By Violeta Alegre. We, transvestites and trans people, know very well what it means to decide about our own bodies. We did so for many years in secret, and that cost us (and still costs us) nothing less than our lives. Deciding is a stage of freedom; deciding is a deeply personal right, no less political for that, and the State must guarantee our rights. As you know, we cannot and do not want to camouflage our identity. Transitioning is aborting imposed masculinity or femininity ; it is the self-construction of an identity that, even celebrating all the progress—I insist—costs us our lives. That is why the demand for the right to decide is so clear to us. That is why we did not hesitate for a second to embrace the cause of legal, safe, and free abortion . It is our commitment to those of us who seek to decide to be a little freer and eradicate historical violence against our bodies, another collective encounter with feminisms. We understand—I understand—that the new generations today grasp what this quest is about. It resonates within them, it resonates collectively within a social body that attempts to discipline and condemn with constant moralizing.

[READ ALSO: #8M Why the feminist struggle must also be the LGBT struggle]

Patriarchy seeks permanent survival strategies. But thanks to feminism, every girl, woman, gay man, trans woman, or trans person in the neighborhoods who addresses needs and seeks ways to raise awareness and offer support manages to overcome—with varying degrees of success—these policies of domination and inequality. That is why we want it to be understood that Separations are also strategies of that patriarchy. And we are all part of these feminisms and transfeminisms. There will be differences that we will discuss later, but right now, being united is a collective weapon for our causes.

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

I would also like to see those who call us throughout the year for panel discussions, for quotes in articles, or who include us in their photos as a sign of diversity. Don't just "accompany" us: be part of our struggles because it is the same struggle: the freedom of our bodies and identities. #StopTheMurdersOfTransvestites #StopTransFemicides #dianasacayanjobquota#legalandsafeandfreeabortion #NotOneLess]]>