-luta-nao-esqueceremos-luana-barbosa-dos-reis-morta-por-pms-em-ribeirao-preto/

[1] http://g1.globo.com/sp/ribeirao-preto-franca/noticia/2016/05/antes-de-morrer-mulher-espancada-disse-que-foi-ameacada-por-pms-veja.html

[2] http://www.onumulheres.org.br/noticias/nota-publica-do-alto-comissariado-de-direitos-humanos-das-nacoes-unidas-para-america-do-sul-e-da-onu-mulheres-brasil-sobre-o-assassinato-de-luana-reis/

[3] https://ponte.org/a-historia-de-luana-mae-negra-pobre-e-lesbica-ela-morreu-apos-ser-espancada-por-tres-pms/

[4] and [5] http://oldrace.wp/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/FINAL_dossie-lgbti-brasil-ebook.pdf

[6]https://www.ohchr.org/SP/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=27218&LangID=S

[7] http://oldrace.wp/es/onu/raca-e-igualdade-celebra-a-adocao-da-onu/

[8] https://bit.ly/2TDB5ES and http://oldrace.wp/es/brazil-es/coletiva-resistencia-lesbica-realiza-mapeamento/

[9] https://bit.ly/lesbocenso and  http://oldrace.wp/es/brazil-es/coturno-de-venus-realiza-lesbocenso/

 

Race and Equality launches a project to combat religious racism in Brazil

Brazil, August 18, 2021 – In order to promote religious tolerance and reduce violence and discrimination against practitioners of African-derived religions in Brazil, the International Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights (Race and Equality) is set to launch a project to combat religious racism alongside Brazilian civil society organizations. This two-year project aims to empower and strengthen Afro-Brazilian organizations so they can document cases of violence based on religious beliefs. This documentation will be used for international strategic litigation that promotes a culture of respect for religious freedom, as well as to enable the legal support necessary for victims of religious racism.

The organizations that will coordinate the project with Race and Equality include: NGO Criola, RENAFRO (National Network of Afro-Brazilian Religions and Health) and FOPAFRO (Permanent Afro-Religious Forum of the State of Pará). These three entities will be responsible for training terreiros[1] in the states of Bahia, Mato Grosso, Pará, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. Among the organizations involved, Race and Equality understands that it is of paramount importance to train religious leaders on national laws that deal with racial discrimination and to document human rights violations. These entities will not only present their documentation to the local, state, and federal authorities, but also to the Inter-American System of Human Rights, the UN, and advocate for Brazil to be held internationally accountable.

Furthermore, the strengthening of community and religious leaders presents itself as a unique opportunity given that, in 2022, Brazil will be reviewed by the United Nations committee that oversees the International Convention for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD). Therefore, the documentation and visibility of cases of religious racism in the country is beneficial so that civil society can demand and hold the Brazilian government accountable, and pressure them to fulfill their internal obligations based on their international human rights commitments.

Another point to highlight in this project is the media and lawyers who are dedicated to the issue of religious racism in Brazil. Since the media, especially newspapers and TV news reports play a key role in perpetuating negative stereotypes against African-based religions, training journalists aims to break paradigms and demystify current narratives. These paradigms and narratives, in addition to silencing the practitioners of these religions, rely on dogmas of Judeo-Christian religions. In turn, it is urgent to prepare a legal body to respond to the growing denunciations of cases of religious racism and its victims. This project also seeks to expand and promote educational programs that qualify networks of lawyers in the country.

This project’s objective includes the promotion and respect for religious freedom, as well as creating activities that contribute to a paradigm shift at national and international level. For Carlos Quesada, Executive Director of Race and Equality, the legacy of this project is also in its multiplier effect, for the training activities aim to create an informal human rights network to defend religious freedom in Brazil and, thus, the organizations develop autonomy to document, denounce and address human rights violations. In addition, Quesada points out that in the international scene there is a lack of knowledge regarding religious racism in Brazil.

“There is a cultural fallacy that Brazil is a country in which everyone can exercise their religious beliefs freely. However, structural racism also manifests itself in religions from burning terreiros to parents who lose custody of their children by expressing their faith. Thus, the violence manifested by religious intolerance undermines the principles of human rights. We need to make these cases visible internationally and foster awareness at the national level,” contends Quesada.

Race and Equality recognizes that religious racism is a problem that needs to be combated in Brazil with the creation of public policies and implementation of laws that have already been approved. According to data from the Ministry of Women, Family and Human Rights, in 2019, there was an increase of 56% (356 in total) in complaints and assaults for religious intolerance, compared to 211 in 2018 [1]. Most of the victims were followers of the Candomblé and Umbanda religions [2]. In addition, Data Dial 100, a telephone line for reporting violence, shows that between 2015 and 2019, 2,712 complaints of religious violence were made in Brazil, among these communications 57.5% were of African-based religions [3].

