The Trans Women's Anti-Violence Project
**CONTENT WARNING**
As the title suggests, everything on this blog concerns violence against trans women.
The Trans Women's Anti-Violence Project is a trans feminist project addressing issues of systematic, institutional and interpersonal violence and oppression experienced by trans women (those who were coercively assigned male at birth and identify or are identified as women/female) across multiple identities (e.g., race, class, dis/ability, citizen-status, nationality, sexuality, age, HIV status, and form, status, or age of transition, etc.)
Ida Hammer is a writer and social justice communicator. She organizes the Trans Women's Anti-Violence Project. She presents workshops and trainings on cis privilege and being a trans ally. She's also involved in organizing against sexualized violence. She's a proud dyke-identified trans woman and an organizer of the New York City Dyke March.
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A coalition of Peruvian LGBT groups have started Beca Trans, a scholarship program for transgender women.
The Homosexual Movement of Lima (MHOL), one of Latin America’s leading LGBT organizations started in 1982, has teamed up with AIDS group Vía Libre and the Runa Institute of Gender Studies and Development (RUNA) to offer 45 transgender women the opportunity to complete their studies.
‘Trans teens are possibly one of the most bullied groups in schools, making it so that lots of times they don’t finish school,’ said Belissa Andía Pérez, executive director of RUNA.
This initiative looks to transform the reality of trans teens in school and represents an opportunity to improve the quality of life for transgender people in our country.’
To qualify for a scholarship, entries must be of age and present a valid birth certificate along with a recommendation from a trans organization.
Applicants will then be evaluated by a team of experts made up of representatives from UNESCO, UNAIDS and the Ministry of Education, among others.
Giovanny Romero Infante, president of MHOL said in a statement: ‘We’re confident that Beca Trans will demonstrate to the state and to society the real potential of trans individuals.
According to MHOL, the goal of Beca Trans is to reduce the number of new HIV transmissions in the most vulnerable communities, which include the transgender community, through promoting anti-discrimination public policies and encouraging the unification of LGBT groups in the country.
Beca Trans is a part of the program Peru presented at the 10th anniversary of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
(Jean Paul Zapata, Gay Star News)
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HIV prevalence stands at 30% among transgender women in Lima, Peru, according to results of a 450-trans[ ]woman study. The investigators conclude that “transwomen are the group most vulnerable to HIV/AIDS in Peru.”
For the study abstract
Peru has an estimated 75,000 people with HIV infection, according to UNAIDS, and an HIV prevalence of 0.4% among 15- to 49-year-olds, lower than the estimated 0.6% in the United States. Transgender women are often included in research on men who have sex with men, as in the iPrEx study of tenofovir/emtricitabine for pre-exposure prophylaxis. This is the first seroepidemiologic study designed specifically for transgender women in Peru.
By respondent-driven sampling, researchers recruited 450 transgender women between April and July 2009. Trans[ ]women completed a survey on sociodemographic characteristics, gender enhancement procedures, and sexual behavior. All study participants were tested for HIV, syphilis, and herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2).
Nearly one third of study participants, 30%, had HIV. HSV-2 prevalence stood at 79% and syphilis prevalence at 23%.
While 70% of trans[ ]women reported having gender-enhancement procedures, 64% reported sex work as their main economic activity.
Multivariable analysis found a higher risk of HIV infection in trans[ ]women older than 35, those with syphilis, and those with HSV-2.
Source: Alfonso Silva-Santisteban, H. Fisher Raymond, Ximena Salazar, Jana Villayzan, Segundo Leon, Willi McFarland, Carlos F. Caceres. Understanding the HIV/AIDS epidemic in transgender women of Lima, Peru: results from a sero-epidemiologic study using respondent driven sampling. AIDS and Behavior. 2012; 16: 872-881. -
(Photo: Andina)On Thursday the Municipality of Miraflores announced it would temporarily shut down Gotica, a nightclub in Larcomar, for discriminating against Godfrey Arbulu, a transgender woman.
According to Andina, Arbulu tried to enter Gotica last April 27, and was told by security personnel that she could only enter if she paid 200 soles - far above the normal rate – even though she was on the guest list. The incident was caught on video by Arbulu’s friend.
The Municipality ordered the nightclub to close for 7 days, and pay a 1,825 soles fine, after it evaluated Arbulu’s video, and testimony.
According to El Comercio, the country’s Ombudsman’s Office also criticized Gotica’s practices.
This is the second time one of Larcomar’s facilities is temporarily closed due to charges of discrimination. Last December the Municipality of Miraflores closed the UVK movie theater for seven days, for engaging in discriminatory practices.
