By Paula Bistagnino. Under the slogan “Self-defense is not a crime,” activists marched yesterday afternoon to the Entre Ríos provincial government building in Buenos Aires. Their objective: to denounce the transphobia of the justice system in the case of Joe Lemonge, the 25-year-old trans man who defended himself against his attackers and could face eight years in prison for “attempted homicide.” The sentence will be announced tomorrow at noon in La Paz (Entre Ríos). The protesters in Buenos Aires delivered a document outlining their demands.

He is being tried in Entre Ríos

Joe alleges that on October 13, 2016, he was attacked in his home by three men who had already assaulted him on three previous occasions. This last time, Joe defended himself with a weapon and slightly wounded one of the attackers. However, 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.

[READ MORE: Joe defended himself against his attackers: he is on trial for “attempted murder” ]

[video width="640" height="352" mp4="https://agenciapresentes.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/WhatsApp-Video-2018-05-02-at-21.55.44.mp4"][/video] Iñaki Regueiro, from Abosex, an organization that supports Joe Lemonge. 

"The judicial system is cis-sexist."

“He was subjected to a process marked by transphobia, discrimination in his place of origin, and without any therapeutic support, assistance, or help (...). Defending himself in a context of systematic harassment and human rights violations cannot be treated by the justice system as just another act of aggression. The justice system cannot ignore that these attacks were because he is a trans man, and it must also consider the context of social vulnerability of Joe and his family,” says the document that the protesters delivered yesterday. It concludes: “Trans people have the same right to dignified treatment in all contexts, but the judicial system is cis-sexist and denies Joe the right to defend himself when he was attacked in his own home.” Cissexism is a system of oppression that privileges certain identities over others, restricting access to basic rights. If Joe were a cisgender person (that is, not trans), he would never have been prosecuted for defending himself.. [video width="640" height="352" mp4="https://agenciapresentes.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/WhatsApp-Video-2018-05-02-at-21.55.43.mp4"][/video] “We are like on a vigil because it is a case of a injustice and transphobia “Horrible. And we’re going to support Joe,” Fernando Della Costa, from the Trans Masculinities Front, told Presentes. Iñaki Regueiro, from Abosex, emphasized: “Joe’s situation shows how trans men in the justice system are not only denied recognition of their gender identity, but are also subjects of selective criminalization”.

The slogans

The document they delivered to the Entre Ríos Provincial House in Buenos Aires bears the signatures of representatives from the LGBTI organizations present: Trans Masculinities Front, 100% Diversity, Queer Screen Printers, ATTTA Men, and Abosex – which has been leading the defense for the past two weeks. Holding signs with the slogans #DefendingYourselfIsNotACrime #AcquittalForJoe and #StopTransphobicJustice, they also announced that they will continue mobilizing until this Friday. May 4th, when the sentence will be announced in the city of La Paz. ]]>