The Uruguayan government has drafted a package of bills that aim to improve the lives of transgender people—including plans to pay reparations for the historic persecution of the community.
During the country’s military dictatorship in the 1970s and 80s—transgender people were detained and tortured by the state.
Transgender woman Sandra Valin was born in 1974 and told Marketplace that she wasn’t able to leave the house as a child.
"When I was a kid I was a target because I was flamboyant and feminine, it was horrible, and it didn't end with the dictatorship - the persecution continued into the 1990s," Valin said.
Uruguay decriminalised same-sex sexual relations in 1934 and—since the late 2000s— has become a world leader in LGBT+ rights. Gay people can legally marry, adopt children, serve openly in the military and are protected by anti-discrimination laws.
Uruguay is also one of the few countries where gay and bisexual men are permitted to donate blood.
While transgender people have been able to legally change their name and gender on official documents since 2009—the proposed legislation looks to take even larger steps towards trans equality.
The executive branch of the Uruguayan government has drafted plans to create scholarships and establish affirmative action for transgender people. Under the proposal, trans people born before 1975 would also be entitled to a pension—compensation for the historical persecution.
The changes would also allow trans people to legally change their name and gender without permission from a judge.
Tania Ramirez from the Ministry of Social Development told Marketplace that transgender people in the country are “vulnerable” and don’t live to the same age of their cisgender peers.
According to the country’s 2016 census, 873 Uruguayans identify as transgender. The census also revealed that 25 per cent of the community had been cut off from their family and three-quarters weren’t able to finish secondary school.
