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By Paula Rosales, from San Salvador

Members of the security team at the Salvadoran Congress denied entry to the public building to two transgender women who are part of the civil society group against forced displacement due to violence. They cited alleged security protocols. This occurred on Wednesday, May 22.

Bianka Rodríguez and Grecia Villalobos accompanied representatives of different organizations that make up the table yesterday to present the deputies with correspondence containing information and recommendations on the forced displacement suffered by hundreds of families in El Salvador.

However, at the entrance to the congress, the police at the access points denied them entry, justifying it with security procedures established after protests carried out in 2018 by a group of students from the public university, who were protesting against the privatization of water.

The rest of the group entered the facilities without any problems.

"We have the right to free access"

“(The police officer) said it wasn’t discrimination, but rather security procedures. My purse is too small to fit a rock. My other companion was only carrying the document in her hands. It was clearly discrimination against us. We are citizens and have the right to free access to all public institutions,” denounced activist Bianka Rodríguez.

Trans people in El Salvador denounce hatred and demand a Gender Identity Law]

The 2018 report “Stop Trans Genocide” indicates that state institutions are the spaces where trans women are discriminated against based on their gender identity and sexual orientation. The study shows that 46% of discrimination occurs in hospitals, 36% in the police, 6% in the armed forces and municipal offices, and 3% in universities.

“The rest of the women were able to enter, but we were told that we had to wait. The security guard always treated us as men, even though our gender expression and identity are obvious,” Bianka Rodríguez told Presentes.

[State violence against trans people: the health system leads the complaints]]

Bianka Rodríguez is an activist with the organization Communicating and Empowering Trans Women (COMCAVIS), internationally recognized for its fight in favor of diverse populations in El Salvador.

Presentes contacted the head of security at the Congress, but at the time of publication, there was no official statement. An employee who asked not to be identified offered arguments that revealed stigma and prejudice: “Trans people need to understand that they come to the Assembly dressed appropriately, even if they write many articles about it in the newspapers. They can’t come dressed extravagantly, showing everything. They need to be clear about where they’re coming; they can’t come and impose their rules,” said the Congress employee who asked not to be identified.