Historical reparation for trans people over 40 years old in Neuquén

This program acknowledges that there has been and is a systematic violation of the rights of trans people and seeks to alleviate state abandonment through a monthly financial contribution and access to social services.

March 20, 2019

Transgender people over 40 are survivors in Neuquén, Argentina, and throughout Latin America, where the average life expectancy for a transgender person is 35. They will receive historical reparations from the provincial Ministry of Social Development. This program acknowledges the systematic violation of the rights of transgender people that has occurred and continues to occur, and seeks to alleviate state neglect through a monthly stipend and access to social security.

“We had been considering this at the Ministry of Citizenship for three years. The Provincial Directorate of Diversity operates there, and it was from there that we conducted a survey of trans people in Río Negro and Neuquén, together with the University of Comahue and trans women's organizations. In December, we received compelling and chilling data on the situation in which our trans sisters live, and with that, we began to implement the program, which seeks not only to provide support but also to offer reparations. It wasn't until 2011 that the codes of conduct that penalized 'cross-dressing' were repealed,” Adrián Urrutia, from the Provincial Directorate of Diversity, told Presentes.

The program is carried out in conjunction with LGBT organizations and will initially reach 38 people who do not have formal employment, although it is not closed nor is it incompatible with other pensions.

[READ ALSO: Trans historical reparation: “We, the survivors, remain”]

“This is a long-standing demand from organizations, and we hope it will be replicated in other provinces. We hope that provincial governments, regardless of party affiliation, will implement measures to ensure that trans women, who have been victims of criminal codes both under dictatorship and in democracy, receive these reparations,” Ornella Infante, from the Association of Transvestites, Transsexuals, and Transgender People of Argentina (ATTTA), told Presentes.

According to a report by the National University of Comahue (UNC) and the Provincial Directorate of Diversity, only 3% of those surveyed are over 56 years old. In both provinces, 45% had difficulty renting housing, whether due to discrimination based on their identity, economic reasons, or exorbitant prices. Added to this are the obstacles to accessing education: 60% did not complete compulsory schooling.

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