By Blas Radi and Camilo Losada Castilla *

Through a consultation carried out between May 2 and 5, 2020, with transmasculine people from Latin America, in which 80 people from the following countries participated: Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela, we identified some problems they experience in the context of the pandemic.

In many cases, these are pre-existing problems that have been exacerbated by the measures adopted by each state in response to the health emergency. We also highlight a specific problem arising from the measures recently adopted by Colombia, Peru, and Panama. All of the problems mentioned are aggravated if the transmasculine individuals experiencing them are also affected by other factors of vulnerability (i.e., if they are racialized and/or migrants and/or are incarcerated).

Finally, we present our recommendations. Before presenting these problems, we clarify the social group we are referring to: by “transmasculine people” we mean those “people who at birth were assigned the female gender, who identify themselves at some point on the spectrum of masculinity, whatever their transitional and legal status , their gender expression and their sexual orientation” (Cabral and Leimgruber).

Problems encountered:

Unemployment and poverty

Transmasculine people have seen their ability to maintain their work and income affected, and consequently, their ability to access food, medical care, and housing. Reduced working hours and layoffs have impacted those who work/worked formally as employees. The precarious employment environment has exacerbated their economic vulnerability. Those whose income depends on informal activities (for example, street vending) are outside of labor safety nets and have experienced particular challenges. Those who have been able to continue working despite isolation measures have seen their income reduced and have been unable to protect themselves by complying with quarantine. Those who were unable to continue working have no income.

Access to health

Lack of health insurance (for accessing any services or treatment), mistreatment in doctors' offices, and hormone shortages are part of the repertoire of daily problems experienced by trans* people in the Latin American context. The same can be said of the difficulties in accessing mental health services that are equipped to provide respectful and non-pathologizing care. These problems have worsened in recent months. Additionally, due to the health measures implemented by various countries, medical appointments have been postponed, hormone treatments have been interrupted, and surgeries have been suspended, leaving transmasculine people who had previously been able to access healthcare now waiting for services to resume. Furthermore, insufficient socioeconomic conditions to guarantee a dignified standard of living (largely due to the problems discussed above) affect transmasculine people's ability to purchase medication and personal hygiene supplies.

Domestic violence

Many transmasculine people live with families that do not respect their gender identity. These individuals routinely experience violence, often corrective violence, from their relatives . The mandatory lockdown has exacerbated situations of domestic violence, putting particularly vulnerable individuals, especially those who are not financially independent and lack access to adequate professional support, including children.

Intimate partner violence

This problem is unique in that it is rarely recognized as such. In general, intimate partner violence (as well as gender-based violence) tends to be identified as a specific type of violence that can only be experienced by women and perpetrated by men. In this framework, transmasculine people could only be perpetrators of violence, never victims. Thus, when experiencing this type of physical and verbal violence, especially in this situation of isolation, they lack adequate support networks. This problem is exacerbated when it involves people who lack economic independence and emotional support networks capable of providing them with shelter and/or a safe haven.

Institutional violence

The enforcement of quarantine measures by repressive forces has resulted in countless abuses, perpetrated especially in the poorest areas. These abuses are not exceptional, but they have multiplied and acquired significant social legitimacy, given the tendency to portray these forces as “agents of care.” Transmasculine people have been victims of these abuses. Those perceived socially as poor young men tend to meet the criteria of police selectivity and are frequently detained and subjected to violence. Those who have documents identifying them as male but whose appearance is interpreted as “ambiguous” or “feminine,” or who have not changed their documents and are socially perceived as male, experience violence in public spaces, including selective searches, questioning of their right to freedom of movement and their gender identity, inappropriate and unjustified physical contact, and arbitrary arrests.

Violation of the human right to gender identity

In countries where this right has not been enshrined in national legislation, this issue is part of the daily reality for all trans* people and presents particular difficulties during this pandemic. But even where the right is recognized, emergency measures have tended to effectively suspend it. This is the case with distance learning policies that have not included mechanisms for recognizing and respecting self-perceived gender identity, as well as with delays in institutional processes for changing legal documents.

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Indifference on the part of social organizations

Social organizations tend to claim that transmasculine people are not priority groups and/or ignore their existence and needs. In this particular context, this problem manifests itself in initiatives directed exclusively at other vulnerable groups that do not consider the existence of transmasculine people or are not accompanied by specific measures for transmasculine people.

Peak and gender

The "Peak and Gender" measure implemented in Peru, Panama, and Colombia to restrict the movement of people in public spaces based on sex has been denounced by trans* social organizations as a violation of human rights. It claims the measure jeopardizes the lives, physical integrity, and mental health of trans* people and creates a vulnerability to Covid-19 infection based on gender identity and expression. This measure establishes specific days for men and women to circulate separately, according to the exceptions established in each country (e.g., for obtaining food and medicine).

The identified problems stem from two fundamental aspects: the binary classification of the population based on sex, and the use of sex as a suspect criterion for discrimination. This entails the enactment of regulations that empower authorities to inspect and assess the authenticity of individuals' gender identities. This has resulted in a setback in the recognition of the right to gender identity, as it reinforces gender stereotypes subject to scrutiny by law enforcement.

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In this context, police abuse and discrimination based on the gender identity and expression of trans* people have been exacerbated, who experience physical, verbal and psychological violence, violence that tends to be legitimized through the discourse of non-compliance with the “Peak and Gender”.

Trans* people face barriers to accessing medicine and food. This occurs because access to these establishments is governed by established gender norms. Furthermore, transmasculine people have reported humiliating treatment, demands for documents reflecting their legal gender status, and medical diagnoses that reinforce pathologizing dynamics.

In terms of public health, the "Peak and Gender" measure increases the exposure and vulnerability of trans* people to Covid-19 infection. Because they are frequently approached by law enforcement and the local community to check their compliance with this measure, they are forced into more frequent physical contact with others.

Recommendations:

We call on States to take measures to:

• Create employment and/or financial assistance programs that also reach transmasculine people. If they already exist, ensure that transmasculine people have access to them.

• Guarantee access to healthcare for transmasculine people. This includes ensuring the provision of hormones and care without discrimination, violence or mistreatment, and in a non-pathologizing manner.

• Review and rectify professional and institutional frameworks for working on violence, including gender-based violence, so that they know, understand and can adequately address the needs of transmasculine people.

• Reduce violence perpetrated by security forces against transmasculine people.

• Enact laws that enshrine the right to gender identity in accordance with the Yogyakarta Principles and ensure their effective implementation.

• Establish and/or strengthen dialogue with transmasculine activists and transmasculine organizations.

• Repeal the peak and gender restrictions. Do not adopt similar measures.

*This article was originally published in the IlgaLac Coronapapers