In 2024, after years of silence, exclusion, and systemic violence against trans and gender diverse people, a trans-led movement began to rise across Latin America and the Caribbean. That movement became RedLacTrans, a regional network uniting trans-led organizations in 19 countries with one shared mission: to make effective the fulfillment and exercise of human rights for and towards trans and gender diverse people.
Advancing trans rights in Latin America and the Caribbean
RedLacTrans emerged as a response to the widespread exclusion and invisibility of trans communities, especially in the context of HIV and human rights. Today, the network is leading regional advocacy to end stigma, discrimination, and State violence against our communities, while pushing for access to healthcare, education, employment, and justice for trans and gender diverse people.
Their work has pushed for real change across the region, particularly in political advocacy for legal gender recognition and inclusion of trans communities in the HIV response.
Pushing for legal gender recognition since 2015 with the creation of CeDoSTALC, RedLacTrans has been documenting and monitoring human rights violations against trans and gender diverse people. Impressively, every national organization within RedLacTrans has a trained trans documentarian tracking cases of human rights violations and working hand-in-hand with the Regional Secretariat in Buenos Aires.
As part of this work, in 2024, GATE supported RedLacTrans in launching “The Debt of Democracy” at the 54th General Assembly of the OAS, exposing severe human rights violations of trans communities in the region:
- 84% of countries in the region still don’t recognize gender identity in law, leaving trans and gender diverse people without legal protection or recognition.
- 56% of trans and gender diverse people report experiencing harassment, discrimination, and threats.
- 44% have suffered extreme violence, ranging from beatings and kidnappings to sexual assault and murder.
- 32% of these violations are committed by those meant to protect us—public officials, including healthcare workers and law enforcement.
The report launch called on regional governments to comply with the IACHR Advisory Opinion 24/17, which states that legal gender recognition is a human right for everyone, including the right to change one’s name and gender marker in official documents, and recommended that States adopt measures to protect this right.
Another landmark demonstrating the role of organization in providing critical data to support advocacy, influence policy, and protect trans lives across the region was was the recognition by the Latin America and the Caribbean regional platform for National AIDS programs(GCTH) of RedLacTrans as one of ten key community organizations in the region leading on HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and care.
A powerful collaboration: The THRIVE Consortium
As part of GATE’s mission to build a more sustainable trans and gender diverse movement, GATE led the Global Trans Conference, bringing together over 200 trans activists from all over the world, including from the Latin America and the Caribbean region. RedLacTrans was one of the 12 trans-led organizations part of the Conference Organizing Committee, bringing invaluable insights and support for the event. Now, REDLACTRANS is one of seven trans-led organizations driving change for trans communities through the THRIVE Consortium.
Future actions from RedLacTrans
RedLacTrans is committed to working against anti-gender forces, ensuring more countries approve legal gender recognition, and ending violence against our communities. They hope to:
- Strengthen the internal structure of RedLacTrans and its national member organizations to build resilient, sustainable leadership across the region.
- Influence public policy to ensure trans and gender diverse people are fully included and protected—socially, politically, economically, and culturally.
- Reduce both social and institutional violence targeting trans communities by advancing legal recognition, accountability, and community safety.
Follow RedLacTrans
Our Center for Documentation and Monitoring of the Trans Situation in Latin America and the Caribbean (CeDosTalc) celebrates 10 years of visibility of human rights violations against our trans population. This is an achievement of RedLacTrans! We state that if you care (#quesiteimporte) about trans and gender diverse lives, we will never be invisible again.