Teaming up with Afro-Brazilian organizations, Race and Equality reaffirms its commitment to denounce and combat human rights violations. Religious intolerance violates the right to equality, freedom of belief and expression, as well as fostering actions of violence and a culture of hatred that laregely affects populations vulnerable to structural racism and LGBTIphobia. That being said, throughout this project Race and Equality will denounce cases of negligence, racism and discrimination affecting religious democracy in Brazil.

 

 

[1] Terreiro means African-inspired traditional house.

[2]https://www.brasildefato.com.br/2020/01/21/denuncias-de-intolerancia-religiosa-aumentaram-56-no-brasil-em-2019

[3] The two well-known Afro-Brazilian religious traditions are Candomblé and Umbanda. Candomblé was formed by enslaved Africans, while Umbanda was created in Brazil at the beginning of the last century. There are notable differences between the two traditions. Candomblé’s chants are performed in languages ​​of African origin, such as Yoruba or Kimbundu. While in Umbanda, they are sung mainly in Portuguese. Another difference is the practice of animal sacrifice. In Candomblé, the practice of animal sacrifice is carried out as a way of circulating the energy that animates everything in the world: axé. More than religions, these traditions reveal the social, cultural and spiritual practices on the African continent.

[4] https://www.gov.br/mdh/pt-br/acesso-a-informacao/ouvidoria/balanco-disque-100

Race and Equality celebrates the adoption of the UN resolution for the protection of african people and afro-descendants against police violence

Washington DC, July 15, 2021 – The Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights (Race and Equality) celebrates the adoption, by consensus, of Resolution A/HRC/47/L.8 Rev.1, which aims to promote and protect African and Afro-descendants against excessive use of public force. This resolution was voted on at the 47th  General Assembly of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (HRC47), in which Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, presented her report on the subject, calling on member states to dismantle systemic racism and end police violence. This ruling is a historic step towards reforming systemic police brutality against the black population.

The Resolution establishes an international mechanism of independent experts to promote transformative changes to justice and racial equality. This mechanism should be composed of three experts with experience in law enforcement and human rights, who will be appointed by the President of the Human Rights Council, under the guidance of the High Commissioner. To this end, the mechanism must work closely with experts from international bodies and treaties.

Additionally, this same mechanism will be responsible for investigating the responses of governments to peaceful protests against racism and all international human rights violations, as well as contribute to accountability and reparation of victims. The mechanism will be presented to the UN Council annually, together with the High Commissioner, who will also present an annual report, to be declared at its 51st session in June 2022.

Furthermore, it should be noted that the adopted Resolution recognizes the legacy of slavery, colonialism, and the transatlantic slave trade of African peoples. This recognition dialogues with the 21-year-old Durban Conference, whose Durban Declaration and program of action cite the link between the past, present and future, recognizing that Afro-descendants continue to be victims of the consequences of slavery, the slave trade and colonialism. Thus, both documents call for the former colonial powers to assume the consequences of colonization and its impacts on today’s black population around the world.

In presenting her report, Bachelet reiterated that, “no state has taken full responsibility for the past or the current impact of systemic racism,” thus confirming the urgent need for measures to ensure an end to impunity and discriminatory policies. Thus, the promotion of racial justice and equality pervades the adoption of reparatory policies against systemic racism in Western nations affected by colonialism

In view of this resolution, we also praise the importance of human rights organizations and defenders who are part of the anti-racist struggle. Through their advocacy work, the committee against racial discrimination, the rapporteur on racism and the working group on Afro-descendants have made numerous recommendations to the UN system for the protection of human rights.

Towards a Global Transformative Agenda

The implications of Resolution A/HRC/47/L.8/Rev.1 of the Human Rights Council adopted by the UN are the results of a historical demand of the black population around the world. Michelle Bachelet’s mandate research under Resolution 43/1, provides concrete recommendations on the measures needed to ensure access to justice, accountability, reparation for excessive use of force, and other human rights violations against the black population. The case of George Floyd in the US brought to light racial debate versus police violence on a global level. Therefore, investigating the violent responses of governments towards peaceful protests against racism and supporting the victims of human rights violations was made as an urgent response from international mechanisms.

That said, the attack on democracy by the States is carried out as an attempt to weaken both the anti-racist struggle and the guarantee to fundamental rights. Therefore, among the pillars of reparations to African and Afro-descendant peoples is the establishment of independent monitoring mechanisms and standardized methods to report and review the use of force. Furthermore, data should be published and broken-down by race or ethnic origin of the victims, highlighting the racial profile, the cause of deaths and serious injuries that are related to the maintenance of order, and subsequent prosecutions and convictions.

