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By Esteban Marchand, from Lima

Inequality in Latin America can be even greater when societal structures exclude and perpetrate violence based on gender identity or sexual orientation. This is the reality faced by many Peruvian trans women, which is why they decide to migrate to other cities to escape discrimination: in order to have a life.

This is called "sexile" and it is a phenomenon that is beginning to be studied by organizations because, although they seek new opportunities, trans people put their lives at risk by leaving their homes, often without identity documents or money.

The report , "Diagnosis of the Situation of Transgender Adolescents from the Peruvian Amazon ," published in July, details the migration process of this group. The qualitative study is based on in-depth interviews and focus groups with transgender women from Lima and various cities in the Amazon rainforest. Proyectos Únicxs and the Interdisciplinary Research Center on Sexuality, AIDS, and Society at UPCH were involved in this initiative.

“I came here to Pucallpa on my own, I ran away, that's how I paid for my ticket normally, they accepted me, they let me board the plane normally, I came here I didn't know anyone” (Pucallpa, 15 years old).

“We are talking about girls who live in the rural Amazonian area where there is a very strong idea of ​​rejection towards trans people and anyone who deviates from heteronormativity,” Alfonso Silva Santisteban, one of the authors of the report, told Presentes.

This type of migration usually occurs in places that have experienced internal armed conflict, such as Central America. There is also a significant amount of transgender migration from Mexico to the United States, particularly among women seeking better living conditions.

Escape route

The escape route begins in the riverside villages of origin and leads to the nearest towns. From there, they migrate to other cities with greater economic activity, such as provincial or regional capitals.

During their journey, transgender teenagers often encounter people who offer them help in exchange for something. According to Silva Santiesteban, this leads to situations of abuse and labor exploitation.

[READ ALSO: Sexile and danger: the fate of transgender teenagers in the Amazon]

But also during this displacement process, many young women find like-minded people who have already gone through what they have gone through. They meet other trans women, and this translates, the document indicates, into immediate security and an economic, symbolic, and educational resource.

“…until one day I met a transvestite, uh, she helped me with my medicine. I never saw my parents, my family, I, I lived crying, uh, in my room, until one day I went to meet several transvestites (…) From there, I went to Yarina, named after Yanina, there I met all of them, I knew them, they helped me, I work, they are good people there” (Pucallpa, 17 years old)

Prostitution as the only destination

It is through these connections that transgender teenagers see sex work as a means of survival. “Standing on the street” is the term this group uses to refer to this occupation. It is always a more experienced or older transgender woman who intercedes on her behalf (with other transgender women already engaged in sex work to allow her to continue working) and becomes a “mother figure.”

“This structure and these actions must be understood within a context where a logic of exclusion towards trans women prevails on the part of the rest of society and the system,” Silva Santisteban tells Presentes. She emphasizes that it must be seen as a social problem.

READ ALSO: [ What is sexile? A Peruvian filmmaker embarked on a project to explain it]

“The mother is not a pimp. The mother fulfills several roles: one is protection; she opens doors for you and provides security. She is the one who, at the beginning, will speak on your behalf to those in charge, known as 'the catfish.' The mothers will provide them with a home, and the mother may earn a little money, but in no way are they pimps in the traditional sense of pimping among cisgender women,” Salazar adds.

“When they are standing still, they are masters of their own destiny and they control the situation. They take ownership of the space, and that's how they become empowered. The compensation is greater, and that allows them to save money and also enter a social network that will not only allow them to continue working but also gives them other alternatives,” says Ximana Salazar, author of the report.

Absent state

The State does not see transgender adolescents as one of the most vulnerable groups, but only seeks to criminalize prostitution.

“Oh, the first few days I felt like when you have no experience, sometimes, they would come and the guy would say to you 'how much do you charge' and I didn't know what to say, like 'oh, how much do I charge'” (Lives in Lima, 22 years old).

Police and security guard violence, the risks of a drug-addicted or violent client, criminals, the temptation to provide services without using a condom, STIs, etc., are many of the risks that trans minors face every day while working as prostitutes.

Migration circles

Migration routes and patterns repeat themselves year after year. Many girls involved in prostitution manage to migrate to other places through connections they form with other girls already established in other cities within Peru, Latin America, or the world. Seeing them encourages others to want to imitate them; therefore, Lima is often the most desired destination for transgender teenagers who already have some experience working as sex workers.

This chain can extend to Argentina, Colombia, or Europe. According to the study, this signifies the continuity of learning in new spaces despite “traumatic exoduses.”

However, Salazar points out that an investigation focusing on the economic system behind these relationships is still pending.

What should we do?

From the point of view of both authors of the report, there needs to be a change of approach.

Alfonso Silva Santisteban points out that the migration of trans girls and adolescents is not being understood as the displacement of highly vulnerable individuals who are expelled from their homes. They only receive attention when they enter the sex industry, and then they are seen as a problem that must be eradicated.

Ximena Salazar also agrees and adds that as long as child protection policies do not include trans girls, this will not change.

*The quotes are taken from the document 'Diagnosis on the situation of trans female adolescents from the Peruvian Amazon' respecting the speech of the interviewees.