What does Transgender Visibility Week mean to you?
In celebration of Transgender Visibility week, we asked some of our Transgender network members a few questions about what Transgender Visibility Week means to them, a bit about themselves and their organisations, and what they would like to see in terms of improvements for the Transgender community.
Pepetsa Fumo - Mozambique
What does Transgender Visibility Week mean to you?
Trans visibility week means a week of struggle, a week of victory ,a week of change first because I look back and see the struggle the challenges the conquests that the trans community faces and faced in the past, but at the same time I look for now in the stage in which the trans community is in and the future that makes me dream, in the new generations of the trans community in the new conquests and I imagine that in 5 or 10 years these barriers labels will be overcome the week of trans visibility for me symbolizes victory and a week of expressiveness of trans identity.
Tell us a little about yourself and your organization - what work do you do to improve the lives of trans people?
The MovTransDeMoz 'Mozambican trans movement' is an organization made up of a group of Trans women and trans men seeking through their activities to integrate society into socio-political socio-economic socio-educational demands that embrace the trans-Mozambican population through the fight against discrimination in function of gender identity, as a way of contributing to a greater respect for gender identity and sexual diversity.
What improvement would you like to see in the trans community?
May society be more inclusive that guarantees the human rights and full citizenship of trans people against any form of discrimination in addition to prioritizing the strengthening of public public policies for this group.
Deyonce Naris - Namibia
What does Transgender Visibility Week mean to you?
The week symbolises a significance of pride and promoting self expression.....it gives us space to highlight issues specific to our movement but also gives room for the trans movement to with partner's whereas in other spaces of visibility most times trans people are the audience.
A space were there is no need for inclusion because as a community we have always and will continue holding space together
Tell us a little about yourself and your organization - what work do you do to improve the lives of trans people?
Deyonce Naris commonly known as “Mam D” because of her role as mother to what she calls her “little Queers of the world” is a feminist, Human Rights and Gender Activist who specializes in the human rights of Trans Diverse persons, Deconstructing Gender conversations and is currently serving as the Executive Director of the Transgender, Intersex and Androgynous Movement of Namibia- an organization that advocates for the rights and the bodily autonomy of Trans Diverse persons in Namibia, she has been trained as a human rights defender, has served in leadership roles on numerous youth movements and forums and has been a radio presenter tackling issues of Gender, Sexuality and sex workers rights issues and thus can offer a variety of skills and expertise in this vast areas.
What improvement would you like to see in the trans community?
Our movement is fast growing so that says a lot around our visibility and taking back ownership on our lives, stories and realities. We look forward to the day when African states afford Transgender and Gender Diverse communities Legal Gender Recognition, a continent where African trans and gender diverse person's can cross a border with out fear of ridicule because our gender markers would be changed without a struggle and our access to SRHR and Gender Affirming health care is seen and recognised as a fundamental right and offered in states across Africa for free. A world where other movements acknowledge our contributions to advocacy of Queer bodies and should treat us with the same respect they would any other social justice movement