Statement on Police and Political Violence in Brazil

On the occasion of the UN’s HRC47, Race and Equality with Brazilian and international human rights organizations, denounced the ongoing police and political violence in Brazil as a result of systemic racism. The neglect of the Brazilian government in the face of constant allegations of human rights violations, both in the political sphere and in the public and private spheres, highlights how the structure that supports the maintenance of racist practices is ingrained in its institutions, especially in those in which the state seeks to impose order through violence—the police institution.

Thus, Race and Equality in partnership with the Marielle Franco Institute (IMF), IMADR and Minority Rights, [1] denounced police violence against the black population in Brazil. The statement, delivered by Anielle Franco, Executive Director of the IMF, urges the United Nations to establish an independent and impartial mechanism within the police forces that will help ensure accountability and respect for human rights standards and ensure that all cases of disproportionate use of force are investigated. In addition, the statement highlighted the recent cases of the Chacina do Jacarezinho, in which the excessive use of police force resulted in the brutal murder of 25 black youths in Jacarezinho, a favela in Rio de Janeiro; and the case of Kathleen Romeu, a 24-year-old pregnant black girl, shot dead during an illegal police operation in the Lins Vasconcelos Complex, also a favela in Rio de Janeiro.

In another complaint to the UN Council, Race and Equality and The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA Mundo), the Brazilian Association of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Transvestites, Transsexuals and Intersexes (ABGLT) [2] was to denounce not only police violence, but also political violence that has haunted, delegitimized and silenced the Brazilian LGBTI+ population. The statement highlighted the case of Luana Barbosa, a black woman, mother and lesbian, brutally murdered by police in 2016, whose case was mentioned in Bachelet’s report. In addition, the implications of systemic racism traversed by sexism, makes the LGBTI+ population hostage not only of police brutality, which disrespects its gender identities in a violent way, but also hostage to the anti-gender agenda promoted by the current government, already institutionalized in the promotion of hate speech and closure of specific public policies that serve the LGBTI+ population.

Thus, it is worth remembering that the brutality of police violence in Brazil disproportionately affects the racialized population and people who express different genders. With the promotion of a state security policy that aims to eliminate these bodies, the system relies on the racist and LGBTIphobic structures and commands an eye-catching necropolitical project aimed at an agenda of ethnic-racial cleansing, promoting the genocide of the black population. Presented as a fait accompli by the government to disregard the injunction of the Supreme Court (STF) that restricts police operations in the city’s favelas during the COVID-19 pandemic, has resulted in more than 800 people killed by police since June 2020.

Responses from the States in the Region

In response to the complaints, the Brazilian state lamented the deaths cited by the High Commissioner’s report, making itself available to continue cooperating with the UN. Furthermore, the state informed that the justice system is investigating cases and intends to work on systemic responses and proposes to work specifically on human rights education for public authorities.

The Colombian government on the other hand, questioned the data presented on the murders of Afro-Colombian leaders and people during the National Strike, thus demanding that they be verified. In this way, it sought to delegitimize the protests that took place, emphasizing that the State does not tolerate violence by public servants that violate human rights— facts that can be proven both by media footage and by the constant denunciations of aggressions and deaths.

Race and Equality urges the States in the region to fully cooperate with the UN mechanism created to end impunity for racialized state violence; ensure accountability and remedies; and confront the roots of racism. In the case of Colombia, we express concern about the government’s negative response and our hope that the Colombian authorities will investigate and publicize human rights violations and killings against Afro-descendant defenders amid the National Strike protests.

As for Brazil, we hope that the State will follow up on investigations and on a human rights cooperation policy aimed at ending police violence and impunity for those responsible. We emphasize that Brazil needs to effectively implement the Inter-American Convention against Racism. Thus, we reaffirm our commitment to monitoring human rights violations by States and ensuring the implementation of this Resolution by the UN mechanism, so that it can work together with special procedures to strengthen accountability in the administration of racial justice. Finally, we believe that it is essential that the UN can ensure the participation of Afro-descendant peoples and communities in the formulation and implementation of States’ responses to systemic racism.

 

[1] Access the pronouncement: https://bit.ly/3yXYcfO (available only in English)
[2] Access the pronouncement: https://bit.ly/3r9WhC4 (available only in English)

Race and Equality launches a report to raise awareness around the Afro-LGBT population in Brazil, Colombia, Peru and the Dominican Republic to contribute to the recognition of their ights

Washington, D.C., June 30, 2021. – The Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights (Race and Equality) launched on June 30, 2021 a report titled, “La deuda pendiente con la población Afro-LGBT en Brasil, Colombia, Perú y República Dominicana” (“The Pending Debt to the Afro-LGBT Population in Brazil, Colombia, Peru and the Dominican Republic”) with the aim of highlighting the violence and discrimination faced by this community on the basis of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender identity or expression, and to contribute to the adoption of public policies for the recognition and guarantee of their rights.

