5. Review and recommendations to the media

“STOP KILLING US” 2019-2020 REGIONAL REPORT

URUGUAY Another case was that of Thalia Sodi who was brutally beaten to death by a sex client. This was an emblematic case because the perpetrator was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Such decision was fueled by trans organizations such as ours, COTRAVEDT, and the case was tracked and ended with a trial.

The cases of discrimination in Uruguay evidence the hate speech promoted by fundamentalist religious sectors. An example is a case in a wellknown disco in the capital of Uruguay where two trans women were victims of violence upon trying to enter the place and her identities were not respected. This situation led to physical and verbal aggression.

5. Review and recommendations to the media

The people that work in the media should undergo sensitivity training to offer journalism that is free from stigma and discrimination. Undoubtedly, one of the major challenged faced by LGBTQ+ activists is to work on the media industry to demolish myths, stereotypes and clichés.

Moreover, the people that work in the media should also understand that the LGBTIQ+ population is not a uniform community but rather that there are differences, internal divisions, standpoints and tensions, as in any other movement. Intersectionality may be the guiding approach to multiple political agendas. Class, race and ethnics perspectives may help us deepen the analysis.

During the period covered by this report (2019-2020), REDLACTRANS believes that the journalistic treatment afforded to the serious situation lived by the trans community is insufficient because it fails to show and tell our stories. The information is biased and lacks objectivity because the spectacularization of events and the use of discriminatory language prevail, and fail to meet the recommendations or standards to communicate with respect and advocating for transgender rights.

“STOP KILLING US” 2019-2020 REGIONAL REPORT

As explained herein, in 2019, violence from anti-rights and highly conservative groups escalated. They relaunched their political and social agendas through advocacy and communication campaigns and violent trampling over our lives, and managed to gain media and social network coverage. Until 2019, these groups did not have so much media coverage; however, when sexual education and right to abortion were debated across the region, these groups grew in number, became coordinated and curtailed the rights of women, transgender persons and the entire LGBTI+ population.

There are several examples. For instance, below is a video published by Uruguayan media, social networks, radios or digital means on anti-rights movements during the campaign for the plebiscite against Uruguay’s Comprehensive Trans Law.12 34567

This is a small sample of the speech of anti-rights movements in Uruguay and their advance and presence on the media and social networks.

In September and October 2019, Paraguay’s anti-rights groups also attacked8 several trans people9. These expressions of hate and transhate are also seen in Paraguay’s media. Thus, Panambi organization drafted recommendations to communicate diversity10 and, in solidarity with the trans population in Paraguay, SomosGay organization issued several communications in this regard.11

The year 2019 already started with alarming levels of violence. In Argentina alone eight women were killed during the first 15 days of 2019. 12Femicides also affected the trans population, which are referred to as “transfemicides” to make the difference and to show the specific violence inflicted against trans women13. Violence against trans women in Central America worsens with a violent and sexist culture and violent groups such as “las maras” or “los salvatruchas”, international criminal

1 https://www.teledoce.com/?p=462361 2 https://www.teledoce.com/?p=386768 3 https://youtu.be/u_06M9JOdaQ 4 https://www.facebook.com/AmericaFM103.3/videos/485272625367804/ 5 https://www.elobservador.com.uy/nota/-carlos-iafigliola-ya-voto-contra-la-ley-trans-y-denuncio-irregularidades-20198413195 6 http://www.2019.com.uy/sector-adelante-carlos-iafigliola-mas-50-puntos-pais-derogar-la-ley-trans/ 7 https://www.elpais.com.uy/informacion/politica/carlos-iafigliola-ley-trans-vulnera-ninos-sonindefensos.html?utm_medium=elpaisuytw&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1564660253 8 http://somosgay.org/infonoticias/infodetalle/concejal-y-grupos-antiderechos-violentaron-festival-por-laigualdad-y-la-li 9 https://agenciapresentes.org/2019/09/30/grupos-antiderechos-atacaron-marcha-lgbt-en-hernandarias/ 10 http://www.panambi.org.py/publicaciones/27 11 http://somosgay.org/infonoticias/infodetalle/basta-de-transfobia-en-los-medios-de-comunicacion-en-paraguay. 12 https://www.filo.news/Ya-son-8-las-mujeres-asesinadas-en-lo-que-va-del-2019-t201901140002.html 13 https://www.eltribuno.com/salta/nota/2019-1-29-0-0-0-contabilizan-ocho-muertes-de-mujeres-trans-enenero?fbclid=IwAR2vZ-p_eCoiSotDUJkLognN3xWgmcH0B_dn3sMlSIskfpaIsSoq6ovpoRw

“STOP KILLING US” 2019-2020 REGIONAL REPORT

gangs14. Trans people also undergo violence during forced and massive immigration; an example is the case of the trans women of El Salvador who were part of the migrant caravan.15

In Brazil, the country with the highest rates of violence against trans people, these pieces of news are concealed by the media; rarely do they reveal information showing the situation lived by the trans community.1617

In addition to transfemicides and tortures, trans people undergo violence by their own couples or families and these cases are portrayed by alternative media18 to a much lower extent than news of extreme violence against the trans community.

Most pieces of news analyzed that tell the story of violence against the transgender community were published by alternative media that provide meaningful information in an effort to highlight the situation lived by trans people, such as these two cases: Mexico19 Argentina20 .

In the current context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the first global pandemic in a context characterized by the massive number of media, social networks and the ongoing and vast flow of information, we insist that the treatment afforded by the media fails to meet the minimum journalist approach focused on human rights and respect for trans identity.

During the pandemic that has already lasted eight months, the trans community is not regarded as a vulnerable population affected by the historical restricted access to formal employment, discrimination, lack of comprehensive healthcare and denial of self-perceived gender identities.

