Peace. For five days, more than 300 activists from the LGBTIQ+ spectrum networked in Bolivia’s capital La Paz and developed strategies against anti-queer violence. The fourth regional conference of the International Association of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex People for Latin America and the Caribbean (Ilgalac) took place this year under the motto “Decolonization of our struggles, depatriarchalization of our bodies”.
Ilgalac is a non-governmental organization focused on the global fight against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. It consists of groups, collectives and organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean. The conference takes place every two years and is attended by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual and other sexual identities, including pansexuals.
Panel discussions and more than 20 workshops took place. One theme ran through all events: the violence suffered by queer people throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. This violence is based on prejudice and political and religious fundamentalism. The countless murders of queer people, most of which go unsolved, are just the tip of the iceberg.
Latin America and the Caribbean is the most dangerous region in the world for non-heterosexual people. Brazil has the highest number of hate crimes against trans people in the world. In Central America, murders of gay men have multiplied in the past two years.
According to Ilgalac co-secretary Darío Arias, the average life expectancy of trans people is 40 years. The fact that many are displaced from their families at a young age, end up on the streets and cannot find official work is what Arias calls a social transfemicide. As a result, many trans people are forced to earn money as sex workers, putting them at even greater risk.
Compared to previous years, the murder rate of trans people has decreased somewhat. This is also due to the end of the pandemic, as queer people now have access to vital shelters again.
La Paz sees itself as a rainbow city. The conference was attended by various government representatives, such as Carla Guardia, member of the Council for Sexual and Gender Diversity of the City of La Paz, and Prime Minister María Nela Prada. The latter spoke of the struggle of feminists and that of sexual and gender diversity as one. The aim is to work towards building a world in which all forms of love are possible and in which there is no hate.