This report is the result of systematized documentation carried out by Race and Equality based on reports presented by six partner organizations: Instituto Transformar Shelida Ayana and Rede Afro LGBT, from Brazil; Somos Identidad, Fundación Arco Iris de Tumaco y Conferencia Nacional de Organizaciones Afrocolombianas (C.N.O.A.), from Colombia; Ashanti, from Peru, and Trans Siempre Amigas (TRANSSA), from the Dominican Republic.

“With this report we seek to generate a conversation within the LGBTI+ movement and Afro movement to make visible the problems faced by Afro-LGBT people. We need to talk about racism within the LGBTI+ community and the LGBTIphobia within the Afro movement. Not only should we talk about inclusivity, but we must also show it and that starts with having these conversations,” said Zuleika Rivera the LGBTI Program Officer at Race and Equality.

For Narciso Torres, coordinator of Gender Equity and Sexual Diversity at the C.N.O.A., an important aspect of this report is that it provides a detailed overview of the violence and discrimination suffered by the Afro-Colombian LGBT population, which leads to the awareness of this situation and for States and civil society to take action to combat and prevent these abuses. “In addition, (it helps) to maintain hope for the transformation of coexistence between all,” he contended.

Sandra Milena Arizabaleta “Sami,” Director of the Afro-descendant Foundation for Social and Sexual Diversities (Somos Identidad), affirmed that in addition to the visibility of the realities that Afro-Colombian LGBTI people endure, the report points to the creation and implementation of public policies that respond to their demands. “We hope that this report will be publicized and approached by governments, and eventually become enforced state policies,” she expressed.

“This report allows us to create a dialogue between the government, legislative and legal sectors around the conditions of the Afro LGBTI+ Brazilian population, as well as provoke the human rights commissions of Congress to act, and to present requests to international organizations when we do not obtain a response from the State concerning our demands,” shared by Janaina Oliveira, from Rede Afro LGBT.

Regarding the experience of preparing Brazil’s data for this report, Eduardo Castro, from Instituto Transformar, indicated how his organization was able to learn from the different realities of trans and Cariocan women (people born in Rio de Janeiro). “Although the nucleus of members is mostly made up of trans and afro-transvestite people, the uniqueness of each experience, the regional specificities, the negotiations narrated by the subjects involving actors such as trafficking, the police, health workers or even university colleagues, marked the diversity of these experiences,” he commented.

The report includes a series of recommendations addressed to States, civil society and the human rights mechanisms of the Inter-American and United Nations system, all aimed at protecting and promoting the rights of the Afro-LGBT population in the region. Recommendations made to States include:

  • Sign and ratify the Inter-American Convention against Racism, Racial Discrimination and Related Forms of Intolerance.
  • Take measures to collect disaggregated data on the population according to ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender identity.
  • Create new participation mechanisms and strengthen existing ones, so that Afro-LGBT people actively participate in the design and implementation of public policies that directly concern them.

 As of today, the report can be accessed and downloaded from the Race and Equality website using the following link: http://oldrace.wp/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Informe-Afro-LGBT_May2021.pdf (In Spanish only).

“Loving and Resisting from Diversity:” Race and Equality Celebrates LGBTI+ Pride Day

Washington D.C., June 28, 2021.- To commemorate this LGBTI+ Pride Day, The Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights (Race and Equality) chose the slogan “Loving and Resisting from Diversity.” This slogan pays tribute to LGBTI+ organizations and activists who each day wage a powerful struggle to combat discrimination and violence, and move towards the recognition of their rights despite living in a context as adverse as Latin America and the Caribbean when it comes to human rights.

Although there has been little progress in the region in terms of recognizing and guaranteeing rights for LGBTI+ people, we want to exalt the great capacity to love and resist that people with diverse sexual orientation and gender expression or identity continue to sustain, when facing a society that attacks, excludes, and humilitaes them, in addition to increased attacks and instensified hate speech.

On this day we cannot refrain from remembering the Stonewall riots carried out in rejection of the police raid that took place in the early hours of June 28, 1969, in a bar known as Stonewall Inn in the New York neighborhood of Greenwich Village; this location is where LGBTI+ people used to meet. A year later that date would be declared as LGBTI+ Pride Day as a way to reclaim and celebrate the struggle for freedom and respect for the rights of this community.

Progress and Challenges

In the beginning of this month of June, the Prosecutor’s Office of Salta, Argentina, confirmed that the skeletal remains found by a day laborer and his son in a desolate area north of the city corresponded to Santiago Cancinos, a young trans man who disappeared in May 2017, who reported he was being bullied by his school and classmates.

