Arrested after speaking out
The day after denouncing the rights violations and arbitrary arrests that transgender sex workers face, Norma was arrested. Frightened and furious, Norma and others have in Ser Gay - part of the Vida Digna (Life with Dignity) project - started negotiations with the State Human Rights Commission, which has resulted in the opening of a 24 hour telephone service to support those that have been arbitrarily arrested.
The organisation Ser Gay (Being gay) celebrated its first Forum on Human Rights and Homophopbia in Aguascalientes, a deeply-rooted catholic city, where the conservative Partido Acción Nacional governs.
A group of transgender sex workers, attending the forum as members of the public, asked to speak, and read out a statement denouncing the constant rights violations, such as being denied access to services, and the recurrent arbitrary arrests they face. They asked for the assistance of those present, including key dignitaries, to work with them to address these problems.
The day after the forum, Norma, the person who had read out the statement, was arbitrarily arrested at 5am for working as a sex worker on the streets. But Norma was not working as a sex worker at the time of her arrest. She was, in fact, on her way home in a taxi and had been followed by the police for several streets before being stopped. The police threatened to arrest the taxi driver if he continued to drive Norma home and so she had to step out of the taxi onto the street and was then arrested.
Norma was verbally abused during the arrest and told, “This is the beginning of what is coming to you, so you can warn your friends”. Norma was detained for 48 hours and had to pay a $458 fine. Sex workers are usually detained for 36 hours and fined between $250 and $300.
When Norma was released, she met with another transgender leader and members of the organisation ‘Ser Gay’. She was frightened but also furious. Everyone wondered how the police could respond with violence after the forum, and decided they had to fight.
With support from ‘Ser Gay’, Norma and others decided to write a letter to the public, reporting the events. They also filed a complaint at the State Human Rights Commission.
Subsequent negotiations with the Commission have resulted in the opening of a 24-hour telephone service, which provides emergency support to transgenders when they are arbitrarily arrested.
Ser Gay is part of Vida Digna (Life with dignity), a three-year project that aims to reduce HIV-related stigma and discrimination in four cities in the central states of Mexico, to make HIV-related work being carried out by these groups more effective. This work includes advocacy around access to services and HIV prevention, the provision of information, and outreach peer support work.
