On January 29th, National Trans Visibility Day is celebrated in Brazil. The date aims to promote reflections on the citizenship of transvestites, transsexuals (trans men and women) and non-binary people (who do not recognize themselves as either men or women).
Transphobia (aversion to or discrimination against the trans population) is a cruel reality, which leads trans people to abandon their studies and face difficulties in entering the job market. In addition to the risk to life itself.
“Brazil, unfortunately, is the country that kills the most trans people in the world. With rates much higher than the countries that follow it. These are violent, cruel deaths, which often are not even notified to public bodies or, when they do arrive, they do not observe the true gender identity of the victims”, reports the coordinator of the Center for the Defense of Sexual Diversity and Gay Rights at the Public Defender’s Office of Rio de Janeiro (Nudversis), Letícia Oliveira Furtado.
The creator of the Trans Pride Flag, Monica Helms, said in 1999: “Blue for boys, pink for girls, white for those who are transitioning. And, for those who don't feel like they belong to any gender: this means that no matter which direction you fly, it will always be correct”!
It is necessary to include
It is important that trans people have access to opportunities and their rights respected. In Brazil, the TRANSempregos platform, created in 2013, works together with companies, bridging and inserting trans people into the formal job market.
“We continue to put labels, giving strength to words. How long will we give so much weight and importance to words and not to people? Many people come to us wanting to introduce diversity, without working on the inclusive ecosystem”, said Maite Schneider, co-founder of the TRANSempregos portal.
Gender identity? Sexual orientation? Biological sex?
Gender Identity is the way an individual recognizes themselves: woman, man, or non-binary (that is not seen as just one thing or another).
Affective sexual orientation refers to who you are attracted to: lesbians, gays, bisexuals and heterosexuals.