This is one of the most recent and shocking events. However, when it comes to violence and discrimination, Latin America and the Caribbean accumulates a long list of episodes ranging from threats and verbal assaults to police brutality and murder. Hate crimes that in most cases remain unpunished-  this lack of will and judicial mechanisms only generates more negligence among authorities when making justice a priority.

LGBTI+ and human rights organizations closely followed the case of Vicky Hernandez v. Honduras, in which the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) determined the State’s responsibility for the alleged extrajudicial execution committed against Hernández in June 2009, which occurred in the midst of the tense socio-political context generated by the coup d’état that year. This set an important precedent of ensuring the application of justice in future cases of violence against LGBTI+ persons at the regional level.

With respect to the COVID-19 pandemic, we see how the situation of vulnerability of this population is exacerbated, as the health emergency deepens conditions of inequality in the fields of health, social assistance, education, work, among other inequalities. In addition, States have not taken into account the LGBTI+ realities of discrimination and institutional violence against gender nonconforming and trans people. For instance, in Colombia, people with diverse gender identity or expression were left in limbo with policies like “pico y género.”[1]

However, the commitment to fight for a more just and equitable society for all people has also led to celebratory results in the last year, like the approval of equal marriage in Costa Rica. We are slowly witnessing the progress of campaigns and bills for the recognition and guarantee of the rights of LGBTI+ people. In Argentina on June 11, the Chamber of Deputies approved the bill that guarantees the trans-transvestite labor quota. The so-called Diana Sacayán – Lohana Berkina Law, who were recognized defenders of the formal trans and transvestite labor inclusion, was passed with 207 positive votes, 11 negative votes and seven abstentions.

Let us celebrate!

Race and Equality spoke with LGBTI+ activists from different countries in the region and asked them about the importance of celebrating LGBTI+ Pride. These are their answers.

Christian King, trans non-binary activist and member of Trans Siempre Amigas (TRANSSA) – Dominican Republic: For me, celebrating LGBTIQ+ Pride Month is nothing more than claiming my personhood, and at the same time reclaiming all the people who have fought, who have lost their lives making themselves visible, those people who have led us to enter this movement of struggle and recognize ourselves as members of the LGBTIQ+ community, and to demand that the State recognize our rights.

Agatha Brooks, trans activist and member of Trans Siempre Amigas (TRANSSA) – Dominican Republic: Celebrating Pride Month is to make ourselves visible as the rainbow flag represents each of us, we are a brand that grows more and more every day. We become more visible so that equality becomes present in our communities, in our country and throughout the world

Darlah Farias, Coletivo Sapato Preto – Brazil: Celebrating LGBTI+ Pride is celebrating the life of this population. Not just the lives that struggle today, but all the lives lost so that we could be here. Principally I, as an Afro and lesbian woman, carry all my ancestry with me and understand that our struggle is forged in revolution and reinvention.

Thiffany Odara, FONATRANS – Brazil: Celebrating LGBTI+ Pride is celebrating the right to life, my existence, the right to be who I am, it’s celebrating the memory of my ancestors. Celebrating who I am is the greatest challenge for Brazilian society. The challenge of resisting to guarantee policies of social equity. Long live the LGBTI+ Pride Movement! I’m proud to be who we are!

Gael Jardim, Trascendendo – Brazil: Celebrating LGBTI+ Pride Day is about making a real difference. It’s remembering that this day was born out of a revolt so that people can have the right to exist in society, and no longer in ghettos, closets or exclusion. To celebrate Pride Day is to give visibility to our cause and our struggle, which is not a day but a whole year of citizenship.

Santiago Balvin, nonbinary transmasculine activist and member of Rosa Rabiosa – Peru: Pride for me is important because society has imposed feelings of guilt and shame on who we are, but we rise up against them by showing pride in who we are and by showing ourselves in an authentic way. It is also very important to know that we have been in hiding and that visibility has been important to be able to show ourselves, and also give voice to our problems.

Leyla Huerta, founder and Director of Féminas – Perú: Celebrating Pride Day is very important to me. It’s the day in which we recognize ourselves as brave, strong and resilient. It is also a date of commemoration for all those people who are no longer with us, and who, due to their sexual orientation and/or gender identity, were exterminated because that is the word that best fits our disappearances. A society that does not recognize us, a society that limits us in our own development, it does just that: exterminates us. Pride Day, as the word conveys, is a day in which we should be proud because we are here, resisting, advancing and educating.

Roberto Lechado, independent comedian – Nicaragua: Celebrating Pride Month is to celebrate life, but also to recognize myself as part of a community and remind myself that I’m not alone and that’s a super nice feeling. It is also reminding myself that it is okay to be the person I want to be, that my love is valid and valuable, and my existence is magnificent and important. Celebrating Pride is also for me, to make visible these colors that many times in the day to day become opaque, and to say to society “we are here, we exist, we deserve, and we matter!”

