Antitrans State Terrorism

Abstract

This article analyzes the ways in which trans and travesti women experienced state terrorism during the Chilean military dictatorship (1973–90), a subject that has received little attention in memory and recent history studies in Chile. In particular, the authors propose that the use of the concept of human rights by truth commissions, as well as its inclusion in public policies, has largely excluded trans and travesti women. This text therefore introduces the concept of antitrans state terrorism and, given the limited studies that exist on the subject, encourages more historiographic research of state terrorism and trans and travesti women in Chile.

Sebastián Lelio’s Una mujer fantástica: Intimate Citizenship, Trans Activism, and the Gender Identity Law in Chile

“…Such practices not only dehumanize and objectify trans people but also strip them of their dignity. Hiner and Garrido (2019: 195) speak of “the structural and symbolic violence that is gender assignment,” and these practices certainly support this assessment. As Sharpe (2002) noted, historically legal recognition has tended to be bestowed only on gender-conforming bodies.…”

“…However, the degradation she experiences at the hands of the investigating officer and the assisting medic is indicative of the harrowing procedures that trans people were subjected to in order to secure the relevant medical certification to proceed judicially (Open Society Foundations, 2018; Rivera, 2012). The recurrent theme of physical and symbolic state violence (Hiner and Garrido, 2019) that Marina faces and the denial of her right to dignity, couched in terms of a broader lack of rights, is very present in this scene.…”

“…Instead of support and protection in the aftermath of her partner’s death, the state offers her suspicion and derision. This scene demonstrates that, despite the existence of an antidiscrimination law in which gender identity is a protected principle, these rights are all too frequently infringed upon, notably by state actors (Hiner and Garrido, 2019; Miles, 2012).…”

“…This collective action therefore helped to pave the way for the successful reception of Marina’s story and for the cultural transformation required to solidify social and political support for the gender identity bill. This continued as the movement diversified geographically and substantively through the 2010s with the emergence of organizations such as Arcoiris in Antofagasta and Nerfertiti in Iquique (Hiner and Garrido, 2019), with trans social and political activism ranging from participation in the passage of the gender identity law through Congress (Constanza Valdés, trans activist, interview, Santiago, January 2018) to securing political representation through local council members such as Zuliana Araya in Valparaíso and Alejandra González in Lampa. Emilia Schneider has also come to play a visible role in Chilean politics as the first trans leader of the Federación de Estudiantes de la Universidad de Chile (University of Chile Student Federation—FECH), elected to that position in 2019.…”

“…The film’s gentle advocacy for a trans woman addresses the invisibility that still surrounds trans lives in Chile and elsewhere. Though trans perspectives are expanding politically and in scholarship (Berkins, 2006; Cabral and Viturro, 2006; Creative Commons, 2017; Hiner and Garrido, 2019; Valdés, 2019; 2021; Zelada and Neyra, 2017), they have been historically peripheral within broader LGBTQIA+ activism and scholarship (Corrales, 2015; Del Pino and Verbal, 2015; Miles, 2011). Yet testimony has been a key activist strategy for sensitizing politicians to the complexity of trans lives with the objective of securing legal recognition (Andrés Rivera, interview, Santiago, December 2015; Fundación Selenna and Organizando Trans Diversidades [OTD Chile] activists, Santiago, January 2018).…”