On the occasion of the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, the Diversités collective organized several workshops throughout the week to raise awareness of these issues.
May 17 is the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia. This date is particularly important since May 17, 1991 is the day the WHO removed homosexuality from the list of mental illnesses. Romain Amiot, leader of the Diversités collective, and activist at AIDES 47, explains: « This is the first time in history that the World Health Organization has removed something from the list, this day is significant for the community, it It is for this reason that we are targeting May 17 in particular. »
This international day of struggle is therefore an opportunity for the LGBTQIA+ community to come together and discuss. Romain Amiot supports: “The main reason for continuing to demonstrate at present is the duty of memory, we continue to fight for our rights, in tribute to those who fought before us. Moreover, the rights are not definitively acquired, they can always be taken back from us. »
What issues?
In Lot-et-Garonne, some associations organize events each year to increase the visibility of the LGBTQIA+ movement in the department. AIDES 47 is one of them. She actively participates in events and focuses on the fight against HIV, as does the Refuge, which welcomes young LGBT people thrown out of their homes. These associations have therefore decided to federate because, as Romain Amiot underlines, “there is a real need to unite, to pool our actions in order to have greater importance within the department. This is how the Diversités collective was born. This collective allows associations to weigh more heavily in the balance when it comes to providing assistance to victims.
« I had to defend myself »
Sam, 21, waiter, would surely have needed it and is sorry: « I regularly get insulted or followed, as a transgender man, as soon as I wear a crop top (short top) or even a tote bag (canvas bag), I risk an attack, however small it may be. The worst was when I lived in Bordeaux, I had to go out with something to defend myself, it happened to me several times to be afraid for my safety. The problem is that I had too many bad experiences wanting to file a complaint, so I don’t bother anymore. The aim of the collective is therefore to support the victims in order to make their voices heard. The biggest obstacle for LGBT people, and transgender people in particular, is that their identity papers do not always correspond to their gender identity. This dissimilarity can lead to gender dysphoria. According to the Groupe Hospitalier Universitaire Paris psychiatrie & neurosciences, the term gender dysphoria describes the feeling of distress or suffering that can sometimes be expressed by people whose gender identity, gender identity, does not correspond to their sex. assigned to them at birth.
The same goes for the medical community. Élio, 21, transgender and non-binary person, employee of the AIDES association explains: « If you want to find a doctor, general practitioner or specialist as a transgender person, you can’t afford to go anywhere . We have to read the opinions, and find out if we will be treated properly. Trans people are constantly kept away from the medical community, and come to no longer seek treatment for fear of being stigmatized. « . This is precisely the work of the associations of the Diversités collective, which can help inform transgender people about the addresses to avoid as well as those to privilege.
What solutions?
However, the demands are simple, Brigitte Voisin-Faugières, head of the Lot-et-Garonne Refuge specifies: “There should be greater awareness of these issues, in companies, in the medical environment or in schools. There is a real lack of knowledge and that is the main problem. »
In Agen, Saturday from 2 p.m. to 5.30 p.m., several stands will be held to raise awareness of these current issues, place de la Cathédrale.
#fight #LGBTphobia #continues #LotetGaronne
