Share

Share

Share on Facebook Share on Facebook Tweet Share on Twitter Share on WhatsApp Share on WhatsApp

SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER

“There isn’t one type of woman, and not all women are the same,” says communicator and activist Pilar Rojas. Along with Alexandra Hernández Muro and trans activist Javiera Alejandra Arnillas, she shares her experiences, challenges feminism, calls for a march, and states her demands of the State on International Women’s Day, which coincides with an ultraconservative wave in Peruvian society. The march begins at 6:00 p.m. at the intersection of Block 6 of Salaverry Avenue and Nazca Street in Jesús María (Lima).

Photos and video: Esteban M. Marchand

“When you’re trans, they don’t see you as a girl, they see you as a spectrum.”

It's important to mention that femininity and being a woman aren't necessarily related to purely physical aspects. As a trans woman, I think it's important to commemorate this day so that we, who have been invisible for so long, can be included.

I believe the State must recognize us for who we are on our identity documents. That we can change our legal names, change our gender on our ID cards. That's the most important thing.

Furthermore, the State must work through education.

People with ultraconservative beliefs are putting many obstacles in the way of diversity.

People who proclaim themselves feminists and champion equality and equity but do not include trans women seem to me to have a biased approach to the struggle.

[READ ALSO: When the limit of feminism is trans femininities ]

Sometimes I feel like I face double discrimination as a trans woman. Being a woman in society subjugates you to masculinity, and when you're openly trans, people start pointing fingers. They don't see you as a girl; they see you as a spectrum, as a man who's just breaking the rules, even though my mind has always been feminine.

I hope that women from the LGBTIQ community will be treated with dignity and without discrimination.

I want us to be treated with the same dignity as men. I don't want us to suffer harassment in the streets, and I don't want us to have fewer job opportunities simply because we are women.

We shouldn't have to suffer discrimination because of who we like, because ultimately, love is love. ( Javiera Alejandra Arnillas: aspiring actress, activist with Gpuc and Reforma Trans Pucp)

“There is no one type of woman, and not all women are the same.” 

It's important to commemorate International Women's Day because we need to understand how we women achieved the rights we have today. It wasn't simply a state suddenly declaring, "Well, now women have the right to education and equal opportunities with men." It's a historical struggle, and it's important that we know what has happened and which women have fought to get us to where we are today.

There's a rather conservative message now promoting the idea that women have fixed roles and men have different ones. In this conservative wave in Latin America, we have to position equality as a defense, political equality, and equality when it comes to making decisions about our own bodies.

[READ ALSO: #Peru: The ideology of hate against the LGBTIQ community ]

As a woman, as a migrant, and as a lesbian, I experienced discrimination ten years ago when I arrived in Lima, and I see that it is still very present in our society today. Recent surveys show that the most discriminated-against people are those from rural areas, LGBTQ+ individuals, and Indigenous women.

I partly understand the fear some of my colleagues have of including diverse women in their struggles. One tries to advance their agendas and needs to find a favorable public opinion.

It's well known that the inclusion of lesbian and trans women doesn't always lead to a positive reception in some parts of society. I understand the fear, but ultimately feminism has taught me that everyone has the right to live with dignity.

Feminism is a verb; it's done and lived. The principle that we are all equal isn't just talk; it must be translated into our lived experiences. We must lose our fear; the diversity of women strengthens the struggle.

I hope that the diverse demands of women will be met soon. There isn't just one type of woman, and not all women are the same. We will face an adverse scenario, but we must continue to resist, and I hope the State will be much more active in defending women. I hope that legislation will not be based on religious beliefs but on international human rights law. ( Pilar Rojas: communicator, activist for More Equality Peru)

"Feminists should be the first to include the trans population." 

It is very important to link the feminist struggle to the LGBTQ+ struggle. In the case of women who are of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities, it is important that there are: healthcare protocols for trans people and lesbian women; and forms of care that respect different gender identities.

 Other demands include legal abortion, which is crucial given the high rates of rape and femicide. It is also important to demand the inclusion of gender equality and gender perspective education in school curricula.

 It is a mistake to think that there is only one feminism; some are much more closely linked to women and the sexed body, which has to do with biology, with having a vagina or breasts..

However, feminism is much broader and was the first movement to recognize that gender is socially constructed. Therefore, feminists should be the first to include the trans population in their struggle .

[READ ALSO: #8M: This is how lesbians and trans people are preparing to march in Chile ]

We need an intersectional approach to incorporate diverse identities, those related to race and social class, which affect us in different ways. Feminism must begin to include these differences to become a true feminism.

 My gender expression is quite feminine, and when I walk down the street, I don't feel oppressed for not identifying as female. However, when I've been with other women, or when I've gone out or been seen socially with them, I have felt vulnerable or oppressed. It's strange for society to find two women who can love or care for each other.

As a woman, I have felt violated when men assume ownership of your body and identity, implying that you are oriented towards them. A woman's affection for another woman violates the 'norm' that the female body is for male consumption.

I hope they educate themselves; I don't have high expectations or hopes for the people currently in politics. We're talking about previous generations where the binary is very entrenched, not only in terms of gender but also sexual orientation.

If we start teaching children that we can freely identify with others and that we are born diverse, I believe it would help prevent future generations from experiencing so many mental health problems associated with discrimination, such as depression and anxiety. ( Alexandra Hernández Muro: Clinical psychologist, LGBTIQ activist)