Miguel Rueda Sáenz, director and founder of Pink Consultores – Colombia: For me, celebrating gay pride means a lot of things. There’s an important historical force, it also shows community and group strength and fundamental social aspects, and it has an enormous personal stance as it recognizes me as a gay man, this day allows me to shout even louder. It is very important for me on June 28 to be able to celebrate who we are and why we exist.

Lesley Wolf, actor, dancer, and BA in Performing Arts – Colombia: Celebrating LGBTI Pride is more than a celebration, it turns into a demand for resistance. It’s re-signifying and dignifying a struggle that not only costs us nor takes us just a month, but a whole year, it’s a constant activity.

María Matienzo, activist and Independent Journalist – Cuba: For me to celebrate Gay Pride Day is to celebrate the claim of rights that we should all have as citizens of the world, although it’s not really a matter of one day, it should be a matter of a lifetime.

For Race and Equality, it is an honor to know and accompany the work that is being carried out, individually and collectively to defend and promote the rights of the LGBTI+ population. Denouncing the violence this population faces in different areas of society, making visible and documenting their realities and demands, and strengthening their capacities to influence Sates and the human rights mechanisms of the Inter-American and United Nations system.

For us, celebrating LGBTI+ Pride Day means reinforcing and renewing our commitment to working for a more just and equitable society for all people, without any discrimination. In addition, it represents an opportunity to make recommendations to States aimed at protecting and promoting the rights of the LGBTI+ population:

  • To implement educational campaigns on sexual orientation and gender identity, aimed at making people in all areas of society aware of and respect the diversity of the population.
  • To collect disaggregated data with an intersectional focus on the LGBTI+ population, including information on the violence they face.
  • To train authorities, mainly justice operators, health and education providers, so that LGBTI+ people can access these basic services without discrimination and without restrictions based on prejudices about sexual orientation and gender identity.
  • Adopt policies and laws that allow LGBTI+ people to fully enjoy their rights, such as the gender identity law.
  • Sign, ratify and implement the Inter-American Convention Against All Forms of Discrimination and Intolerance.

[1] “Pico y género” was a sex-based quarantine measure temporaily implemnted in Bogotá and Cartegena, where women and men were allowed out for essential tasks on alternating days of the week; trans women and men could go out according to their gender identity. However, the policy resulted in some 20 cases of targeted discrimination against trans people.

Transcinema: trans presence and representation in brazilian audiovisual media

Brazil, June 11, 2021 – “I never imagined living in a country that kills travestis [1] and transsexuals the most. I never imagined how powerful the reference of my population could be, on and off the screen. In theater, producing music on and off the radio, dancing and encouraging the presence of our trans bodies in Brazil.” With this reference, the power of trans bodies and the Brazilian reality, Wescla Vasconcelos- director, screenwriter and presenter– opens the program, “Transcinema: Presence and Representation in Brazilian Audiovisual Media” [2]. The program was supported by the Aldir Blanc Law, the Rio de Janeiro State Government, and the State Secretariat for Culture and Creative Economy, as well as the Kinoplex Cinema Network. Written in partnership with Biancka Fernandes, Transcinema was created in order to make visible and discuss the presence of trans bodies within audiovisual media.

With the participation of actresses such as Divina Aloma, Biancka Fernandes and Rebecca Gotto, who narrate their artistic trajectories of their disobedient bodies in contrast to the prevailing gender and media patterns, which all exalt the disruptive transgender power within Brazilian audiovisual media. Through the brief accounts of their stories, many come from a long haul in this industry. Actresses narrate the evolution of trans representation beyond stigma and prejudice to demonstrate that, yes, trans people can and should be protagonist of their stories. The conquest for space and representation in the cultural sector is an arduous struggle for the trans population, usually their performances are restricted to support roles, their stores are shelved, or they’re found behind the cameras and/ or in cultural projects. Moreover, because of transphobia, many cisgender men act in roles of trans people, further accentuating the erasure and marginalization of trans and transvestite women.

It is worth highlighting that the profusion of social media and the heightened accessibility of the internet is and was important for the visibility of the trans population. Also, themes of identity contributed to the creation of audiovisual content that discuss the importance of trans representation in decision making spaces. Becuase communication is power, the symbolism constructed around trans people, needs to be constantly questioned, since the media legitimizes and romanticizes cisheteronormative narratives, leaving the trans population in an eternal contest for representation beyond headlines of violence and death. Therefore, trans representation also needs to be included in the audiovisual industry and in job generation as a means of social insertion far beyond the screens.

To tell the story of the Transcinema project, Race and Equality invited Wescla Vasconcelos, who besides being the creator of the program, is also an actress, pedagogue, she completed her masters in Culture and Territorialities in Fluminense Federal University (UFF), a Parliamentary adviser in the office of Councilwoman Tainá de Paula in Rio de Janeiro, and also acts as an articulator of the TT-RJ Forum. Wescla also discussed about the importance of the actresses’ stories, and how these stories serve as a reference of themselves and how this evolution is important for the generations to come.

