March 9, 2022

08:03

Priscilla Peixoto – Cenarium Magazine

MANAUS – On March 8 is celebrated the “International Women’s Day”, a moment that highlights the achievements and aspirations in the social, political and economic fields. The date, conceived in 1910 and recognized in 1977 by the United Nations, reinforces the importance of the female figure that fights for rights, acts against inequality in several areas, especially when the subject involves the labor market, an environment that has always been challenging for women, especially trans women, victims of a market, most of the time, discriminatory allied to the deficiency in qualification and training throughout life.

According to the latest data published by the National Association of Transvestites and Transsexuals (Antra), in 2020, the percentage of trans and transvestite women who live from prostitution will reach the worrying rate of 90%, against only 6% who are inserted in the labor market with a signed work permit. Sales consultant Alexia Damasceno is part of this smaller part of those who managed to enter the formal labor market.

Alexia, only 19 years old, has been employed for a little over a month and considers herself lucky to be the opposite of most of her trans colleagues. For her, getting a job is much more than passing a selection process among countless candidates. “It’s a symbol of respect, it’s not just a choice, but a welcome, an opportunity to show that I can also be a working citizen and I don’t need to fall into prostitution to ensure my livelihood”, comments Alexia.

Difficulties

The consultant recalls the difficulties that she and many other trans women go through to get an opportunity and points out that overcoming unemployment is only the beginning of a long journey to break taboos and prejudices.

“For a cis woman it is already difficult to establish herself in the market for all the reasons we already know, such as lower pay, barriers to obtaining leadership positions, harassment, etc. Now imagine for a trans woman that in addition to all this there is the prejudice, the fear of not being accepted by the public or co-workers, even if her posture in the company is infallible. It’s very hard”, she shares.

In a transition phase, Alexia celebrates for the first time the Women’s Day by presenting herself to society as a transsexual and stresses. “This year the date will have a special taste for me, because it is the first time I celebrate the date as I see myself and really am. Women, understand that we do not want to compete with you, we are all women, each one with her own particularity, and that we can support each other and have a lot to celebrate with our achievements, struggles, and occupying better spaces in the labor market”, she highlights.

Qualification

For the president of the Association of Transvestites, Transsexuals, and Transgenders of Amazonas (Assotram) and LGBTQIA+ manager of the Municipal Secretariat of Social Assistance and Citizenship (Semasc), Joyce Alves, besides the prejudice against the T community, other factors contribute to the transsexuals being pushed into prostitution and barred from the formal market, among them, the educational sphere, which is impaired or poorly used by this part of the population.

“It’s a mixture of everything. And when we are going to work on the issue of access to the job market for the transgender population, we cannot fail to emphasize the lack of qualification, because without it there is a series of consequences in the lives of those who have this educational deficiency. Unfortunately, most of them don’t even have a complete high school education allied to other internal issues that are not well solved. This historicity needs to be worked on, and then we focus on this agenda, which is the job market”, explains Joyce.

Non-recognition

The president of Assotram also highlights that most trans women do not recognize themselves as workers. According to Joyce, for trans women, the constant difficulties faced in daily life and the exclusion in the labor sector end up making them assimilate work as something that belongs to them. “I perform, but I don’t recognize myself in that process, and this makes it difficult even when facing a job selection, for example”, she comments.

For Joyce, one of the solutions to reduce the high percentage of exclusion in the market would be to implement improvements in the educational sectors, which are the basis of every society. Working on issues such as gender issues, the fight against violence against women (cis or trans), and the plurality existing in society would be one of the alternatives that would yield positive results.

“We know that the educational process is not for everyone, although it should be, because we have the issue of bullying, the poor qualification of teachers, and the reception process of other groups besides trans girls who go to school, and all this results in a school dropout of this population that feels the consequences in front of them, together with prejudice”, she explains.

Happy womanhood

When asked about the meaning of the day dedicated to honor women, Joyce reinforces the importance of the date and points out the union of the plurality of women, of welcoming and of sorority. “I believe that they all have a pedagogical footprint, they provide us with moments like this one, to talk about relevant issues. Until we are aware that unity strengthens and that there is no right just for one or the other, but that the right belongs to all, and each one with her own specificity, nothing will move forward. Don’t stop, keep going, fight! May we live our womanhood and be respected for being, above all, human”.

Transphobia data

According to a survey published by Antra, in December 2020, on average 70% of trans people did not finish high school and only 0.02% were in higher education. Data that endorse Joyce’s position and reveal the struggle of the transgender population to ensure access to basic rights such as education, health, and work.

In 2021, according to data from the report ‘Murders and Violence Against Brazilian Travesty and Transsexuals’, conducted by Antra with support from universities such as the State of Rio de Janeiro (Uerj), Federal of São Paulo (Unifesp) and Federal of Minas Gerais (UFMG), 140 murders of transgender people were recorded in Brazil.

According to the document, of this total, 135 were victims travesty and transsexual women and five were trans men. Although below what was recorded in 2020, when 175 trans people were murdered, Brazil still holds the position of the most dangerous country for a trans person to live, being for the 13th consecutive year, the place that kills the most trans people in the world.