Chilean transgender soccer team denounces beating: it was a gang attack

By Airam Fernández. Last Sunday, September 22, the players of the Disforia FC soccer team, made up entirely of trans youth, were attacked by a group of cisgender men while playing a match on one of the fields in San Borja Park in Santiago. According to the team's account, recorded in a…

September 25, 2019

By Airam Fernández

Last Sunday, September 22, the players of the Disforia FC soccer team, made up entirely of trans youth, were attacked by a group of cis men while playing a game on one of the fields in San Borja Park in Santiago.

According to the team's account, which they released on social media, three drunk men approached them with the intention of causing trouble. When they asked them to leave so they could finish the game, they refused and began insulting them. The argument escalated into a beating, which was suddenly joined by 12 other men.

“The street was full of people and nobody did anything but film us, while we were screaming for help. The park guards didn't say a word at all, and we're certain they saw the fight since the court has a large number of cameras,” they explained.

“It is systematic and structural violence simply because of who we are.”

This Tuesday, they organized a friendly match on the same field with Equipa Vaginas Silvestres, who gave up their game time slot to share with Disforia FC and anyone else who wanted to join. Before the game started, a young man who identified himself as Vicente took a loudspeaker to give a welcome speech and a brief recap of what they had experienced two days prior.

“What happened fills us with bitterness because it was an unjustified attack. We were attacked simply for being on this field, simply for being here. And while both sides participated in the fight, our actions were in self-defense, because we politely asked them to leave, and even though they had a huge space to set up, they only wanted to be where we were, bothering us,” he said to a group of approximately 60 people.

The authorities also violated rights

Vicente also pointed out that after the attack, the authorities violated their rights: “By following the legal procedures required to file a complaint, we were violated again, as our identity was not recognized by either the police or the health system. It is systematic and structural violence simply for being who we are.”

Another team member, who preferred to remain anonymous, confirmed that the Santiago Municipality is already aware of the situation. “We want the conditions for using the field improved as soon as possible and for our safety to be guaranteed in this public space, because we don't want to abandon it. We already had a meeting with them, but so far we haven't received any concrete answers,” she emphasized.

Disforia FC is a self-managed team that was formed in April of this year as a safe space for recreation for trans women, men, and non-binary people. Since then, they meet every weekend to play soccer in the park where, seven years ago, a group of men beat Daniel Zamudio, a 24-year-old gay man who became a symbol of the local struggle for LGBTQ+ rights, to death.

Given the park's minimal security conditions, both teams and the people who gathered in the plaza to show their support are awaiting a prompt response from the Municipality of Santiago. "This incident could easily have become a hate crime, and they must do something about it," demanded one of the attendees.

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