Race and Equality- How did the idea of the Transcinema Program come about? How many editions will there be?

Wescla Vasconcelos- Transcinema arose from a dream I always had as an artist, which is to try to produce content that reflects, in various ways, the power of the presence of trans and transvestite peoples in audiovisual media, but also through other artistic languages. In 2020, I collaborated in a program for the National Association of Travestis and Transsexuals (ANTRA), with the first festival “Travestilizando.” This festival aimed to bring together several trans artists in order to insert them in social networks and showcase their talents at the time of the pandemic. In fact, with the support of several trans artists, we created several virtual campaigns raising funds to help supply food and basic hygiene products. The emergency appeal of the Aldir Blac law arrived in the midst of the pandemic (this law includes emergency assistance to workers in culture and support for cultural spaces). As an artist, I realized the importance of producing content that reflected the power of trans representation in audiovisual media. Together with Biancka Fernandes, we are two trans artist from the Northeast region of Brazil, we started this movement of writing a project based on trans representation in Brazilian audiovisual media. It was the first script that we wrote together, and it was also the first production that I directed and produced at the same time, along with other folks involved. It emerged from the quarantine with the need to produce content that reflects the power of trans representation in audiovisual media. At the moment Transcinema has only one edition, but for the second half of 2021, I intend to develop other content that contemplates trans people’s existence in the Brazilian audiovisual media.

R&E- As a writer and director, what influenced you to explore this issue?

WV- The main influences when constructing the script and direction of the program were based on some interviews with trans artists, both from Brazil and from and other countries. The show was based primarily on the documentary called, ‘Disclosure’ which in Portuguese is called ‘Revelação,’ available on Netflix. In addition to this documentary, I was also inspired by Bruna Benevides’ article called “11 Movies about Trans Activist that you need know” [2]. The article was written on the website Medium and it’s accessible online. It’s wonderful, and it greatly inspired me to create the program’s script.

R&E- What was the experience like working with the trans actresses, what is the message in Transcinema that you’d like to transmit to the public?

WV- The show was an experience of bringing together several trans artists from different cities, with Divina Loma speaking about Madam Satã’s time, in Rio de Janeiro, and what she went through as a black transsexual artist. Then came Rebecca Gotto who is an actress from Baixada Fluminense, guiding the issue of access, opportunities, and the fight for respect of the social name, especially as an artist. It also included Biancka Fernandes referencing aspects of prostitution in Brazil, the marginalization of the streets, poetry, and the importance of poetry as a power of her art. It was a generational conversation humanizing cinema entertainment. This production of content guides our trans people and transvestite population as a reference for ourselves. I think this is the main message that the program Transcinema brings in the fight against prejudice and discrimination.

R&E- Because of your experience as a militant and as an articulator of the TT-RJ Forum, how can ‘Transcinema’ contribute to repair transphobia in a country that kills more LGBTI+ people in the world?

WV- I believe that the Transcinema show directly contributes to discussions that are urgent in our society. We see a lot on television and on other forms of mainstream media, a linkage between prejudice and discrimination to the deaths and murders, further marginalizing transexual and transvestite subjects. Thinking from this place of social movement, the experience in the construction of Transcinema speaks about life. We transsexuals cannot limit our speech and presence in society by just debating questions of transphobia, prejudice and discrimination. We must discuss all this and fight for the right to life within a country that both murders our trans and transvestite bodies.

Nevertheless, it is important to recognize what each of us does in life, because we have many powerful and inspiring things that serve as references not only for trans people, but for society as a whole and the LGBTI+ population. The content of Transcinema contributes to this dialogue by saying that we have always been in various places, occupying various spaces of society. But it’s society that does not admit our presence.

R&E- How do you envision the journey and presence of trans peoples in Brazil’s audiovisual media?

WV- At the end of Transcinema, I leave with a message that is: to let us act, let us sing, let us dance, let us play any and all sports. Society can no longer avoid the debate around trans bodies, travestis, and their role in the labor market, university studies, and other opportunities, because we are human beings and we are included in society anyway.  We need to encourage this inclusion to happen in a more practical and concrete way. I think that the Brazilian audiovisual media today has been going through changes, to the point where I myself am surprised. Brazilian audiovisual media has been going through moments of transformations that reflect a future dialogue of narratives, bodies, and representation. The Transcinema program encourages this evolution and challenges the Brazilian audiovisual media. It’s very much linked to ourselves, the transexual artists who have gone through the entertainment industry before, commenting on their own work as a strategy of reference and exalting our work, and at the same time leaving messages such as: when I was a child or teenager, I had never seen content like this. I think with transgender children and teenagers having access to content like Transcinema, it fosters the idea that they see themselves reflected on TV, in cinema, in art and in various other places in society.

