By Ana Fornaro. Joe Lemonge is a 25-year-old trans man who lives in Santa Elena, Entre Ríos. He reports that he has been harassed for as long as he can remember, first for his sexual orientation, then for his gender identity. He made a living teaching English and until recently was studying law. He says it was very difficult for him to get ahead because he came from a very humble background and because of the discrimination he later suffered in the workplace. According to his account, on October 13, 2016, he was attacked in his own home by three men who had been abusing him for a long time. They had already assaulted him three times. This last time, Joe defended himself with a weapon, slightly wounding one of the attackers, but he was the one charged. On Monday, April 23, the oral trial began in the Paraná Court of Appeals, located in La Paz (Entre Ríos), presided over by Judge Cristina Lía Vandembroucke. Prosecutor Santiago Alfieri accuses him of "attempted homicide" and requested an 8-year sentence.

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“I’m here alone with my mom. I hardly have any friends in town; it’s terrible living here. Besides, the prosecutor cited as an aggravating factor that I’m an educated person, with a degree, and that this meant I was aware of what I did,” Joe told Presentes, as he left today’s hearing. He is under house arrest and awaits sentencing on May 4. “It’s very similar to the case of…” higui And in fact, these cases are very common in the interior of the country, but nobody finds out. They arrested him and charged him with "attempted homicide" instead of "assault" or "self-defense." While he was detained, the attackers blew up his house. They are now free, and one of them is considered the victim in the case. And because Joe didn't change his gender marker, the justice system treats him with female pronouns," Alejandro Mamaní, from the organization Abosex, told Presentes. Abosex received Joe's story a month ago and is providing him with legal counsel.

Joe asks everyone for help

Monday was the first hearing of the trial, and Joe is desperate, which is why he recorded a video telling his story and asking for help from anyone who can. “Due to the nature of this case, the trial is going to be express“Because if it’s not made visible, no one will do anything.” Harassment of LGBT people, and trans people in particular, is constant. And if they report it, as was the case with Joe, the police don’t listen,” Mamaní told Presentes. “It wasn’t random; it was the fourth time they’d done it. They always attacked me, first for being gay and then, even more so, for being a trans man. I had tried to report them, but since the justice system is transphobic, they never took my complaints seriously. That night, the man wounded me, and in desperation, I simply tried to defend myself. I shot him, but nothing I could have done to him is comparable to what happened to me. I was arrested and charged with attempted murder. On December 3rd, in the early morning, the same man who attacked me set my house on fire. Already bankrupt, I lost everything: my job, my studies. My family was left in ruins. I don’t know what else to do. I went to Lawyers for Sexual Rights for guidance.” Today was the first day of the trial. Enough with transphobia. Defending yourself is not a crime,” Joe says in the video.