Three women from LGBTQ+ groups in Paraguay share their personal experiences of why and how they support the International Women's Strike. What are their expectations regarding the impact of #8M? By María Domínguez, from Asunción. Photos: Mariluz Martin and Jess Insrán Pérez. Jess Insfrán Pérez is 23 years old, a photographer, lesbian, and feminist. She works as an administrator at a public school in Asunción. For the past seven months, she has managed social media for Aireana , an organization for lesbian rights in Paraguay. [READ MORE: " A voice on the phone against LGBTQ+ discrimination "] "When family members suspect a girl is a lesbian, or she comes out as such, they resort to psychological violence, or they lock her up so she can't go out. They tell you what people will say, they try to convince you that you weren't like this before. A particularly violent phrase is when they say, 'You're not like this, you were made this way ,' as if the responsibility for you being a lesbian lies with someone else," says Jess. She believes that the workplace and the education system are also spaces of repression for lesbian women. So are the streets, bars, and public spaces. “There are ten-year-old boys who follow you down the street and call you 'dyke, dyke,' as if it were an insult. Other times, the aggression is more serious, like when a man crosses your path and says, 'Haven't you ever had a dick?' or calls you 'whore, dirty.' Sometimes they attack you when you're walking alone, which clearly demonstrates a matter of prejudice. Other times, they assault you if you're with your partner, because we're not going to hide. Jess says that she and the activists from Aireana are also going on strike on March 8th ' for our incarcerated sisters who don't have access to conjugal visits, due to the prejudices of the authorities.' For a year now, Aireana has been supporting the complaint of two lesbian women incarcerated at the Buen Pastor women's prison in Asunción. They are demanding access to a private area for couples, like the rest of their heterosexual inmates. So far, the prison authorities have denied them access to this space.”

How to join #8M

Jess plans to stop attending her job at the school and closely participate in the activities planned for March 8th, as well as collaborate on proposals put forward by Aireana. The organization will join the march scheduled for 6:00 PM in the central Plaza Uruguaya, with its percussion group known as “Tatucada,” among other activities.

What do you expect from the International Women's Strike?

“I think the demonstration is going to be huge. My colleagues say they’ve never seen so many people come to the planning meetings. For some years now, the feminist movement has been growing in numbers. There are more people who are aware of the issue, who are embracing feminism as their own, and are becoming empowered to stop the violence against us. I’m grateful to the lesbian feminists who came before me, because they paved the way for me, because they stood up to their families in the context of a dictatorship. My current activism is thanks to them,” says Jess. *** Clara de Iturbe is 25 years old, has a degree in Human Ecology, and works for an NGO that seeks to “build active citizenship” and defend human rights. She identifies as bisexual and feminist. Since last August, she has been active in The Fierce CollectiveThe collective organizes street protests and direct actions to raise awareness of feminist demands. “Surrounding myself with women who had experienced other forms of violence helped me identify them, name them, reflect, stop pretending they didn't exist, and heal,” she says. Later, the collective became “a space for action and mutual support among women.”

Why unemployment?

“As a bisexual woman, I’m joining the strike because we live in a patriarchal system that makes us invisible and constantly attacks us for being different. The vast majority of the violence and discrimination I suffer comes from men who can’t understand how, if I like men, they aren’t ‘enough’ for me, and they think something bad must be happening to me because I have different tastes. Several times they’ve told me, explicitly or implicitly, that they should ‘correct’ me. Or that ‘I just haven’t been with a man who can give me what I need yet.’ Many men see me as a threat when I respond to street harassment,” says Clara.

How to join #8M

On the day of the strike, Clara will not go to work. “I have the privilege of working for an organization that supports my activism, and participating in the strike does not put my job at risk. Unfortunately, We are a minority who can participate and stop without fearBut we are moving forward so that we can all challenge our chains.” Clara will attend the march scheduled for 6 p.m. from Plaza Uruguaya. She will also participate in some activities with the Feroz Colectiva (Fierce Collective), as part of the International Women's Strike. This will be her first time participating in the March 8th activities.

What do you expect from the International Women's Strike?

“Of my colleagues, I hope to see one a great turnout, with joy and creativityI expect decisive action, without hesitation; see us strong and together“From my male colleagues, I want to see that those who support us, instead of ‘showing solidarity’ as if they’re doing us a favor, question their privileges, listen, take note, and truly change their behaviors and environments among men. That if women go on strike, they too can see, within their own spheres, the effect of the strike on the tasks that are rendered invisible,” Clara states. Victoria Acosta identifies as a trans person. Although she uses a female name, she refers to herself using masculine pronouns. She was born 29 years ago in Itacurubí del Rosario, a town in northern Paraguay. Since 2009, she has been part of the organization Panambí, which defends the rights of transvestite, transgender, and transsexual people in Paraguay, and since the end of January, she has served as its president. She studied nursing, although she does not practice in hospitals. Victoria uses her skills to provide first aid to many of her trans friends when they are injured or attacked in the street. She says it happens often. “They throw stones, firecrackers, shots… Once, a friend almost died while I was with her on the way to the hospital. She had to be resuscitated. She had a bullet very close to her heart,” she recounts.

Why unemployment?

Victoria joins the March 8th strike to protest against violence towards trans people. “I’m striking because I don’t want any more violence against women, both cisgender and trans women. I’m striking because I reject femicides.”She says. She recalls that 57 trans women have been murdered in Paraguay since the fall of the dictatorship in 1989. She doesn't believe that there is a democracy or a rule of law for them in Paraguay. "If you're not a man or a woman, you don't exist for the State." She criticizes the discrimination suffered by trans people, due to "a great deal of sexism and strong pressure from the church“We have priests who mention us in every homily, and They promote hatredThey say that trans women are not women, and that homosexuality is an illness. They are in Parliament to lobby homophobic attacks every time they hear the word 'gender'. And they have senators who are like soldiers, who do what the Church tells them. We are in a very Catholic republic, where great importance is given to the famous "pa'i dice" (the father says)”

How to join #8M

Victoria will participate in the feminist march called for March 8th, at 6 pm in Plaza Uruguaya. Along with her colleagues from Panambí​They will proudly display the colors of the trans flag. They will also wear t-shirts and carry banners with the slogan "They kill us and no one goes to jail," referring to the impunity surrounding the murders of trans people. In addition, a trans cast will perform a play in memory of their murdered comrades.

What do you expect from the International Women's Strike?

For Victoria, unemployment is an opportunity to to make visible the struggle of trans people. For walking towards acceptance and rejection of violenceShe hopes that on March 8th, the voices of many women, both biological and trans, will rise up to demand respect and claim their rights. Follow Presentes: ]]>