R&E- Another unfortunate Brazilian statistic that brings the trans and transvestite presence within audiovisual media is that Brazil is the country that consumes the most trans and transvestite pornography in the world, but the taboo on trans bodies remains constant. How do you see this possible paradigm breaking within the audiovisual industry?

WV- The statistic is a sad fact, Brazil is the country that kills the most trans and transvestite people not by fatality, I like to emphasize this because they are brutality filled, hate crimes. At the same time that we think about this awful statistic, we see that the consumption of pornography is very high. And in addition to the digital platforms, online pornography, and consumption of the bodies of trans and travestis is also very high. The street corners of prostitution did not completely stop during the pandemic period, and now with this vaccination movement the market of prostitution returns with acceleration. These are issues within society that have never been as present as they are today. We need to strengthen this discussion using the fact that this country kills the most and consumes the most trans pornographic content, and hires prostitution services. These are taboos that need to be debated and, furthermore, alternatives need to be thought out so that this can be something that does not harm the rights and dignity, and life of the LGBTI+ community.

Audiovisual representation can demystify, in the sense that the search for pornography and prostitution on the streets moves certain people in search of specific issues, which in this case is sex. And on the other hand, producing content with a trans diverse population in the audiovisual media, helps to humanize these peoples and express how their bodies are not only for pornographic content and prostitution- trans bodies can also serve as a reference in various points of audiovisual content, and moreover by encouraging their presence in society, we demystifies this taboo. The participation of trans people in Brazilian audiovisual media can help reduce both discrimination and prejudice.

R&E- The popular Madame Satã served as a symbolic figure who always had to appear strong to be able to survive, moreover the cinema perpetuated this image. What image of trans people do we need to (re)build in order to decolonize symbolic ideas of trans bodies?

WV- Madame Satã is referenced in our program, Divina Aloma is one of the few trans artists who had contact with Madame Satã. Unfortunately, we recently experienced the death of Rogéria and Jane di Castro from the Divine Divas. Aloma’s participation in Transcinema is an enormous gift. She’s a legacy in life, in live production, commenting on Madame Satã is one of the defining moments of our documentary. With Madame Satã, we witness a figure confronting fascism and prejudice, vulnerable to the intersectional prejudices, and dealing with the political violence and abusive apparatus that the state ideologically imposes in our society.

Continuation WV- In order to imagine a reconstruction of symbols and struggles that can decolonize trans bodies, it is necessary not only to have trans people acting, but to think in what ways the LGBTI+ debates and trans debates are structured in society. In addition to acting through mediums of art and cinema, I think it is important that we are also aware of these processes. We need more and more writers, editors, content producers, trans creative directors to play a role in the structure and functioning of these large areas of society. Because from the moment we do that, we’re going to see not only trans people acting, but also directing, producing, scripting and creating a distinct presence for the trans and transvestite community using their professional talents. This will all contribute to embolden and decolonize the experience of trans bodies in society. From the moment we still see that there is a great absence in the presence of trans people in various sectors of our society, it is important to think that when this access is facilitated, these people will increase their presence in society, and in a way, weaken forms of prejudice and discrimination.

In order to contribute to promoting the cultural sector with recognition and appreciation of popular expression, Race and Equality recognizes that the right to culture is essential to the contribution of the history of a people and its traditions. Moreover, the appreciation of culture from a plural perspective is intersectionally connected to the struggle for basic rights of peoples. Thus, our engagement in the defense and promotion of racial and indigenous LGBTI+ agendas aim to restructure a world designed for unique bodies and peoples. Therefore, we recognize that diversity is a fundamental right and we congratulate the diverse cultural productions.

 

 

[1] Far from being a pejorative term, according to ANTRA (National Association of Travestis and Transsexuals of Brazil), “travesti” is an identity in the country, claimed by those who, despite having been identified as belonging to the male gender at birth, recognize themselves as belonging to the female gender and have a female gender expression, but do not claim themselves as women. Associação Nacional de Travestis e Transexuais (ANTRA); Instituto Brasileiro Trans de Educação (IBTE). Dossiê dos assassinatos e da violência contra travestis e transexuais brasileiras em 2019. São Paulo: Expressão Popular, ANTRA, IBTE, 2020, p. 11. Available in: https://antrabrasil.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/dossic3aa-dos-assassinatos-e-da-violc3aancia-contra-pessoas-trans-em-2019.pdf

[2] Watch the Transcinema program here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CPJZ6HfDEaR/

[3] https://brunabenevidex.medium.com/11-filmes-sobre-ativistas-trans-que-voc%C3%AA-precisa-conhecer-a2eb9654b4ee

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