14 https://agenciapresentes.org/2019/01/14/karla-avelar-en-el-salvador-hay-un-genocidio-de-las-personaslgbti/?fbclid=IwAR3MlRpiQmyzmvXzHRYab1P-5vn-ckRANW4HPwwxZD5114pPw8KHm-SZin0 15 http://noticortos.news/torturan-y-asesinan-a-camila-una-mujer-transgenero-que-huyo-en-una-caravana-demigrantes/?fbclid=IwAR06evSJcrjATWnw4b4kjT3Bsh9Hk3IKYiN2tCgdUkBu2IbkeT6okDeh6Bk 16 https://g1.globo.com/go/goias/noticia/2019/09/03/transexual-denuncia-que-foi-torturada-com-cabo-devassoura-por-policiais-militares-em-goiania.ghtml?fbclid=IwAR3g6ZGkPn46_pOgseM-sB5wUp1Hvp15gYZWEl7x5xC7d2a--aGtMaK9GU 17 https://www.bandab.com.br/seguranca/corpo-de-possivel-trans-que-estaria-desaparecida-e-encontrado-no-riobarigui/?fbclid=IwAR1WmpJv7qCc2WoQ-8vSx4AXb0JZ--d2JglOak_u5AqCzHUfZE3sk0Xidz4 18 https://www.tiempodesanjuan.com/policiales/2019/9/5/le-robo-todo-su-novia-trans-se-entrego-la-policiaahora-la-hostiga-con-volver-ser-novios265435.html?fbclid=IwAR1Th8nVQJ3EuFQsfNKjI0B4mZDKLd6EWJkl8y2EHbOqIrPjtYR6nxBXvTg 19 http://www.perriodismo.com.mx/2017/01/19/asesinan-a-mujer-trans-de-colima-enguadalajara/?fbclid=IwAR14URP1yqpVbuJgSwRks59NDQMDVUakAw7I-eGvapK2TtzamGyq-6Nw3Do 20 https://agenciapresentes.org/2019/02/27/denuncian-a-la-clinica-zabala-por-hostigar-a-una-pacientetrans/?fbclid=IwAR3l18lsY1Ee0JDMHmMqADuPh-0ugFkKVqjs3hbTXVd2Sq-N6fs7zjVwNKc

“STOP KILLING US” 2019-2020 REGIONAL REPORT

The global healthcare emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic heightened discrimination against immigrants, healthcare professionals, COVID-19 patients, persons with HIV, trans persons and sex workers, among others.

During this pandemic, the few means of communication that addressed the situation lived by trans people during the COVID-19 pandemic portray them as victims rather than as subjects of rights. Even though international agencies and the different civil society organizations and networks have repeatedly took part in demonstrations to visibilize the emergency lived by the trans population, the media and their speeches insist in hardly speaking about the trans population and, when they do, they are paternalistic and reduce them to victims.

They also misinform on the situation lived by HIV patients and their supposed vulnerability to COVID-19. According to the WHO, a person living with HIV (high prevalence among the trans population) that undergoes an adherence treatment faces no particular risks if they get coronavirus. The actual factor that harms a person living with HIV and COVID-19 is the lack of state aid and the uncertainty as to whether they will receive antiretroviral therapy on a regular basis. This is not covered by the media, worsening the bad, deficient and biased information published regarding people living with HIV.

In addition to the collection of reports filed in the different countries of the region, CeDosTALC has a Facebook fan page to share news about the violation of transgender rights. In 2019, a total of 580 posts were made, from which at least 80% are related to news on the human rights violations against transgender people. In 2020, more than 400 news were shared with the same type of content. This record is an invaluable, permanent contribution made by REDLACTRANS because any person on the region and the world can find a single registry of news on human rights violations against transgender people.

We invite everyone to see and follow the work performed by CeDosTALC in the social networks: https://www.facebook.com/CeDoSTALC

Recommendations to the media and social network users:

a) Apply the principle of self-determination of trans identities and sexual orientations.

b) Shed light on the situation of emergency lived by trans people but not portraying them as victims or from a paternalistic standpoint. Trans people are autonomous subjects of right; therefore, the media should cover

“STOP KILLING US” 2019-2020 REGIONAL REPORT

information based on such premise. We face a situation of emergency but media revictimization is particularly harmful.

c) Highlight the actions carried out by anti-rights groups contrasting them with benchmark human rights standards issued by bodies such as the United

Nations, the Organization of American States, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. It is also important to balance this information with the accounts of transgender people.

d) Trans persons who engage in sex work are workers rather than prostitutes.

Sex workers’ stigma and lack of labor rights have greater consequences in the context of the current pandemic. The treatment afforded by the media to the serious situation lived by sex workers who cannot continue working should not lead to new stigmas.

e) Avoid the banalization and spectacularization of trans lives in view of the consequences of COVID-19 containment measures. In other words, the food, housing and employment emergency lived by trans people due to the restrictive measures adopted by the different administrations should be analyzed in context.

f) Avoid the media approach of trans people living with HIV from a medical and pathologizing perspective. There is no risk relationship between HIV and

COVID-19 if the person receives proper antiretroviral treatments and is provided with comprehensive healthcare.

g) The lack of state response and access to comprehensive healthcare endangers the health of a person with HIV who gets COVID-19.

h) Avoid the stereotyped portrayal of images related to trans identities when referring to the COVID-19 situation.

i) When discussing the measures restricting circulation, people care and free movement of people during lockdown and curfews, visibilize the diversity of people and the discriminatory binarism of gender-based movement restrictions in Panama and Colombia.

j) Protect the privacy and identity of trans people that suffer violence from law enforcement forces and trans persons with COVID-19 or who died from coronavirus.